Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-11-13

y were migrating to Kansas in thu hope O
{ finding the horn of plenty in the way c
agricultural lands. These people, VIII
we're often overtaken at night man
, miles from the neare t habitation were
when travelling horseback and alone, oftel
forced to seek the hospitality of the settle
who had already selected his 100 acres an,
built himself a home. This the Bender
had done, but the hospitality immigrant
and travellers received at their table ant
freside will 60 down in criminal l~iteratur
as the deepest, darkest and most villain
Gus that has ever forced itself under tn,
gaze OF q civilized world. In many in
stances whole families were murdered BY
these monsters and buried in the cellar
In some cases the throats of the victims
would be cut from ear to ear, while in
others, especially that of a man travelin,
alone, a different mode OF dispatching the
victim would be employed. When the mea
would be in readiness he would be asked tc
sit at the side of the table neal a muslin
partition. So close was this PARTON that
the back OF the victims head would rest
against it. There were four members OF
the Bender family-the old man, old
W ,man, q son aud a daughter, and while
two or three OF them would engage him in
conversation, the old man or theson would
step behind the curtain and deal the victim
a blow on the back of the head with g.
hammer. after which the one nearest
to him would cut his throat.
The body would then be searched
and buried in the cellar. This wholesale
slaughter oil travellers was kept up until a
prominent man, DR.. York by name, sud
denly disappeared. His disappearance
created quite a sensation in the neighbor-
hood, and all sorts of theories as to his
possible fate were advanced by his friends
and relations. A brother Of the missing
doctor set himself to work to solve the
problem and succeed ID in tracing him to
the inn kept ty the Benders. The doctor
had stopped at the house and had been
murdered. Suspicion at once pointed at
the Benders as the slayers of the missing
doctor and SO strong was public opinion
in favor OF searching the house that the
murderers left between two days and up to
this time have not been captured unless
the old woman now in custody in Wiscon-
sin proves to be old Mother Bender.
After the family had escaped from the
scene OF their butcheries q search of the
cellar and garden disclosed the %grinninp
OF men, women and children,
among whom was the missing DR.. York, |
who had not been dead long enough to be
beyond recognition. The throats OF nearly |
all the women and children had been |
but tho blunt instrument mark,
which had in addition to the throat cut been
adoeo TO the male victims, was not visible. |
Both the cellar of the house and the garden
were filed with lead bodies, and it required
the work OF several days to expose to view
Inc last CHASTITY skeleton. While the work
e~xcavating for the bodies was being
prosecuted, hundreds OF curious people
visited the spot and carried off as memen-
Toes every available article. The house
was completely carried away.
Since the escape OF the murderous family,
which was some time in the early seventies,
nnnmerable arrests OF persons supposed
10 be the fugitives have been made, but
after failure to indentify them as such
,ney were turned loose. It is supposed
hat after leaving the scene of their butch
'rles they went into Indian territory and !,
hence to Texas. Numerous stories re-
ardlng the killing OF the whole family by a !
lgllance committe composed of 100 men ,
ave been set afoat, and more than 3d.
,OO people have been found who were &C. |
i've participants in the o%bliteration of the
They are thicker than flies on
motases barrel on a wcrm day.,
almost as numerous as were
ne schoolmates OF the murdered :
last sumner in Butte. And now -.
omes the second chapter OF this horrible {
PIE, which will in a measure put to rest e
further speculation as tt the fate OF the =
enoers, and entirely wipe out the vigilance v
portion of it: b
a former detective, now a prominent r.
1siness man OF Butte, in the year 1880 ',
following his vocation In New Mexico u
no was at that time in communication b
lth the governor of Kansas in relation to =
10 fugitive Benders, whom he had sue. y
IN locating. In one OF the commu. 81
cations the governor enclosed a copy Of
statement made by a convict in the ..
lcnlgan penItentiary relative to the
,noers' and to which the governor gave
credence. The story of the
nVict was to the effect that while be was O.,
fugitive from justice, which was about =
9 time OF the Bender episode, he was III
ing cowboy duty on a ranch owned by a.
'ge st. Louis cattle syndicate, near Hem
tia, Texas, and that living at Henrietta. :,
a house possibly belonging to the cattle "
was a family containing a num-.
: OF young men. Tit gentleman has
gotten the name by which the convict mr.
d the family went, but the occupation n.
the young men was that OF stealing LIZ
rses and cattle from the Indians in hat ca
unity and Indian territory. The fupitive
Vboy sOOn became intimate with this
aliy and grew to be q full .fedged and
sted member OF the gang. About the ou
10 OF the disappearance of the Bender it's
lilly from Kansas the cowboy was in.
med by his new friends. the Henrietta
My, that they expected an uncle, aunt
a couple OF cousins from Kansas and
t they we're coming by wagon. In due Ad
o the rela ives arrived and were intro.
by the name OF Sundsrs. Both
lilies doubled up and lived together. the O
/, l including the cowboy, engaging in the Tn,
lily renumerative and lofty business OF
esale "rustling," which in Soutbsrn Spc
lance stealing cattle. Soon, Go,
ever, the relentless pursuers OF evil. dist
rs, the Texas Rangers, began to make o,D
arm for the gang and they all pulled
les and took to camp life, drifting in a teri
direction and finally Iocat- eral
the Staked Plains, where thew con-. r.
at intervals their Texas occupation. -
he meantime it had been confded to- graz
cowboy that the arrivals from pro,
sande rI :. n ON oonsr than the motor Nor
It was made Of the fact. III
1877 the cowboy was arrested at q test
AIRY post 10 the Indain Territory. Seat
snnniias TO- a. ppnaI.oouno, ne q the
taken back to Michigan, and tried and stro
icted OF the crime punishment for expe
b he had 80 long evaded. In his state. cana
relative to the Benders he went into 1
lls, giving names and occurrences. conn
oil his statement was forwarded by the
OF Kansas to the detective whoj
that time in New Mexico, and heI Or.
,alaeeiy seq o finding the man who by
His nema .Ine rancn at Hen CoIul
ha was L."a+"S oarr, ana al the vinci
the annIon - ~ .ne ueCectlve ne amor
oant of The 81, .ne engineering de- Mort
anv at Alhnnnsron. n Lacinc railroad he sp
Nc" mexico. Mr.. the p