The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-05-31
THE BENDER MURDERS
TERRIBLE KANSAS CRIME RE-
CALLED by AN ANNIVERSARY.
Graphic History of N Deed Which
Caused a Great Sensation-GuiIty
Family's Disappearance.
Kansas City Journal.

was shocked from center to circumference
by the discovery of the Bender murders"
1t is more than probable that Kansas does
not contain a child OF ten years who is en-
tirely uniformed as to the general fact
that a series of atrocious murders were
once committed somewhere, by somebody,
and that they are always spoken of as the
Bender murders" But, on the other
hand. it is doubtful if any considerable
number of Kansas people could relate any
thing like a connected story of the crimes.
Old things become new in time, and inter
est never flags in a thrice-told tale If the
plot is only thrilling enough.
The Bender murders" have few If any
parallels in history. The series of mon
ster crimes were committed in the midst
of a peaceful. happy and prosperous coun-
try neighborhood. Human blood was spilled
like water for a few paltry dollars, or even
for so small a price as the poor clothing
worn by the murdered travellers. Ven
geance is mine, saith the Lord" and now,
from the lapse of years, 1T appears that all
hope OF human retribution must be con-
soled with that pledge of the hereafter,
for every effort TO search out the muir
derers and bring them to justice has re-
suited in failure.
The Benders drifted into Labette county,
from whittier no one ever knew. early in
the spring OF 1872, and at once sought and
entered a government homestead a few
miles out from the town of Cherryvale.
They chose a level bit of prairie land in
a narrow valley. along which ran the main
Travelled road leading from Fort Scott,
Usage Mission and other points to indie
pendence, the seat of the United States
land office. They plowed up a few acres,
planted a few fruit trees and constructed
a low, ene-story frame house. about 14x24
feet in dimensions. This house was divided
by a thin board partition, and underneath
the rear part was dug a cellar about four
feet deep, which had no stairway, but
the floor of the rear room. The front room
was fitted with rough shelves. and con-
across the front of the outside a struggling
sign announced that groceries were for
sale within, and that entertainment could
within a few feet of the front door, and
1t was understood that the Benders did
quite a thriving business with the many
wayfarerS who were constantly passing to
and fro.
There were four persons in this family of
murderers, two men and two women. Old
man Bender was a German and could not
speak a word of English. He was a morose
e eVen sa an bis owa tonR man T Mie SeiHom Ma spe aSso
German, but she had mastered enough
English TO attend to the store. Next came
Kate Bender, the only daughter of the old
couple. She spoke fairly good English,
which indicated that the family had long
been residents of America, despite the in
ability of the parents to talk English. Kate
was aged anywhere from twenty-five TO
thirty, and in appearance was not unat-
t%raetive, She had good features, steel gray
eyes, a full head of wavy, yellow hair. and
stood about five feet six inches in height.
She protested TO be a spiritualistic medium
and often gave exhibitions at the neigh
borhood gatherings. though from a Cherry
vale man, with whom the reporter recently
talked, it is gathered that she was more
The fourth member of this family was
John Geiger. a stockily-built German. who
spoke good English and who professedly
was the hired man. though he has been
spoken of both as the husband and lover
of Kate Bender. outside of Kate none Of
the family visited with their neighbors.
LOS NO TIME.
Though none suspicioned this family of
being wholesale murderers. 1t is evident
that they commenced their awful work
almost Immediately after locating upon the
claim. During the fall of 1872 and through
the winter and spring succeeding a number
of person disappeared as completely as
though carried from the face of the earth.
Search revealed nothing of their where
abouts. and while the people met together
and shook their heads ominously and talked
all manner of theories. not a breath OF
suspicion was waited toward the Benders:
A writer in one of the local papers at the
time said:
Early in the fall John Boyd and his
young wife located in independence. He
was a carpenter from the East. Finding
work dull at Independence, he determined
to go to Parsons TO seek employment.
cept enough to pay a few days board, he
started early one morning TO walk TO Par
sons. a distance Of about twenty miles;
grieved as a young wife could, not know
ing whether she had been deserted or left
"a man named Lonouor had taken up a
piece of land near independence, where his
wife died. He started with a wagon and
grandmother's. near Fort Scott. Man and
child both disappeared. although the team
was was f2 maa f from IN a E fless hSr'y in %.,ei by ava" tRe
name of Mckenzie, or Mckinney, had Wis
tied John Sperry: a farmer TREND nving
one morning to walk to Independence.
That was the last known Of him..
osb a COUNTY MTi SrG snd TeIn o Hsd P WitR { his r. family Hf5
in the spring of 1872 and took up land west
of Independence, He returned to Neosho
him. bought a new wagon and good team
and started home, but never got there.
He, with team and wagon disappeared;
places. two bodies. entirely naked. were
found in Cherry creek, near Cnerryvale,
about five miles from Blenders. They had
with a blunt instrument like a hammer
and they were never identified. This gave
Il ClQt IL lAlC lat " Rlt Dol POORACg 0aN
not to who the murderers were.
Where one of the bodies was found a
wagon track led to near the bank of the
creek and on a thorn bush where the
body had been tumbled over the bank was
found a strip of calico. Indicating that a
woman had at least helped 10 get away
with the body. and that was ALL"
These are but samples of the many dis
appearances which were recorded in the
local press about this time in the vicinity
of the Benders. Mrs. Brown, wife of the
man mentioned above, got caught in a
storm while out searching for her husband
and stopped a whole week with the Ben
ders. at the very time the corpse of her
husband lay cold and CHASTITY in the hole
beneath the kitchen of the house. 1t is
supposed that she was spared because the
| neighbors knew she vas at the Bender
house.
DISAPPEARANCE OF DIR. YORK.
In April. 1873. DIR. York. a prominent
physician of Fort Scott, started TO visit
| his brother. Hon. A. NJ. York. at Indepen-
dence. The independence York is famous
in the ANNALS of Kansas as the man who
caused the downfall of United States Sem
ator Samuel c. Pomeroy. He was State
Senator from the Montgomery county dis
trict, and he it was who marched down
Representative Hall and laid 5000 on
the clerks desk, which he said he had re-
| ceived from Senator Pomeroy for his vote
in the election of Senator. DIR. York
reached Usage Mission in the afternoon,
= called on some acQuaintanceS. and then