Kansas City daily journal., 1897-01-31
SUPERSTITION THEY WERE LYNCHED
IS ERRONEOUS.
THE OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION.
SHOWS THE MEMBERS OF THE FAM
lily ESCAPED TO TEXAS.
A Convict of the Michigan State PEN
itentinry Knew Them Weu-He
Makes n stntement-TeIIs of
Their Life on the
Frontiers.
THE OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION.

To begin with, you would like to
know the best way to go to the place
where / last saw the Benders. If
were going there L should go on the
cars to DenisOn, Tex. Then 1 would
go by saddle horse, arms and outfit 10
camp out. to Henrietta, CIny county,
Tex, which is about 11O miles west,
settled all the way. On the way would
stop Mt Red River station, to make in
auiries for Tom Lawrence, Del Short
or DuEnn and others. At Henrietta
find Dan KOOzer, n brother of Ed
KOOzer, who in with them. If didn't
find where they were i would go to
Domes' ranch, about 12O miles little
south of west. The place where they
were camped when / saw them last
is sixty-nve to seventy miles from
there. southwest in the mountains
and Mt the head of PecOs river, no
road or trail to IT, but it is not likely
they nre there now. i think they
hnve either gone farther south on the
Stake plains or in the Guadalupe
mountains, or have gone with the
KIcLnpoOs, southwest of SalteIlo, Old
Mexico-Extruct from the statement
of sam Merrick, Michigan convict,
regarding the Bender family.
''The prevailing impression that the MEM
bers OF the Bender family, the noted muir
derous pioneers of Labette county. Kas.,
were Iynched is wholly without founda-
ton" said Captain W. H. Ward yester-
day. Captain Ward was private secretary
to Governor ST. John, of Kansas, during
the administration of the latter from 1873
TO 1889. At that time the efforts to trace
the Benders were still active, and much
Information regarding them passed through
the hands of Captain Ward. He is now
resident Of Kansas City, Kas.
Several years ago." said Captain Ward,
"a Chicago paper printed an article, pur-
porting to be letter from Kansas City,
in which the writer claimed to have seen
and talked with dying man who had con-
fessed to completely in the lynching of the
Bender family. The writer of the article
failed to reveal his own identity, or that
of the dying man who had told the story.
The dates and facts mentioned were so
erroneous as to show that the story was
the product of a faulty memory and
vivid imagination, but from its publication
the opinion seemed to become general that
the lynching of the Benders was an actual
fact. The story was absolutely unfounded,
land the Benders escaped Probably some
of the members of the family are still
alive"
The facts in the matter, as they appear
ed from the investigation made by the
Kansas state officials, seem to show con-
clusively that the lynching story was q
myth. 1t was about April or 5, 1873, that
a wagon, team and dog were found aban-
doned in a ravine back of the little town
Of Thayer. Neosho county, Kas. An ac-
count of this was published in the Thayer
Headlight at the time. This was in the
days when that territory was on the from
tier and the finding of the team was one
of the strange happenings which not in
frequently occurred on the border of civ
iliZation. 1t created considerable COM
ment, but it was not until about thirty
days later that the real excitement oc-
CURED
On May 3, 1873, a posse searching for DR..
York, who had been missing for several
weeks, came to the Bender residence, and
found 1t abandoned. In the stable was
tied a calf which had been left behind and
which had been starved to death. Every
thing indicated that the place had been
without occupants for month or more.
The Benders' place had been a sort of
halfway house and its unexpected deser-
tion created surprise. About the place
were discovered several sunken mounds
resembling new made graves and the mem-
bers OF the posse, on opening one of them
discovered in IL the body of Dr. York
Seven or eight more of these mounds were
opened and IN each a body was found two
bodies being taken from one of the mounds
Then the mysterious abandonment of the
team in the ravine near Thayer was re-
called and persons who knew the Benders
and their team went to Thayer to in
vesugate. They identified the horses and
dog as having been the property of the
Benders.
Senator a. NJ York brother of DIR
York. states that he last saw the Renders
on April J, 1873. 1t is supposed they left
their Labette county home the following
Gay, ana that the team was abandoned the
night OF April T. or the morning of April s
The station agent of the old Leavenworth
Southern Kansas branch of the Santa Eel
at Thayer, remembered, and his records
bore out his recollection, that four ner-
sons, the descriptions of whom ansry ared
10 that of the Benders. had purchased
nckets At his office April 3. from Thgver
10 Humboldt, kas. Here the absolute trace
of the Benders was lost. 1t is supposed
that they went on the LeaYenworth Law
renee x Galveston TO Chanute or Hum
boldt where they could have made close
connections with the south bound train Of
lhe Missouri Kansas * Texas. for the
frontiers OF the Indian Territory Jybich
then foODDIat tod larpal,- ,,itl,