The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-02-16
FARM ACCUSED.
CrOps Wont Grow on the Old
Bender Place.
No One Can Be Found Who VIII
Stay There.
NEW BLOODY CHAPTER
In the History of a Neighb0r'
hood of Murderers.
Rrockman Who Murdered His
Child, Lived Next the Benders

toric spot as it is today, nearly "A years
after the York murder:
Nine and one-haIf miles northeast OF
Cherryvale in Usage township, TINS
county, section Is. you strike the north-
west quarter of the Bender farm Three
large mounds on the south and east
are known as the Bender mounds
Farms surrounding it are well TILED
improved and abound with orchards
and vines-the curse of human blood
rests upon the Bender farm-it Is
mass of cookie burs, weeds and matted
grass Not but the land is not as r1ch
and fertile. as the land adjoining. but
the parties who have owned, rented anu
farmed il for 20 years past, seem 20
meaningless way. A small strip Oh
corn had been planted along the line
where the bodies were fOuno-the
stalks looked like popcorn on otner
farms, and were scarce higher than the
enormous cookie burs, which seem more
than usually laden
When the reporter made the trip
through the tangled mass and emerged
into the road he presented much the
same appearance OF colt which mas
been running loose in corn HELD all
winter While engaged in disengag
ing himself from the friendly burS, the
reporter asked something about the his
tory of the township in a criminal way
and was astonished to learn that IN
strip of land embracing that upon
which he stood. 21a miles north and
south and l y miles east and west, 10
violent deaths had occurred There
were the nine Bender murders; an old
man by the name of Hatfield, store
keeper at Mortimer, who shot and kill
ed his young wife and h1mSelf-Jeal-
ousy; in 1887. Yves Ratcliff. 10, a farm
er's son, suicided by shooting, for rea-
son he had shot his fathers mule; and
the killing eight years ago of John
Geary in self-defense by a brother of
Ben Parks, who married Geary's Gaugh-
ter against his will Then there was
the Forest-Buckles transaction of II
years ago. After an alteration with
Forest one night, Bucklen fled the
county that night without hat or coat.
Forest was arrested for murder, the
people were greatly excited, wanted to
lynch somebody and somebody did get
strung up, but escaped with his life.
Buckles was still missing, and 6taid
missing a number of months, and the
case was continued from term to term
and he eventually turned up sound. The
Bender farm is now owned by Mar
garet Keefe but was previously the
property of Silas Yeagle-it pays no
dividend, and the interest on the mort
gage is steadily increasing, as if nine
murders We're not enough to damn it
and render it forever cursed, a Kansas
mortgage-has fastened upon it. and
hot winds blight the corn, the rust
strikes the oats, and the voraciOus lit
tie black devils of chinch bugs destroy
the wheat.
People in the immediate locality of
the famous Bender farm are pretty we'll
satisfied as to what disposition was
made of the Benders. So much sothat
when effort has been made to follow
various clues in recent years. men of
standing and property holders have dis
cOuraged the movement.
Jesse Mcdaniel, late of Labette coun-
ty, now of Fail River writes to the IN
dependent of the crime He SAYS:
notice in your columns that Rudolph
Brocknan is now on trial for the muir
der of his daughter, Mary, under ag-
gravating circumstances From the fact
That his farm in Usage township joins
on the west the notorious Bender farm
and from the part he played in the ex-
citement following the flight of this
murderous family, whose crimes shock
ed the whole country at the time if
brings to mind recollectiOns of the past
which may be of interest to the rising
generation and TO those who have To-
Gated within the confines of the south
tier of counties
In the spring of 1873 q cannot give the
exact date 1 was in Independence ON
"Wednesday, and excitement was high
one Dr. York, brother of State Senator
York tat that time) was missing. and
men were securing the country in
search of him. He had left FIT Scott
ana was traced to within. I think,
one and half miles of the Bender.
place on the previous Thursday There
all trace was lost and he disappeared
completely. I went with others to the
place where he was last seen and the
search was renewed We were at the
Bender farm frequently. Saw Kate
Bender and was all over the farm AS
We abandoned the search and before
dispensing to our several homes quite
a number of Su stopped at the house
that evening. Kate told US if we would
come the next day she would throw her
self in clairVOyant state and tell ms
where DR.. York was, if dead Not hay-
ing faith in that kind of business ala
not 60 On the following morning Fri
day. we went to Thayer, Kan, and saw
q 4
L. l.. & G.. railroad one mile south Of
the city, close to a pond, which attract
co our attention as being something IN
usual no one with it, or no cover ON the
wagon On the next morning we AGAIN
went to Thayer for the early nnor6i,4er
train, and saw the team still there
cold ram had set in l noticed the team
We're eating the wagon box L Went to
the nearest house and inquired as to the
team and was told by the woman 1T
the house nOw Mrs. Cody of Oswego. 7
think that it was there Friday rlorDiner
when she got UP and no one had bee3
near ii since. We reported it TO Ed
Malburn, a nveryman at Thayer and
asked him for the sake of humane treat
ment to get the team and care for il
which he did that afternoon.
Three weeks from the following
Thursday was at Independence when a
man from the Bender neighbOrhood
came in and reported the Benders gone
and that there were dead bodies in the
mouse or cellar, as the stencil was such
I" neH ne opened the door that he could
not enter. To say that people became
excited. does not express it A crowd
started for the scene at once Owing
to pressing business l did not get there
until the next day. The house was ex-
amined from top to bottom The
stencil came from the cellar It was
dug out to fresh earth ON the sides. No
bodies were found, but as the stencil
arose from decomposed human blood.
1t was an evident fact that murder had.
been committed. The house was moved
from its foundation, but no clue was