The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-08-03
ARE Blenders DEADP
Positively Asserted That They Have
Been Dead Many Years.


Been Dead Many Years.
Atchison, Kan, July 25.-Ex-Judge
w. D. Webb of the district court, and
A. z. LangwOrthy, two reliable Atch-
lSon men, state they know for a posi-
tive fact that the Benders were killed
shortly after their atrOciOus crimes
were discovered. While Judge Webb
was in Cripple Creek, about four years
ago, he was told by a man on his death
I bed who was a member Of the posse
OF twenty which started out to hunt
the Benders after their crimes were
discovered that the Bender family was
OVertaken Just. across the Kansas line
in the Indian Territory, and the en-
tire family killed. The bodies were
( buried and the whole posse took
solemn oath not to tell the fate Of the
notorious murderers. They didn't wish
! 1t known because Of the fact that they
killed the Bender women while they
were pleading for mercy
a E Langworthy, who is connected
/ with the state university, says his un-
Gle, 7. Z. Langworthy, also member
| of the posse, who lives at Tribune.
/ Greeley county, this state told him
/ the same story about the fate of the
Blenders. Langworthy says his uncle
/ told him the story as a secret Only
/ two. 1t is said, Of the posse are now
4 living.
Chicago, July 25.-Are the members
/ OF the notorious Bender family alive d?
I According to the story told by Will
! liam G. Adkins, an expert accountant
/ with offices in the Fisher building, they
I are not. Mr.. Adkins was for years
/ IN the vicinity of the home of the no.
| torious quartette Of Kansas murderers.
/ He went to Parsons, Kan, in 1876,
/ nearly three years after the strange
! disappearance of the noted band.
/ Kansas at that time was discussing
! the strange manner in which the mem
/ oers Of the family were lost to the
/ world Parties were made up each
/ week from points near the Benders'
/ home which visited the scene of the
! wholesale murders, and it was on one
| OF these visits that Mr.. Adkins became
/ convinced that the family had not es-
/ capped from the country. He made in
| quiries Of many familiar with the his
/ tory of the family and its sudden dis
/ appearance, and he followed clew after
/ clew.
Each bit of testimony that came to
Mr. Adkins ears was closely sifted, and
/ he gained many points On the case that
/ mad not reached the pubiic'S ear. Mr..
! Adkins continued Investigations for
/ four years after the family had disap-
/ peared; but he failed 10 learn anything
/ that tended to throw new light on the
noted case until he made the acquaint-
ance of an old town character who
lived under the name of Governor
| Mortimer"
Mortimer first refused TO give any
information regarding the Benders
but later on he limited that the family
would never be found. Then he de-
| clared that they were not alive and
that they had not come to a natural
end Finally Mortimer told the story
shortly after the disappearance OF
DR.. Hork, a brother Of a member of the
{ Kansas legislature, he said, he, with
other citizens of the section, put a
watch OF the BenGers. A small com
pany composed of friends of Mortimer
was placed under leadership of William
Dick. Nothing was seen that would
have caused the authorities to arrest
the Benders until Dr.. YOrk's brother
alarmed a his long disappearance, fol
lowed the course Of the Doctors jour.
ney with the result that his dead body
was found near the Benders' farm
Shortly after this discovery the Ben
/ ders disappeared. According to the pc
lice, they left the country, but MOrti
mer insisted they were followed by TIL
band under Dick, which became a Wig
lance committee.
The Bender family made desperate
attempts to elude their pursuers, h
said. but they were caught on tn
banks OF the ' erQlgrlS IlNeI- IN
weather had been extremely hot an
there had been a drouth The river
. hardly larger than a creek, was al
most dry. The committee, after tn
capture Of the Benders. held a Judg
: Lynch trial on the river bank. TIL
prisoners were declared guilty and al
four members Of the family wer
hanged. The vigilantes buried the bod
les in the bottom Of the river at tn
/ dead Of night, and they were swallowe
up by the sands coming down the rive
with the first rain.
: For fear Of arrest the band kept tn
secret of the disappearance anon
2 / themselves until after the death c
Dick. When the leader died Mortime
I told the story.
IF Governor Stanley of Kansas Ia
issued acquisitions for the arrest {
four persons at Fort Collins. Colo
+ / v-aO answer the descriptions o. tn
Bender family. he will find that he Ia
gone te a great deal Of trouble fc
/ nothing" says Mr. Adkins. Had I tn
time and If I knew the exact locatio
I / IN the river in which the family al
said to have been buried. I would a
y most stake my life that I could I'm
! enough OF the bodies to prove tia
Mortimer story is true"