The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-10-20
FACTS ABOUT The RENDERS.
TRUE STORr or THE EXTRAOR-
DINARY KANSAS MURDERS.
Evidence Tat the Bonders Escaped ne
fore Their Grimes were Discovered
and Mere Not All Killed by Col. Yerk
Motive of the Murders Not known.

~ 'Fs' =. ~ W ="
" of the MURDER Net known
Parsons, Kan. Oct. io.-Mors thai
twenty-eight years have elapsed since th'
accidental discovery 81 n series OF ex
traordihary murders committed from tim.
to tins by tho Bender family on a lionel,
prairie farm s6me twelve miles west o.
this city.
A most singular phass 81 their butcherie'
was that no individual marked a. q victim
ever escaped 90 sound the alarm Of tts
dreadful work which systematically wen
on at the Bender place for abou, two YEAR,
Their method Of operation was accurate
and effective 10 every instance. They tool
many livcs. possibly upward Of thirty
persons were killed.
All this u recalled by the alleged dis
covery the other day Of Kate Bender IN
Colorado and by the wild stories about
tho Beuder- and their whereabouts, which
havo been reprinted since. One story still
tenaciously believed 10y crcdulous people
h~creabouts was 20 the effect that the Bend
srs. after the discovery 81 DR.. York's fate,
we're promptly pursued and overhauled
In the lndlsn Territory and that the entire
family. including the Two women. we're
cmorselessly shot down.
The repetition Of a few details Of the old
story arc necessary to = clear understand
ing Of tho B-nder's flight and the -ub.e-
quent discovery 81 their murders The
Bsnder family CONSISTED Of John Bender
the father. perhaps ~ years old, his wife,
approximately -, young John, say %.
and Nate Bender. aged -. They are gen
orally described a. Germans, but in fact
they were Holland Dutch. Their first APP
rearance In this county was In February,
1871. when they srttled OF q raw prairie
claim Ia Usage TOW nslip They came
from Harrison county. Ind A. that time
there were scarcely 100 people all told
IN the six miles square Of the townships
territory Later. when the Blenders fed,
their carrst neightor WAS half n mile away
Their location was on the old O.ag~
Mission and Independence wagon road,
which crossed The northwest corner Of
Labette county Here they built a small
frame house. 10 Nv ,, feet. one story and
q half high. with q rough addition for a
kitchen. underneath which was a dugou'
for a .o-cellcl COLA The lower floor ~
tho upright va, DIV .dcd into two com
partncn,s by a partition Of cotton shecting
IHltutN 70 AWf rllHl4bk lN'N llfil-Nfl
msals 20 transient travellers and fed their
horses. The Bender place was IN some
cor, a roadside hotel Their front room
was tsed as a store. IN which they kept on
sale 4 Few Coar-c good, liquors and cigarS
IN Jgnc. 1874. the writer. then a new
residen: Of Parsons. drove over the prairie
o. ChcrryNale bv way Of the Bende plsc-.
and stopped In front Of the house to make
som- inquiries in regard To the tuad. The
family camc out and were eager
listeners to tho conversation between him
and old MAJ Bender There was nothing
or singular In their appearance.
!, Vas generally understood that the girl.
Kate Bender. was the one strong individu-
atty of the family, She pretended to be a
medium. and At n period
the character Of . s~pirituslist
pronering her services as such.
, II was and still is the popular impression
that this Kate Bender wa the directing
evil genius OF the family. and was mainly
for their crimes. The old man
was q mere plodding Dutchman. without
characteristics OF any kind. and
nobody remembers anything about Mrs.
worthy OF remark.
In the last week In March. 1873. Or VIII
II. York. OF Independence. in the al
county Of Montgomery. unac-
rountably disappeared. His brother. Col.
NJ. York. went In search OF him. Be-
tween Parsons and tho Bender plAcc he met
persons who remsmbered seeing the doc
or journeyins on horseback toward
Independence. One man told him he had
cen DIR. York at Bender's. where he had
10 feed his horse. But tho
denied that they had seen Or |
York
Not finding any fur Their trace Of his
brother. Col. York suspected foul play.
organized a small party with the sheriff OF
county at its head. and pro-
cecded back 10 Bendcr's. Old John was
subjected to q close examination. and was
that Il was known that DIR. York
stopped at his house, after which no
race Of him could he found. Bender's
name and incohercnt answers added 10
he growing conviction that tho Bendcrs
NEW something Of the doctors where
,bouts. As a last resort the old man vas
aiken down into the timber on the creek
md certain demonstration made with
he purposs OF soaring a confession out Of
him but without avail. He made no dam
aging admissions and was p~erforce released.
A cursory examination Of the premises
bu; nothing tending 60 explain
he mystery was discovered. The younger
cooliy faced the party and ka'c's
manner was markedly truculent,
Reluctantly the party departed no wiser
han they came, The story. generally
that Col. York returned the next
lay with a still larger party. found ths
gone. and than discovered the body
70 his brother. h wholly untrue. He con-
inued his search for DR.. York. but tho
were not again disturbed. On
april y. 1873. Gov. Osborn offered a reward
q $500 for the apprehension ~ the unknown
murderer 81 Or. York.
Thus officially nxe- an important date In
be Bender story. II was certainly after
he foregoing visit 20 The Bender farm, and
Z Col. Yoss bad already killed all the Bend
~. as alleged and believed nv a good many
olks. why offer a reward for tho capture
e his brothers unknown murderer, II u
signihcant fact that n was nearly q month
Ifter this reward was offered that tho mys-
cry was solved.
The elimination was dramatic and tho
main events OF II are undi-puted among the