The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-03-08
HAS REASoNS FIR DISBELIEF
Significant Admission of Old Friend
Who Formed One Of Avengers
That Pursued Family.

service have printed a telegram from
Ontario, Ore, in which it is stated
that the woman, who under the name
of Joe Monaghan" rode the range
there for 25 years in the guise of a
man, and whose sex did not become
known until after death "a none
other than the notorious murderess,
Kate Bender. Kate Bender is a name
still familiar to the older generation
of newspaper readers, although prob.
ably unknown to any of the younger
people, for it is many years since she
disappeared and the many murders
laid at the door OF herself and parents
have been about forgotten.
The same dispatch adds that "Old
Man. and "Old Woman" Bender, as
the newspapers of that time we're &C.
customed to refer to the father and
mother of Kate, are now residing on
the Snake river, not far from Ontario.
The presumption is that they nave
a ranch there and the report of their
proximity to the woman who is be-
lieved to have been their daughter
is accepted by some as bearing out
the story by which the identity Of the
murderous trio would be established.
What Billings Lady Knows.
It is possible that Joe Monaghan"
was Kate Bender and that her parents
are still alive and now reside in Ore
gon, but there is at least n person
in Billings who doubts it, and has
good reason for doubt. This person
is a lady. With the diffidence natural
to her sex she is averse to have her
name given, but she declares that she
has every reason for not believing
that the supposed cowboy who turned
out to be a woman was not Kate
Bender. The same reasons for doubt
in this respect also prompt her to dis
believe that the old Benders are still
alive.
During the seventies, the decade
when the Benders gained their noto-
riety by reason of the discovery OF
the numerous murders committed by
them, a discovery that unfortunately
was made too late to enable the ar
rest of the murderers to be accom-,
plished, the lady referred to was a
resident of Kansas, and not so very
far from where the Benders lived.
She was then a young girl, but dis
tinctly remembers many of the cir.
cumstances that occurred after the
successful flight of the Benders and
the discovery of the bodies found
:, buried in and about the house they
J occupied. She even recalls some OF
the names of the men who were found
to have been murdered by the outfit
The Benders, it will be remember
ed, kept a road house and often &C
, commodated travellers overtaken by
might. Railroads were not very plen
tiful in Kansas at that time and much
of the travel was by team, particular
!, ly in the case of emigrants, while
statesmen of all kinds also travelled IL
that manner. Because of the sparsely
settled country but aittle attention
. was paid to travellers, as they wer'
common, and when occasionally it be
came talked that some one had dis
appeared, it was the subject of onl.
: passing comment. Finally, however
!. The sudden and mysterious disappear
ances in that particular pocality be
came SO frequent as to be marked
Then came one that caused suspicion
to attach to the Benders and the,
themselves turned up missing.
The Judges Admission.
. Among those who came into tn
, region to make inquiry for missin'
relatives was a lawyer, a man of NOR
than ordinary prominence in his par
of the state. The relative for whom
: he looked was a brother. The search
l instituted for him resulted in the find
, ing of his body buried near the Ben
der house. This started the remain
; ing brother on the trail of the muir
derers. He was accompanied by
small hand of reliable men, and the.
were gone for some time. At last the!
returned and soon after that nothin,
more was heard of the Benders in tina
locality.
"The Judge" as the lady refers tt
the lawyer, was a frequent visitor a
the home of her parents. OCCASIONAL!
he would be asked something abou
the Benders, but he invariablv. declin
ed to discuss the matter. Final!
on one of his visits the subject wa!