Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1908-07-23

middle Of IL. There they buried the
bundle, which | afterward learned con-
sisted Of clothes Of their victims,
which would have been Matchmaking
evidence in case OF a search.
After they had made several trips
and all was quiet I left my retreat
and fastened to Cherryvale, deter
mined to act. I informed four other
vigilantes on whom I could depend
and we organized as a committee OF
five.
Three Of the party were to make
a wide circuit and come on the house
from the northeast, while myself and
another were to approach from the
| southwest. Our plans went wrong
and the party which was to make the
circuit failed TO do so. AS We came
in sight Of the house the Blenders
were loading the last of their house
hold goods into their wagon, and be-
fore we got to the house the wagon
| disappeared over the brow of a hill
to the north, cutting straight across
the prairie. The sun was just set
ting and the scene was as beautiful
as | ever saw in that country.
Fleeing Family is Pursued
we glanced over the place and
found they evidently had made up
their minds to move in hurry. This
gave US the idea that they must have
inf Cd Of
must, therefore, have confederates.
This Influenced US after all was over
to keep secret what we had done
They had left much of their stuff and
in the stable was a calf tied up and
evidently unfed or watered through
the day.
I'VE waited anxiously for our com
rades to arrive; and when they did
come an hour later We set out at full
speed for the fleeing family, firmly
convinced that they were the murder
ers of DR.. York and all the others
that had disappeared
"The night was dark and we feared
that they might escape US, but our
luck was good. We sighted them rae
ing as fast as they could over the
prairie, and shouted to them. The
moon had risen, but frequently was
obscured by heavy clouds, and the
riding was anything but good. AS
soon as we shouted they opened fire
on US, and this determined our course.
Of fol
them prisoners or giving them
trial. There was only one thing to
do, and though it has troubled me all
my. life, I do not see how we could
have acted differently.
Father and Son Are Slain.
I'VE set our horses going at break
neck speed and the bullets flew fast
from both sides. The bad light and
the rough going over the hilly prairie
made aiming almost impossible but
we were overtaking them rapidly
when a shot from the wagon struck
one of our party killing him instantly.
A moment later the old man who was
firing from the back of the wagon,
pitched out on the prairie dead, and
John jumped and ran. He was shot
before he had run a hundred feet
from the wagon.
Kate had been driving, nut at this
she stopped the wagon short, sprang
out, cut one of the horses loose, the
one said to have been given her by
her wooer, and sped away on it.
Even had we known that she was the
chief demon of the family-and we
did not know it then-we would have
hesitated to fire on a woman, so we
followed her as close as we could. But
her horse seemed to be getting away
from us and we shouted to her that
if she did not stop we would fire.
Kate Fights Like a Tiqress.
She paid no attentian, and one of
our party, taking a desperate chance,
shot her horse under her. 1t rolled
over on her and before she could ex-
tricate herself we overlook her.
I'VE dismounted and went toward
her, expecting to help her and with
no thought of trouble. But my
grief how she did fight! She fought
tooth and nail like a tigress and we
had to handle her like a bucking
broncho. At last she was firmly tied,
hand and foot, and thrown over the
front of the saddle of one Of the men.
When we got back to the wagon we
found that the old woman within had
been killed by bullet. The old man
and John were dead and we found
our own poor comrade stark dead on
the prairie, guarded by his faithful
horse, who stood over him like
sentinel.
Young Woman Confesses Murders.
I'VE decided to bury the bodies on
the spot and built a fire to work by.
shall never forget the terrible scene
that that fire illuminated. Kate
Bender stood between two Of the
men sullenly watching the proceed
ings. Her hair, Ioosened in her race
for freedom, fell in auburn waves
below her waist. Through her
| clothes, torn to rags in the struggle,
her shapely arms and shoulders
showed She was pale, but seemed
not in the least daunted by the ghasl-
| ly sight of her family and our comrade
lying in bloody row.
We wanted to get confession out
of her, but she was defiant and sui
| len. At last she said she would