Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1908-07-23
HOW Persisted THE
KANSAS Blenders
STORY is NOW TOLD BY a MEM
EER OF THE VIGlLANTs
COMMITTEE.
WHO TELLS TIE TALE, THINK
ING THAT ne is ON HIS
DEATHRED.
KATE BENDER THE EOLpEST
AND cRuELEST OF The
WHOLE GANG.

ueT IL which the famous Bender fam
~ OI Auruerers was put out OF ex-
lstence IL Kansas. He fully believes
his duty TO publish the truth 10 the
world. A compact entered into by the
members OF the vigilance committee
al the time had kept his lips sealed
al these years, but realization that
if he did not speak the truth might
never De known, induced him to tell
TOW he assisted in the determination
Cf the fendish family.
10 ul5 "IIe he has told the story
hundreds Of times since their mar
rage twenty-five years ago, and it
was understood that she, who knew
the story by heart, should give it to
the world after his death.
But for many months he has been
lying on a sick bed waiting for the
end and brooding over his wild west
ern life in the COS and early '7Os.
We CHI OF his secret has been an even
greater burden to him, and at last he
EXPIRE ssed the desire to have the
matter settled before his death
After this decision he became rap
idly weaker and when the time came
to take down the story it was pos
s!bIe only for his wife to tell it in his
presence, in his words as she remem-
bered them, with occasional correc-
tons and additions by the dying man.
His eldest son, Pierce Downer, sat
beside him assisting in the accurate
Transcription of the oft told tale. His
wife, his children, and a few old
friends had been taken into his con
fdence under pledges of secrecy, but
except 10 these the fate of the Bend
eIs was an appparntly unfathomabIe
mystery.
Missing History is Supplied.
The story as he tells it, partly
through his wife and partly in faint
gasps from the sickbed, is as follows:
after the war | stayed around
home for a time, but the desire for
adventure was so strong in me that
/ soon broke away and wandered out
TO that part of Kansas near the Dor
course, part of Oklahoma. | settled
IN Independence, and took up land,
and lived by working for the ranch
men There was not much law in the
land and claims were kept, life pro
tected, and cattIed thieves punished
by vigilance committees.
Il was young at the time, but was
an active member of these organiza-
tons of the law and order element
for some years prior to the time of
the Bender crimes. | had had consid-
cradle success in ferreting out Grim
inals, and when people began to dis
appear mysteriousIy on the road from
Usage Mission to independence I felt
a great desire TO get to the bottom
Of the matter. This desire was in
creased by the disappearance of one
Of the best known citizens of that
part of the country, DR.. William H.
York of independence, a brother of
Senator A. NJ. York. The senator in
stituted a search, the governor offer
ed reward of $500 and I, with many
others, set myself to find out the muir
derer.
Woman Gives First CIeW.
1t was at this time that a friend
of mine, a lawyer. called him into his
office in independence to listen to
the story of a woman canvasser. The
woman, who was tall and good look
ing, wanted to know how she could
-1,0v0, vorpoes;oD oF r~v,o roo5-
that she had lett in the house OF the
Blenders. She said she had reached
their house in the afternoon and had
tried TO sell them some of her goods.
Kate Bender had bought, but had
urged her 50 cordially to stay with
them through the heat of the day that
she could not refuse. She could not see
why they should be SO insistent on
her staying and felt uneasy all after
noon. At supper she caught meaning
smiles between Kate and her brother
John that terrified her, and TO cap 1t
all after supper they insisted that she
stay all night. That people living in q
little one room shanty should ask a
chance passerby to stop overnight
struck her as unusual, but she did not
Aave the courage to deny them.
After she had consented Kate went
behind the light cloth partition that
divided the cabin into two rooms 70
wash the supper dishes, and John,
he brother, came in with a big knife
and began to sharpen it to a feather
edge
Finds Refuge in d Creek.
Reused by this sight to desperate
action. she made an excuse TO leave
the house. 1t was now dark and she
instantly fed for the creek, which
flowed near by. She ran until she no
ticed at the house.and then waded out
iced at the house. and then waded out
in the creek up to her neck. She
stayed there for hours while the
Blenders searched for her. They at
last gave up the hunt and she emerg-
ed from her watery hiding place wet
from head to foot and without hat or
shoes, both having been left at the
Benders.' She ran all the way to
Cherryville, five miles distant, ar
irving in a state of collapse.
The lawyer only laughed at the
story, seeing nothing in 1t but the
foolish fears ~ . I-rrcrfaa7 woman