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One of those places was the Bender Inn. McCrotty, and John Geary, as well as an unidentified male and female. [1][2] Although some of the victims were wealthy, others carried little of value on them, and it was surmised that the Benders had killed them simply for the sheer thrill. Buried in the apple orchard. 2023 Geek Girl Authority. [7] Brockman would be arrested again 23 years later for the rape and murder of his own 18-year-old daughter.[8]. Also in residence on the east is a hero of Wounded Knee (as if there was such a thing) and his niece, a minor girl whos relationship to the old man is likely not familial. "[20][21] Some have cast doubt on the story, saying that Laura would have been only 4 when her family moved away from the area, and that the Benders were exposed in 1873, two years after the Ingalls family left. If the terrible story of the Bender murders was not legend enough, another tale began to circulate regarding the property upon which the Benders had once lived. Hey babe, nice melon mounds. 23) February 1872: Two unidentified men found on the prairie in February 1872 with crushed skulls and throats cut. Cherryvale Museum Bender Mounds, Kansas by Kathy Alexander. 18701873", Sheriff Saves the Neck of a Man Who Murdered His Own Daughter, "Dr William H. York (1840-1873) - Find a Grave", "The Bloody Benders: 140-year-old crime scene still fascinates today", "Selective Omissions, or, What Laura Ingalls Wilder left out of LITTLE HOUSE", "Little House on the Prairie, serial killers, and the nature of memoir", "They Bite: Anthony Boucher's Weirder Western", "Hitchcock's Birds, Hope Diamond, Phineas Gage", "One Red Dead Redemption 2 Side Quest Is Based On An Actual Serial Killer", 1873 map of Bender claim in Osage township of Labette County, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bloody_Benders&oldid=1142480623, "The old man was a repulsive, hideous brute, without a redeeming trait, dirty, profane and ill-tempered. Season 4 Episode 22 (1961) of the TV series, Season 1, episode 15 (2006) of the TV series, The "Hitchcock's Birds, Hope Diamond, Phineas Gang" episode of the Travel Channel's show, The Bender Family is mentioned in episode 94 of the podcast, The story was recounted on Investigation Discovery's, The metal pioneers Macabre have a song about the Benders, who are said to be of Norwegian ancestry -. "[8] A Roman Catholic prayer book was found in the house with notes inside written in German, which were later translated. Kate then became abusive toward them, and shortly afterward the Bender men emerged from behind the cloth. Game got that right. Yes it was. In its first three days of opening, it attracted more than 2,000 visitors. John Bender, Sr. chose a 160-acre section on the western slopes of the mounds that continue to bear their name today. They purchased tickets on the northbound Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston Train to Humboldt. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. The fate of the family remains unknown, with theories ranging from a lynching of the family to a successful escape. She watches (and recaps) a lot of TV, sees every Marvel movie on opening night and reads voraciously. From those who knew them and have written about the Benders:[4], She professed to be a medium of spiritualism, and delivered lectures on that subject. Buried in the apple orchard. It takes an English sentence and breaks it into words to determine if it is a phrase or a clause. Seventy-five locals attended the meeting, including Colonel York and both John BenderSr. and John BenderJr. After discussing the disappearances, including that of William York, they agreed to obtain a warrant to search every homestead between Big Hill Creek and Drum Creek. Fargo has won multiple Emmy Awards and Golden Globes Awards for outstanding work in television. While popular retelling of the story holds that JohnJr. and Kate were siblings, contemporary newspapers reported that several of the Benders' neighbors had stated that they claimed to be married, possibly in a common law marriage. A terrible smell inside the abandoned inn also met them. In the winter of 1872, Mr. Loncher and his daughter had left Independence for Iowa but were never heard from again. It was confirmed that the family had bought tickets on the Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston Railroad for Humboldt. Kate soon gained notoriety as a self proclaimed healer and spiritualist. Near here are the Bender Mounds, named for the infamous Bender family ~~ John, his wife, son, and daughter Kate ~~ who settled here in 1871. When neighboring communities started to make slanderous insinuations, the Osage Township called a meeting held at the Harmony Grove schoolhouse in March to see what, if anything, could be done. In retaliation, the vigilantes killed all of the members of the Bender family, buried them where they died, and took the wagon to town, where they left it. They were never caugnt. The filling station attendant tells Omie that this is the only place for gas for miles, and that if Calamita hasnt been through yet, he definitely will. Afterward, she reportedly remarried several times, killing those husbands and three of her older children so they could not testify against her. Several groups of vigilantes were formed to search for the Benders. They return to their room, where Rabbi informs Satchel that theyll be leaving that night as he counts his money. Just after the Civil War ended, the United States government moved the Osage Indians from Labette County in southeast Kansas to the new Indian Territory in what would later become the state of Oklahoma. In the end, the artifacts, including the hammers, photos, and newspaper clippings, were placed in the Cherryvale Museum and can still be seen today at 215 East 4th Street. The family, John and Elvira and their two children John Jr. and Kate, ultimately settled down near Cherryvale city on a 160-acre property, intending to run an inn. When the war was over, pioneers began to head westward along the many trails through Kansas; murder and mayhem persisted as hardened men from the battlefields, grown used to the violence, continued their violent ways along the overland trails in the many cow towns. When he pulls into the drive, he spots Calamitas empty car at the pump immediately. The burial site was christened Hells Half-Acre, and another brother of Dr. York, a lawyer and State Senator residing in Independence offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to the Bender familys arrest. Bender Property Digging, sketch in Harpers Weekly, June 7, 1873. Because some of the travelers were carrying nothing of value, it was widely speculated that the Benders killed simply for the bloody thrill of it. On March 28, 1873, Colonel York arrived at the Benders' inn with a Mr. Johnson, explaining to them that his brother had gone missing and asked if they had seen him. literally thought of red dead redemption 2 when i saw this episode, and saw that scene. By the time a deputy from Cherryvale arrived, identification was impossible due to decomposition. Dismembered parts of several other victims were also discovered but could never be identified. While there is no definitive number, estimates report that the Benders killed at least a dozen travelers before their crimes were discovered. They were never caugnt. Some say they escaped, others that the were executed by a vengeful posse. Hunza Guides is Pakistan's top mountain destination management company offering full board tours, trekking and expeditions services in Pakistan. Allegedly, while working at the Bender Inn, she earned her keep as a prostitute, adding an additional amount to the travelers bill for the privilege of laying with her. The captive makes a run for it, and Omie shoots him dead and drags his body out of sight. Though most were led to believe John and Kate were sister and brother, others said that they sometimes passed as man and wife. Their attorney also produced a marriage certificate indicating that Mrs. Davis had been married in Michigan in 1872, the time when several of the murders were committed. Legends of America founder Kathy Weiser-Alexander hams it up for Discovery Channel producers for the show Evil Kin, episode 2, season 2, The Bloody Benders, original air date August 12. She is fun enough. [1][2][3], The area was already widely known for "horse thieves and villains, and vigilance committees often "arrested" some for the disappearances, only for them to be later released by the authorities. "The Bender Family Some New Light on Their Mysterious Disappearance". Shortly thereafter, the family disappeared. Look for these with their cute sunflowers. From the first grayscale frame, its clear that were arent in Kansas City anymore. However, there were no bodies in the hole. It first seems like Rabbi might escape, but ultimately he raises his hands in surrender and flies up into the clouds. One of these families was the Benders, comprised of John Bender, Sr.; his wife, Almira; son, John, Jr.; and daughter, Kate. It said the plaque was erected by the Kansas City historical society. Though her beauty and social skills gained popularity with the locals, her actions began to cause them to say she was satanic. It was to be this diminutive Bender family member that would take most of the blame for what was soon to be found out about this infamous family. One vigilante group claimed to have shot down the men and Ma Bender and burned Kate alive as the witch they believed her to be. did phineas and ferb die in a car accident. He takes Satchel to a quirky (to say the least) boardinghouse, owned by feuding, deaf, elderly sisters. Inside the wooden cabin, the area was partitioned with a large canvas, creating living quarters in the back and a small inn and store in the front. As the boy listened, the men continued to talk, relating the tale of how the judge had lost his ear. Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History, Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., December 18, 2011, The Bloody Benders. The Benders were widely believed to be German immigrants. As they make their way up to the top floor, they peer in the open rooms of the other tenants. Later she married William Stephen Griffith. Nothing like this sickening series of crimes had ever been recorded in the whole history of the country.. Thanks for putting this up I knew the story sounded familiar..the was on an episode of Lore. 29th and Gage through [] The legend was debunked on June 8, 1966, when an EF-5 twister churned its way across the city, cutting a diagonal swath of destruction from S.W. At this point the customers felt uneasy and decided to leave, a move that almost certainly saved their lives. At her hearing, Mrs. Monroe denied any knowledge of Shearer or the manslaughter charge and remained incarcerated with her daughter. [9], More than a dozen bullet holes were found in the roof and sides of the cabin. In the end, it was Kate who was primarily blamed for the numerous bloody murders that, even at her young age, was the inspiration for the crimes. A trap door, nailed shut, was discovered on the cabin floor. All had been involved in disposing of the victims' stolen goods with Mit Cherry, a member of the vigilance committee, implicated for forging a letter from one of the victims, informing the man's wife that he had arrived safely at his destination in Illinois. . An American Indian legend claimed any twister approaching Topeka from the southwest would have its tail clipped off by Burnett's Mound, a sacred burial ground. Location. Of the discovery of her remains, the Kansas City Times reported: The little girl was probably eight years of age and had long, sunny hair and some traces of beauty on a countenance that was not yet entirely disfigured by decay. Inicio; mellon mounds kansas murders; Sin categorizar; mellon mounds kansas murders One may have been Jack Bogart, whose horse was purchased from a friend of the Benders after he went missing in 1872. Several weeks after the discovery of the bodies, Addison Roach and his son-in-law, William Buxton, were arrested as accessories. [5], Detectives following wagon tracks discovered the Benders' wagon, abandoned with a starving team of horses with one of the mares lame, just outside the city limits of Thayer, 12mi (19km) north of the inn. Discover something new every day from News, Sports, Finance, Entertainment and more! However, by the time the men arrived at the Benders cabin very early the next morning, they found them gone. A cult-like group, the families, chose from several available claims and began to make their homes. Kate Bender, who was around 23, was cultivated and attractive and spoke English well, with little accent. Despite the lack of identification, the man's skull was displayed as that of "Pa Bender" in a Salmon saloon until Prohibition forced its closure in 1920 and the skull disappeared. Once Kansas declared itself with the Union and the Civil War began, the bloody battles continued. Buried in the apple orchard. [7], A Kansas newspaper reported that the crowd was so incensed after finding the bodies that a friend of the Benders named Brockman, who was among the onlookers, was hanged from a beam in the inn until unconscious, revived, interrogated, then hanged again. Tole reported the fact to the township trustee, but due to inclement weather, several days lapsed before the abandonment could be investigated. why i quit civil engineering; goo goo gaga family net worth; how to make homemade biscuits without baking powder; noah hester restaurant; The plaque was created for the show. He steps out of his car, gun drawn, and discovers the filling station attendants body in a doorway. They set up an inn, lured people into staying, then either hit them with a hammer or cut there throats with a knife before burying them in an apple orchard. Is Rabbi really dead? The Bender family, more well known as the Bloody Benders, were a family of serial killers who lived and operated in Labette County, Kansas, United States, from May 1871 to December 1872. Continuing, they began to dig around the cabin, especially in an area the Benders had utilized as a vegetable garden and orchard. Allegedly, the pair then fled to a tough outlaw colony along the border of Texas and New Mexico. The Benders then stripped him of his clothes and went to bury him when the man suddenly awoke. As more and more travelers disappeared, suspicion began to center on the Benders. One of the families was John BenderSr. and John BenderJr., who registered 160 acres (65ha) of land located adjacent to the Great Osage Trail, which was then the only open road for traveling farther west. The petite auburn-haired beauty desired notoriety and often advocated free love and justification for murder in her lectures. It declares, THE FUTURE IS NOW.. The texts read "Johannah Bender. John and his raw-boned wife spoke with such guttural accents that few people could understand them. Her face was a fit picture of the midnight hag that wove the spell murderous ambition about the soul of Macbeth. When friends and family began to look for them, they could trace them as far as the Big Hill Country of southeast Kansas before finding no trace of the lost traveler. 11) December 1872: Red Smith. At the site of a freshly stirred depression in the earth, they found the first body, buried head downward with its feet scarcely covered. Johnny Boyles body was found in the well. Several days later, the Benders team and wagon were found a short distance away, and the horses nearly starved. The Benders are believed to have killed about a dozen people, including one child. He finally gets to eat that evening at a bizarre dinner of fish sticks and potatoes. In February 1872, the bodies of two men were found with the same injuries as Jones. what happened to johnny rodriguez country singervice president internal student council. Rock Chalk! Rewind one day, to Rabbi and Satchel driving past the same station. 2014. Marker is in this post office area: Cherryvale KS 67335, United States of America. Though he reached Fort Scott unscathed and started to return to Independence on March 8, he never reached home. I haven't heard Macabre in years. [1], One detective later claimed that he had traced the pair to the border, where he had found that JohnJr. had died of apoplexy. The violence at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999 was the watershed event which led to the creation of our current day active shooter response programs. As Calamita advances on him, Rabbi tries to grip his gun well enough to shoot. When the Benders opened their store and inn in 1871, many travelers would stop for a meal or supplies. McCrotty. [7], They then probed the ground around the cabin with a metal rod, especially in the disturbed soil of the vegetable garden and orchard, where Dr. York's body was found later that evening, buried face down with his feet barely below the surface. Rabbi retreats to take cover behind his vehicle, and Calamita catches him with a bullet in the arm before hes in the clear, making it difficult to return fire. Nice, in all my research on serial killers, I can't name many examples of a full family of murderers, and two of them were female, another rarity. 6) December 1872: Henry McKenzie. At a fork of the Fall and Verdigris Rivers, they found the Benders with their wagon backed up against a fallen tree with canvas over it for shelter. The digging continued the next day; nine other bodies and numerous dismembered body parts were found, including a woman and a little girl. Some believe justice came to them in the end. Her tag says her name is Rabbit. Like others, he was hit over the head as he sat at the table. I have heard my grandfather tell of this story since I was a boy and Grandpa swears that this is the real story of what happened to the Benders. The next morning, another eight bodies were found in seven of the nine suspected graves, while one was found in the well, along with a number of body parts. 215 East 4th Street Also, sleep with one eye open. The 162-acre tract of cropland known as the "Bender Farm" will be sold off to. The family quickly ran away in the middle of the night never to be seen. In 1870, five families of spiritualists settled in western Labette County, about seven miles northeast of where Cherryvale would be platted a year later. In mid-October, Deputy Sheriff LeRoy Dick, the Osage Township trustee who had headed the search of the Bender property, arrived in Michigan and arrested the couple on October 30, following their release on the larceny charges. From there, they traveled to an outlaw colony thought to be in the border region between Texas and New Mexico. Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated November 2022. was harry hibbs married; waterloo central railway wedding. Word of the gruesome murders spread fast, and thousands of people flocked to the site, including news reporters from as far away as New York and Chicago. The Benders used the smaller room at the rear for living quarters, while the front room was converted into a "general store" where a few dry goods were sold. But if your not from Kansas it's a fairly obscure story. The episode opens with Omie Sparkman (Corey Hendrix) pulling into a filling station on a desolate road in Kansas. [5], When York repeated the claim, Elvira became enraged, said the woman was a witch who had cursed her coffee, and ordered the men to leave her house, revealing for the first time that "her sense of the English language" was much better than was let on. His habit of laughing aimlessly led to him being described as a half-wit, though many afterward believed this was simply a ruse to disguise his clever nature. Bloody Benders - The Forgotten Story of a Family of Pioneer Kansas Serial Killers By: Justin Nobel | Date: Sat, November 16th, 2013 The Bender family lived in southeastern Kansas and murdered pioneers headed west during the late 1800s. Calamita is swept up into the funnel, along with the filling station and the bodies littering its floors. but many still live in fear of their bloody hammer. Historical Weather. When the visitors stopped for a meal, they were seated at a table with their backs to the large canvas separating the inn from the living quarters. By the way, said clerk is a Colored. [7], A bad odor was noticed and traced to a trap door underneath a bed, nailed shut. In the first season, Deputy Molly Solverson (Allison Tolman), daughter of former state trooper, now diner owner, Lou Solverson (Carradine), must overcome the good-natured goofery of her department as she tracks the unparalleled malevolence of Loren Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton), who in serpent-like fashion enters the ear of persecuted loser Lester . John Bender, Jr. was actually a man named John Gebhardt. Finally, unsolved murders in Shawnee County, Kansas, can be found among these lists. 1315) December 1872: Various body parts. ", "Young Bender, seen when excited, recalled the grave-robbing hyena at once to mind. When attempts were made to relocate the museum it became a point of controversy, some locals objecting to the town being known for the Bender murders. The Bender cabin was destroyed by souvenir hunters who took everything, including the bricks that lined the cellar and the stones lining the well.[1][2]. Tole reported the news to Leroy F Dick, the Township Trustee, and a search party was soon formed, which included Dr. Yorks brother, Colonel A.M. York, of Fort Scott. These include the 2012 murder of Quan Donnell, the 1996 murder of Michelle Hutchinson, the 2013 murder of Juan Solis, and the 2016 murder of Robert Williams, among countless others. She maintained carnal relations with her brother, and boldly proclaimed her right to do so in the following words found in her lecture manuscript: "Shall we confine ourselves to a single love, and deny our natures their proper sway?Even though it be a brother's passion for his own sister, I say it should not be smothered. Secretly, the four made a living through murder and robbery. The family includes Andrew Mellon, one of the longest-serving U.S. Treasury Secretaries, along with prominent members in the judicial, banking, financial, business, and political professions, as well as a famous recluse, Cordelia Scaife May . Other corpses found in the area and the many mysterious disappearances of other lonely travelers led the locals to believe that the Benders killed more than 20 people. CHERRYVALE The chain of low hills known as the Bender Mounds extends in a diagonal seven miles northeast of here, islands of limestone and scrubby trees over level fields where this time of year soybeans have just been harvested. As they enter the location, named The Barton Arms, the clerk eventually gives Rabbi keys for the west side, though she lets him know that the sisters don't care much for Coloreds. The "Bloody Benders" were a German family of four that settled a claim in southeastern Kansas in Labette County. The Benders were undoubtedly surprised to find that the man wasnt dead. One arm was broken. They buried their victims in a neighboring orchard, unbeknownst to the townspeople. , Near here are the Bender Mounds, named for the infamous Bender family ~~ John, his wife, son, and daughter Kate ~~ who settled here in 1871. [19], The Ingalls family, made famous in the books and television series Little House on the Prairie, lived near Independence, and Laura Ingalls Wilder mentioned the Bender family in her writing and speeches. The two arrive at The Mellon Mounds- a historical marker in Kansas. His family was from the Cherryvale, Kansas area, and the story involves a group of men that found the Benders and were in a gunfight with them, one of whom was a judge that lost part of his ear in the gun battle. Another of Mrs. Monroe's daughters, Mary Gardei, later provided an affidavit claiming that her mother (then Almira Shearer), under the name of Almira Marks, was actually serving two years in the Detroit House of Corrections in 1872 for the manslaughter of her daughter-in-law, Emily Mark. A roadside sign now marks their murderous exploits. In Rabbis absence, Satchel discovers a Jack Russel terrier hiding in the wardrobe in his room. The museum remained a popular tourist destination until it closed in 1978 when a fire station was built. Dr. York had two brothers, one living in Fort Scott and the other in Independence. 5) December 1872: W.F. Benders Mounds Cemetery Labette County , Kansas , USA - *Estimated location First Name Middle Name Last Name (s) Search this cemetery More search options Search tips About Photos 0 Map About No location information available Add Location Cemetery ID: 2728705 Members have Contributed 6 Memorials 100% photographed My grandfather, who is approaching 80 years old, is always full of great stories, but he assured me that his father, who passed this on to him, knew what happened. NEW YORK The Occupy Wall Street movement has close to $300,000, as well as storage space loaded with donated supplies in lower Manhattan. In the spring of 1873, Longcor's former neighbor, Dr. William Henry York, went looking for them and questioned homesteaders along the trail. [3] Also in 1884, an elderly man matching John Bender Sr.'s description was arrested in Montana for a murder committed near Salmon, Idaho, where the victim had been killed by a hammer blow to the head. [18] The hammers were displayed at the Bender Museum in Cherryvale, Kansas from 1967 to 1978, when the site was acquired for a fire station. Body found in Drum Creek with a crushed skull and throat cut. Kansas Muskmelon, 2 g. $2.75 Out of Stock Item #52106 (Orange flesh) 90 days. Another group claimed they had caught the Benders and lynched them before throwing their bodies into the Verdigris River. [citation needed], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}372056N 952910W / 37.349N 95.486W / 37.349; -95.486, According to one of the myths that has grown around the murders, after dinner, Colonel York was sitting in the front room when he noticed a gold, List of fugitives from justice who disappeared, List of serial killers in the United States, "The Bloody Benders Serial Killers of Kansas", "The Bloody Benders, Kansas, ca. So weird, this last weekend I was just reading about the Benders due to a similar encounter in Red Dead Redemption 2. [1][11][12][13][14][15][16], By including the recovered body parts not matched to the bodies found, the finds are speculated to represent the remains of more than 20 victims. The Bloody Benders - Serial Killers of Kansas Bender Mounds, Kansas by Kathy Alexander. Calamita notices him and shoots twice out the window. mellon mounds kansas murders. The Mellon family is a wealthy and influential American family from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I believe I read this year that the land where the house once stood got sold to someone. Kate was purportedly Elvira's fifth daughter. The reason theyre heading toward Liberal is that Rabbi spent enough time there at some point to have stashed $5000 in a feed store in case he needed it. Only a few days later, the homestead was found abandoned, and the search party began to discover the grisly remains of the bodies. Somehow, he escaped, appearing naked in the middle of the night at Jesse Smalleys doorstep. The Benders are believed to have killed about a dozen people, including one child., Although stories abound, the ultimate fate of the murderous Bender family is uncertain. Though he allegedly committed suicide in 1884 in Lake Michigan, others believed that Ma and Kate murdered him because he had fled Cherryvale with all the cash and valuables they had taken from their victims. John Jr. was found to have been a man named John Gebhardt. Elvira and Kate Bender also planted a 2-acre (0.81ha) vegetable garden and apple orchard north of the cabin. York had two brothers: Ed York living in Fort Scott, and Colonel Alexander M. York, a Civil War veteran, lawyer, and member of the Kansas State Senate from Independence who, in November 1872, had been instrumental in exposing U.S. Contemporary newspapers reported his name as either "George W. Longcor" or "George Loncher," while Mary Ann is similarly reported as being either eight years old or 18 months old. Some of the Benders' neighbors claimed that John and Kate were not brother and sister, but actually husband and wife. The notorious "Bloody Benders" were a German immigrant family who owned both a general store and small inn in the early 1870s in Labette County. Though many wanted to relocate the building, it had become a controversy in Cherryvale, with locals objecting to the town being known for the Bender atrocities. As they break for a Coke, Calamita arrives. While the two women were certainly criminals and liars, as their own defense attorney admitted, the charges were weak and many people doubted their identification as the Benders. Sunflower seeds are incredibly rich sources of many essential minerals. Ransom, the trains conductor, said that John, Jr., and Kate disembarked at Chanute and took the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad train south to the Red River country near Dennison, Texas, which was then the terminus of the railroad. $38 (2023: $860) and a wagon with a team of horses missing. Across the hall from them, on the east side of the building, is an Old Testament preacher and his mother (whom the resident gabby salesman- west- mistakes for the preachers wife). It is conjectured[by whom?] About 75 people attended the gathering, including both Bender men. In 1923 it was donated to the Kansas Museum of History by York's wife but is not on display; still bearing reddish-brown stains on the blade, it can be seen upon request.