A roadside sign now marks their murderous exploits. As word of the grisly murders spread, more and more travelers came forward to tell their own stories of a narrow escape, including one gentleman named William Pickering. Graves of the many who the Benders killed. One weird oversight. As Calamita advances on him, Rabbi tries to grip his gun well enough to shoot. As more and more travelers disappeared, suspicion began to center on the Benders. 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. Though he reached Fort Scott unscathed and started to return to Independence on March 8, he never reached home. They return to their room, where Rabbi informs Satchel that theyll be leaving that night as he counts his money. Located on a main road, the Benders sold meals and supplies to travelers. The book "All the Blood We Share: A Novel of the Bloody Benders of Kansas", by Camilla Bruce, published in 2022. A self-proclaimed healer and psychic, she distributed flyers advertising her supernatural powers and her ability to cure illnesses. Hey babe, nice melon mounds. She soon found the lecture circuit profitable by distributing circulars that proclaimed her skills, including supernatural powers and the ability to cure illnesses and infirmities. Kate then became abusive toward them, and shortly afterward the Bender men emerged from behind the cloth. Kate soon gained notoriety as a self proclaimed healer and spiritualist. Allegedly, the pair then fled to a tough outlaw colony along the border of Texas and New Mexico. 0 coins. 37 20.932 N, 95 31.668 W. Marker is in Morehead, Kansas, in Montgomery County. 5) December 1872: W.F. She and her brother John often attended Sunday School nearby Harmony Grove and were readily accepted in the community. But if your not from Kansas it's a fairly obscure story. Fortunately, Omie appears behind Calamita and gets him with his last bullet. Other bodies found in the garden were those of Henry McKenzies mutilated remains, three men by the names of Ben Brown, W.F. She was 20 at the time of her death. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. [1], One detective later claimed that he had traced the pair to the border, where he had found that JohnJr. had died of apoplexy. Some believe justice came to them in the end. Along with her desire for fame, she also craved wealth and position. Marker is on the grounds of the rest area located northeast of the intersection of US Highways 189 and 400, about three miles south of Morehead. Thomas Jefferson was one of the first to excavate into a Native American burial mound, citing the disappearance of the "noble" Indianscaused by violence and the corruption of the encroaching white. Whether the stuff of folklore or fact, many believe that the trapped souls of these century-old ghosts continue to lurk at the site today. 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. 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. [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. 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. After last weeks sincere entry into all-out war, as well as the deaths of several key players, one might have hoped to watch the action in Kansas City escalate. He then cautiously looks through a window, where he sees Calamita standing over a wounded Omie, gun drawn. When he pulls into the drive, he spots Calamitas empty car at the pump immediately. Yeah! The breastbone had been driven in. . It also brings to mind Lester Nygards murder weapon in season one. It would make for a fun season of the show that's for sure. 23) February 1872: Two unidentified men found on the prairie in February 1872 with crushed skulls and throats cut. read the excerpt from part 1 of the odyssey Bit by bit, the story of the Benders was pieced together. The body would then be buried in the garden behind the house during the night. Meanwhile, Ma and Pa Bender continued on the train north to Kansas City, where it was believed they transferred to a train headed to St. Louis. Kate was a self-proclaimed healer and psychic, gave lectures on spiritualism, and conducted sances. After opening the trap, the party found clotted blood on the floor of the empty room underneath, 6 feet (1.8m) deep and 7 feet (2.1m) square at the top by 3 feet (0.9m) square at the bottom. 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. Though the pair were jailed, the case was dropped for lack of evidence. The family soon built a small one-room framed cabin, a barn, and a corral and dug a well. 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. Cherryvale, Kansas Museum by Kathy Alexander. Tole reported the fact to the township trustee, but due to inclement weather, several days lapsed before the abandonment could be investigated. The family quickly ran away in the middle of the night never to be seen. are enough to drive him back into his own room, where he bars the door with a chair and falls asleep again with gun in his hand. In 1937 she gave a speech at a book fair which was later transcribed and printed in the September 1978 Saturday Evening Post and in the 1988 book A Little House Sampler. Photo courtesy of the BCA. This is blatantly a reference to the Bender Family, a family of serial killers from late 1800s Kansas. At her hearing, Mrs. Monroe denied any knowledge of Shearer or the manslaughter charge and remained incarcerated with her daughter. 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. Cherryvale, Kansas Museum Of the family, Pa Bender was found to have been a man named John Flickinger, from either Germany or Holland. 11) December 1872: Red Smith. 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. If this really is Oz, then Satchel is Dorothy and Rabbit is Toto. 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. On May 17th, Governor Thomas Osborn added to that amount by offering a $2,000 reward for the apprehension of all four. The little store carried a few supplies such as powder, shot, groceries, liquor, and tobacco, sold meals, and provided a safe overnight resting place to the strangers along the road. As Active Shooter incidents have increased, employers are tasked with training employees on how to escape, hide, or fight. She alleged that her father, "Pa Ingalls," joined in a vigilante hunt for the killers, and when he spoke of later searches for them she recalled, "At such times Pa always said in a strange tone of finality, 'They will never be found.' In the spring of 1873, Longcor's former neighbor, Dr. William Henry York, went looking for them and questioned homesteaders along the trail. 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. why i quit civil engineering; goo goo gaga family net worth; how to make homemade biscuits without baking powder; noah hester restaurant; 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. John and his raw-boned wife spoke with such guttural accents that few people could understand them. [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. He steps out of his car, gun drawn, and discovers the filling station attendants body in a doorway. [9], More than a dozen bullet holes were found in the roof and sides of the cabin. The captive makes a run for it, and Omie shoots him dead and drags his body out of sight. 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. Last night, I listened to a story from my grandfather, Emerson Smalley, about the Benders and their supposed end. The family consisted of John Bender, his wife Elvira and their son John Jr. and daughter Kate. The search of the cabin resulted in the recovery of three hammers: a shoe hammer, a claw hammer, and a sledgehammer that appeared to match indentations in some of the skulls. Dismembered parts of several other victims were also discovered but could never be identified. I haven't heard Macabre in years. January 23, 2021. 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 . [5][6], Around the same time, neighboring communities began to make accusations that the Osage community was responsible for the disappearances, and Osage township arranged a meeting in the Harmony Grove schoolhouse. 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. Cherryvale Museum 6) December 1872: Henry McKenzie. Records of the incarceration back up this affidavit. Hell the first album from the Smiths included a song about the Moors Murderers. 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. The next day, Rabbi goes back to the appliance store and recovers his remaining cash from the brothers at gunpoint. Cherryvale, Kansas Though the tales of what happened to the Benders can only be speculated as to their accuracy, the fact that ten bodies were found on the property is not disputed. The Mellons are believed to have killed over a dozen people, including a child. Buried in the apple orchard. 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. Nothing like this sickening series of crimes had ever been recorded in the whole history of the country.. 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 -. So provocative was the Bender family tale that the Bender Museum was created in Cherryvale in 1961. Resolved: Release in which this issue/RFE has been resolved. sdsu basketball recruiting 2021vice president internal student council. 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. Prairie Ghosts, Byways & Historic Trails Great Drives in America, Soldiers and Officers in American History, Washington-on-the-Brazos, Texas Declaring Independence, Stanley, Ks Extinct but Still Here (LOK), Black Bob Reservation in Johnson County (LOK). Although stories abound, the ultimate fate of the murderous Mellon family was never discovered. The affidavits and other papers are missing from the file in LaBette County, so further examination is impossible. John Bender, Sr. chose a 160-acre section on the western slopes of the mounds that continue to bear their name today. barry mcguigan, daughter funeral; mellon mounds kansas murders East/West may *look* like a detour into surrealist Midcentury Italian cinema when it opens, but the minute the wind starts blowing through black and white Kansas you know where you are. The for the guy who discovered Pluto? In total, 12 men "of bad repute in general" would be arrested, including Brockman. 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. Fact or fiction, no one knows, but Ive always enjoyed the tale and hope you will as well. [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 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. Kate's popularity became a large attraction for the Benders' inn. He returns his attention to Rabbi, who has noticed something behind the Italian: a bona fide Wizard of Oz tornado. [7] Brockman would be arrested again 23 years later for the rape and murder of his own 18-year-old daughter.[8]. Finally, the men physically moved the entire cabin to the side and began to search beneath, but no bodies were found there either. The Mellon family is a wealthy and influential American family from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Their room is assigned based on Rabbis political and New Testament leanings, which place them in the west wing. Immigrating from Germany, John Bender, Sr. was 60 years old when he arrived in the area; his wife was about 55. Catch up here! The corpse was that of Dr. William H. York, his skull bludgeoned and his throat cut from ear to ear. In 1884, it was reported that John Flickinger had committed suicide in Lake Michigan. $10 (2023: $226), a, 8-9) December 1872: George Newton Longcor and his 18-month-old daughter, Mary Ann. "[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. With the exception of McKenzie and York,[17] who were buried in Independence; the Longcors, who were buried in Montgomery County; and McCrotty, who was buried in Parsons, Kansas, none of the other bodies were claimed, and they were reburied at the base of a small hill 1 mile (1.6km) southeast of the Benders' orchard, one of several at the location now known as "The Benders Mounds". Look for these with their cute sunflowers. The women's identities were later confirmed by two Osage township witnesses from a tintype photograph. Rewind one day, to Rabbi and Satchel driving past the same station. Marker is in this post office area: Cherryvale KS 67335, United States of America. The Benders then stripped him of his clothes and went to bury him when the man suddenly awoke. They broke up the stone slab floor with sledgehammers, but found no bodies, and determined that the smell was from blood that had soaked into the soil. Mrs. Bender, a heavyset woman, was so unfriendly and had such sinister eyes that her neighbors began to call her a she-devil. To add to her fierce look, Ma Bender claimed to be a medium who could speak with the dead and boiled herbs and roots that she declared could be used to cast charms or wicked spells. These hammers were given to the Bender Museum in 1967 by the son of LeRoy Dick, the Osage Township trustee who headed the search of the Bender property. [5], Three days after the township meeting, Billy Tole was driving cattle past the Bender property when he noticed that the inn was abandoned and the farm animals were unfed. The texts read "Johannah Bender. [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. Press J to jump to the feed. The story of the Benders' escape spread, and the search continued on and off for the next 50 years. In 1870, five families of spiritualists settled in western Labette County, about seven miles northeast of where Cherryvale would be platted a year later. mellon mounds kansas murders. The vacated land was then made available to homesteaders, who, for the most part, were a group of hard-working pioneers farming the areas softly rolling hills and windswept prairies. Discover something new every day from News, Sports, Finance, Entertainment and more! However, some of those men, who frequently carried large sums of cash with the intention of settling, buying stock, or purchasing a claim, began to go missing. Standing over six feet tall, John was a giant of a man who, because of his piercing black eyes set deeply under huge bushy brows, earned him the nickname of old beetle-browed John. His ruddy face, mostly covered by a heavy beard, sullen expression, and long hair often led to him being described as a wild and wooly-looking man.. Eyewitness testimony was given that Mrs. Monroe was Elvira Bender. This went on for years until they killed someone related to a Civil War hero and a senator. 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. 620-336-3576. No documentation or definitive proof of their relationships to one another, or where they were born, has ever been found. They buried their victims in a neighboring orchard, unbeknownst to the townspeople. The Vicious Harpes First AmericanSerial Killers, The Bloody Benders They were released after being found not guilty, but were then immediately re-arrested for the Bender murders. Phone: 620-624-3885 Fax: 620-626-7629 Manager: Nora Rubio Email: Email Mead Lumber of Liberal Hours: Cemetery. Serial killer music is a genre unto itself. In the winter of 1872, Mr. Loncher and his daughter had left Independence for Iowa but were never heard from again. There is a lot of weird details, like the two children, Kate and John Jr Bender possibly being husband and wife, or the parents Elvira and John Sir being two nobodies who merely said they were family. She also claimed to possess psychic powers, including communicating with the dead. 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.