By the time a deputy from Cherryvale arrived, identification was impossible due to decomposition. John Bender, Sr. chose a 160-acre section on the western slopes of the mounds that continue to bear their name today. We are, in fact, in Kansas. ASSOCIATED PRESS. 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. In her lectures she publicly declared that murder might be a dictation for good; that in what the world might deem villainy, her soul might read bravery, nobility, and humanity. Buried in the apple orchard. 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. [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. [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 museum remained a popular tourist destination until it closed in 1978 when a fire station was built. The plaque in the show refers to fictional murderers--the Mellons--while the reference implicit in that is to their real-life inspiration, the Benders. On this spot stood the Mellon Mounds, named for the infamous Mellon family, who lured unsuspecting travelers into their home, fed them and then dispatched them with a hammer. Kansas murderers list | Murderpedia 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. A place to discuss Lawrence Kansas happenings and news. 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. Also one of the victims was the neighbor of the person who wrote Little House on the Prarie. The owner of the Drum Creek claim was suspected, but no action was taken. In October 1870, five families of spiritualists homesteaded in and around the township of Osage in northwestern Labette County, approximately 7mi (11km) northeast of where Cherryvale was established seven months later. All but one had their heads bashed with a hammer and throats cut, and newspapers reported that all were "indecently mutilated. 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. [1] The family consisted of John Bender, his wife Elvira and their son JohnJr. and daughter Kate. I remember that song. The Six Most Terrifying Serial Killer Families In History - Gizmodo Some of the Benders' neighbors claimed that John and Kate were not brother and sister, but actually husband and wife. Continuing, they began to dig around the cabin, especially in an area the Benders had utilized as a vegetable garden and orchard. Today, Smalley descendants continue to live in the Neodosha and Cherryvale area. Elvira was rumored to have murdered several husbands, but none of these rumors was ever proven. Markers of the Kansas state historical markers program administered by the Kansas Historical Society and Kansas Department of Transportation. Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated November 2022. HISTORICAL MARKER Fixed: Release in which this issue/RFE has been fixed.The release containing this fix may be available for download as an Early Access Release or a General Availability Release. A piece of land where Kansas' first known serial killers murdered at least 11 people in the 1870s is up for auction. His son chose a narrow piece of land just north of his fathers; however, he never lived on his claim nor made any improvements. 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. She also claimed to possess psychic powers, including communicating with the dead. ", In May 1871, the body of a man named Jones, whose skull had been crushed and throat cut, was discovered in Drum Creek. Both knew of his travel plans, and when he failed to return home, an all-out search began for the missing doctor. In the spring of 1873, Longcor's former neighbor, Dr. William Henry York, went looking for them and questioned homesteaders along the trail. The sensational tales and rumors of the Benders continued well into the 20th century, but what happened to them remains one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the Old West. [9], More than a dozen bullet holes were found in the roof and sides of the cabin. 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. A message requesting positive identification was sent to Cherryvale, but the suspect severed his foot to escape his leg irons and bled to death. Hell the first album from the Smiths included a song about the Moors Murderers. 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. Cherryvale, Kansas Museum by Kathy Alexander. The 4th United States Colored Infantry, 1863-1866, A History of the Ninth New Jersey Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War, How . He returns his attention to Rabbi, who has noticed something behind the Italian: a bona fide Wizard of Oz tornado. He finally gets to eat that evening at a bizarre dinner of fish sticks and potatoes. Legend has it that the family of four gruesomely murdered at least 11 patrons, scattering the bodies throughout their property and county. 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. The body of a young girl was found with no injuries sufficient to cause death. 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). styled components as prop typescript; indie bands from austin, texas; dr pepper marketing strategy; barking and dagenham hmo register; famous belgian chocolate brands THE MELLON MOUNDS. Bit by bit, the story of the Benders was pieced together. Kate soon gained notoriety as a self proclaimed healer and spiritualist. The women's identities were later confirmed by two Osage township witnesses from a tintype photograph. 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. Unresolved: Release in which this issue/RFE will be addressed. After bearing him a dozen children, including Kate, Mr. Griffith suddenly died; some said of a bad place on his head, resembling a dent that might be made with a hammer. 1315) December 1872: Various body parts. She and her brother John often attended Sunday School nearby Harmony Grove and were readily accepted in the community. Her face was a fit picture of the midnight hag that wove the spell murderous ambition about the soul of Macbeth. The Benders are believed to have killed about a dozen people, including one child. Whenever he is asked a question about himself, Satchels response is that he is hungry. In tonight's episode, there's a plaque at the Barton Arms, the hotel Rabbi and Satchel stay at. They return to their room, where Rabbi informs Satchel that theyll be leaving that night as he counts his money. John was prone to laughing aimlessly, which led many to consider him a "half-wit." Mrs. Davis claimed that Mrs. Monroe was Elvira Bender, but that she herself was not Kate, but her sister Sarah; she later signed an affidavit to that effect, while Monroe continued to deny the identification and in turn accused Sarah Eliza of being the real Kate Bender. was harry hibbs married; waterloo central railway wedding. melon mounds liberal kansas Rewind one day, to Rabbi and Satchel driving past the same station. According to the 1870 census, George and his wife, Mary Jane, were neighbors of. She watches (and recaps) a lot of TV, sees every Marvel movie on opening night and reads voraciously. One may have been Jack Bogart, whose horse was purchased from a friend of the Benders after he went missing in 1872. Fargo: The True Story - Image Journal Tonights episode made a wonderfully quick reference to obscure Kansas 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. Satchel walks down the road with his dog. Yep the Abberdeens are very clearly based on the Benders, specifically Kate and John Jr. Afterward, she reportedly remarried several times, killing those husbands and three of her older children so they could not testify against her. Though most of us know of Dodge Citys wicked ways, the deadly gunfight of the Daltons in Coffeyville, and the many outlaws and gunfighters who spent time in the Sunflower State, few are aware of a family of mass murderers, living a supposed quiet life near the small town of Cherryvale. Several groups of vigilantes were formed to search for the Benders. The men with York were convinced the Benders and a neighboring family, the Roaches, were guilty and wanted to hang them all, but York insisted that evidence must be found. The Bloody Benders: What Happened to this Family of Killers? $2,000 (2023: $45,239) missing. 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]. melon mounds liberal kansas melon mounds liberal kansas A number of researchers question the ready acceptance of the affidavit's authenticity and suggest that the county was unwilling to accept the expense of boarding the two women for an extended period. James, John Towner; The Benders of Kansas; Kan-Okla Publishing, Wichita, KS, 1913, reprinted 1995. The fate of the family remains unknown, with theories ranging from a lynching of the family to a successful escape. The texts read "Johannah Bender. melon mounds kansas murders The for the guy who discovered Pluto? These first few missing travelers did not raise an overall alarm in the area as it was not uncommon for men to continue their journey westward during those days. 'Wichita Massacre' Brothers Get Zero Sympathy From The - HuffPost Will this theme continue next week? 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. mellon mounds kansas murders - hss.ge Advertisement Coins. Much folklore and legend surrounds the Benders, making it difficult to separate fact from fiction. John BenderJr. was around 25 years old and handsome, with auburn hair and a mustache, and spoke English fluently with a German accent. Yep that's the one from a book I have. A roadside sign now marks their murderous exploits. [1][2][3], John Bender, Sr. was around 60 years old and spoke little English. Co D 123rd Ill Infantry. NEW YORK The Occupy Wall Street movement has close to $300,000, as well as storage space loaded with donated supplies in lower Manhattan. 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. sdsu basketball recruiting 2021 - boztepeyapi.net These 10 Kansas Serial Killers' Stories Will Chill You To The Bone 620-336-3576. They were not pursued, as lawmen following outlaws into this region often never returned. Site of 1870s 'Bloody Benders' serial killings is for sale | The ia904708.us.archive.org Does that mean that Satchel has just landed in Oz now? When the vigilantegroup approached, the Benders fired on them, at which time, the judge lost part of his ear to a flying bullet. Located on a main road, the Benders sold meals and supplies to travelers. The Carr brothers were convicted of capital murder in a crime spree in Wichita in 2000 that included robbery, rape, forced sex and four fatal shootings in a snow-covered soccer field. In the winter of 1872, George Newton Longcor left Independence, Kansas with his infant daughter Mary Ann to resettle in Iowa; they were never seen again. The old Bender property was haunted, and the rumors of the locals began to fly. However, as more time passed, the disappearances became more frequent, and by the spring of 1873, the region had become strife with rumors, and travelers began to avoid the trail. In 1884, it was reported that John Flickinger had committed suicide in Lake Michigan. More gruesomely, though the little girls body was found to have multiple injuries, none of them would have caused death, and it was speculated that the poor lass may have been buried alive. Satchel asks to keep Rabbit, and Rabbi refuses until he learns that its the boys birthday. Fargo is a critically acclaimed series created by Noah Hawley, who is also the creator of FX's Legion. Also a great song by Macabre about the Benders: https://youtu.be/NJpbxpbI8FA. [2] The elder Benders did not leave the train at Humboldt, but instead continued north to Kansas City, where it is believed they purchased tickets for St. Louis, Missouri.[1]. Though no one ever collected the rewards offered, rumors of several parties who had captured and killed the Benders began to fly. 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. One arm was broken. 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. Even with her clairvoyant abilities, Kate attempted to search for the missing doctor to throw any suspicion off herself. Their room is assigned based on Rabbis political and New Testament leanings, which place them in the west wing. Everywhere Satchel and Rabbi appear together, someone calls out the color of Satchels skin and questions their connection. This is blatantly a reference to the Bender Family, a family of serial killers from late 1800s Kansas. royston crow obituaries In February 1872, the bodies of two men were found with the same injuries as Jones. The Benders were widely believed to be German immigrants. One of these families was the Benders, comprised of John Bender, Sr.; his wife, Almira; son, John, Jr.; and daughter, Kate. 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 -. In honor of the Kansas state-wide Centennial Celebration, an exact replica of the Bender cabin was built that housed antiques and household items. 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.
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