Elvira Bender, who also allegedly spoke little English, was 55 years old and so unfriendly that her neighbors took to calling her a "she-devil.". [7] Brockman would be arrested again 23 years later for the rape and murder of his own 18-year-old daughter.[8]. 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. He takes Satchel to a quirky (to say the least) boardinghouse, owned by feuding, deaf, elderly sisters. Yeah! About 75 people attended the gathering, including both Bender men. This is a list of notable male murderers who committed their murders in Kansas, USA. The family consisted of John Bender, his wife Elvira and their son John Jr. and daughter Kate. 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. Her husband and son were said to have feared her as she ran the household with an iron 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. 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. They broker an arrangement wherein Omie and his captive paint the building in exchange for being allowed to lie in wait. That is a Kansas historical society sign. The book "Hell's Half-Acre: The Untold Story of the Benders, a Serial Killer Family on the American Frontier", by Susan Jonusas, published in 2022. [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. Colonel A.M. York, leading a contingency of some 50 men, began questioning every traveler along the trail and stopping at the area homesteads. 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. 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. Like others, he was hit over the head as he sat at the table. 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. 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. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2022 with funding from Kahle/Austin Foundation https://archive.org/details/washingtonhistor0014unse The CAashington Historical . Yep that's the one from a book I have. When the party arrived at the inn they found the cabin empty of food, clothing, and personal possessions. However, there were no bodies in the hole. On May 17, Kansas Governor Thomas A. Osborn offered a $2,000 ($45,239 as of 2023) reward for the apprehension of all four. [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. One of the women would cut the victim's throat to ensure death, and the body was then dropped through the trap door. 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. Some believe justice came to them in the end. As the haunting legend continued, people began to say that Kate Bender had returned to the property, doomed to roam the very land where she had committed so many atrocities. If this really is Oz, then Satchel is Dorothy and Rabbit is Toto. 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. One may have been Jack Bogart, whose horse was purchased from a friend of the Benders after he went missing in 1872. Today, Smalley descendants continue to live in the Neodosha and Cherryvale area. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Benders. Although stories abound, the ultimate fate of the murderous Mellon family was never discovered. Telling the story of his near-death, Jesse quickly retold it to a nearby doctor and judge, who formed a vigilante group to go after the Benders. In the winter of 1872, Mr. Loncher and his daughter had left Independence for Iowa but were never heard from again. 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 media speculated that some of the victims had attempted to fight back after being hit with the hammer. As Active Shooter incidents have increased, employers are tasked with training employees on how to escape, hide, or fight. The family soon built a small one-room framed cabin, a barn, and a corral and dug a well. At this point the customers felt uneasy and decided to leave, a move that almost certainly saved their lives. Senator Samuel C. Pomeroy's bribery of state legislators in his bid for re-election. Look for these with their cute sunflowers. 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. Attempts to capture the bloodthirsty family were immediately made by both law officers and vigilantes alike. Mrs. McCann's story came from dreams about her father's murder, which she discussed with Sarah Eliza. Bender Mounds, Kansas by Kathy Alexander. By 1873, reports of missing people who had passed through the area had become so common that travelers began to avoid the trail. 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". She was 20 at the time of her death. Props to Noah Hawley for referencing a lot of forgotten crimes, from Jane Toppan, the Kansas City Massacre, and now the Bloody Benders. The right knee had been wrenched from its socket, and the leg doubled up under the body. This is blatantly a reference to the Bender Family, a family of serial killers from late 1800s Kansas. 6) December 1872: Henry McKenzie. THE LAST SKYWALKER Pays Tribute to the Ben Solo Legacy, Lynne Ramsay Tapped to Direct THE GIRL WHO LOVED TOM GORDON, WANDAVISION Finale Recap: (S01E09) The Series Finale, WANDAVISION Recap: (S01E08) Previously On, WANDAVISION Recap: (S01E07) Breaking the Fourth Wall. He steps out of his car, gun drawn, and discovers the filling station attendants body in a doorway. $38 (2023: $860) and a wagon with a team of horses missing. Kate Bender, who was around 23, was cultivated and attractive and spoke English well, with little accent. 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. [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. Rounding out the boardinghouse crew (west side) is a young man on his way to make it rich on the Texas oil fields. Johnny Boyles body was found in the well. I'd need to check but my gut feeling is that its real. Hey babe, nice melon mounds. (In case you wondered after reading that, like I did, what year The Mulligan Concern arrived in Kansas City, it was 1920. The group is believed to be one of the first serial killer families in America. A place to discuss Lawrence Kansas happenings and news. 29th and Gage through [] 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. melon mounds liberal kansascrank arm length calculator sheldon browncrank arm length calculator sheldon brown Also one of the victims was the neighbor of the person who wrote Little House on the Prarie. Her tag says her name is Rabbit. Though the pair were jailed, the case was dropped for lack of evidence. Game got that right. John Bender, Sr. chose a 160-acre section on the western slopes of the mounds that continue to bear their name today. "[7], Word of the murders spread quickly, and more than three thousand people, including reporters from as far away as New York City and Chicago, visited the site. A trap door, nailed shut, was discovered on the cabin floor. Legend has it that the family of four gruesomely murdered at least 11 patrons, scattering the bodies throughout their property and county. According to contemporary newspapers, Elvira was born Almira Hill Mark (often misreported as "Meik") in the Adirondack Mountains; she married Simon Mark, with whom she claimed to have had 12 children. 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. The Lawrence Kansas Subreddit. Kate's popularity became a large attraction for the Benders' inn. 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. 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 The episode opens with Omie Sparkman (Corey Hendrix) pulling into a filling station on a desolate road in Kansas. Somehow, he escaped, appearing naked in the middle of the night at Jesse Smalleys doorstep. 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. mellon mounds kansas murders. Though he reached Fort Scott unscathed and started to return to Independence on March 8, he never reached home. In the spring of 1873, Longcor's former neighbor, Dr. William Henry York, went looking for them and questioned homesteaders along the trail. Ma Bender and Kate would then rifle the body for money, pushing him through the trap door into the hole below the cabin, where Kate would slit his throat. The house sits alone in a barren landscape composed of post-harvest fields coated halfheartedly with snow. The Vicious Harpes First AmericanSerial Killers, The Bloody Benders Yes it was. The Bloody Benders - Serial Killers of Kansas Bender Mounds, Kansas by Kathy Alexander. 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. When the Benders opened their store and inn in 1871, many travelers would stop for a meal or supplies. 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. The Benders were undoubtedly surprised to find that the man wasnt dead. [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. They were not pursued, as lawmen following outlaws into this region often never returned. Once in the cellar, the body would be stripped and later buried somewhere on the property, often in the orchard. I remember that song. Discover something new every day from News, Sports, Finance, Entertainment and more! No documentation or definitive proof of their relationships to one another, or where they were born, has ever been found. Thanks for putting this up I knew the story sounded familiar..the was on an episode of Lore. (AP) - A man already in prison . $10 (2023: $226), a, 8-9) December 1872: George Newton Longcor and his 18-month-old daughter, Mary Ann. And then, in so many words, Scalia said that nothing in the Eighth Amendment requires that jurors considering "mitigating evidence" that could . 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. This unnamed man was one of the many who made the mistake of stopping at the Bender Inn. The discussion began regarding the ten people who were reported missing, including a well-known Independence physician named Dr. William H. York. ?," "big slaughter day, Jan eighth", and "hell departed. 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. Rock Chalk! He leaves Satchel in the car with Rabbit while hes doing this, and the boy is approached by a nervous policeman who prepares to draw his weapon as he asks Satchel to leave the car. From there, they traveled to an outlaw colony thought to be in the border region between Texas and New Mexico. He pointed out that both families' modus operandi, family unit numbers and other evidence proved that they are one and the same. The old Bender property was haunted, and the rumors of the locals began to fly. Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated November 2022. For years, sightings of Ma Bender and Kate were reported, and in 1889, two women were extradited from Michigan on the charge. Yet another group claimed to have killed the Benders during a gunfight and buried their bodies on the prairie. As they make their way up to the top floor, they peer in the open rooms of the other tenants. 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. Prying it open, the men found a six-foot-deep hole filled with clotted blood, causing a terrible odor. On May 17th, Governor Thomas Osborn added to that amount by offering a $2,000 reward for the apprehension of all four. allah y hafdek traduction; markel annual meeting 2022; community action partnership appointment line; July 3, 2022 mellon mounds kansas murdersdcs vsn modsdcs vsn mods 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. After the third hanging, they released him and he staggered home "as one who was drunken or deranged. [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. 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. 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. The captive makes a run for it, and Omie shoots him dead and drags his body out of sight. From the first grayscale frame, its clear that were arent in Kansas City anymore. 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 February 1872, the bodies of two men were found with the same injuries as Jones. why i quit civil engineering; goo goo gaga family net worth; how to make homemade biscuits without baking powder; noah hester restaurant; He has a white man in his trunk, an informant who has helped him track Calamita to the Liberal, Kansas, area. The Benders are believed to have killed about a dozen people, including one child. The for the guy who discovered Pluto? Ten bodies were found in the Benders apple orchard, including Dr. York and the people he had been searching for Mr. Loncher and his daughter, just seven or eight years old. The 162-acre tract of cropland known as the "Bender Farm" will be sold off to. Phone: 620-624-3885 Fax: 620-626-7629 Manager: Nora Rubio Email: Email Mead Lumber of Liberal Hours: Cemetery. Although stories abound, the ultimate fate of the murderous Bender family is uncertain. It takes an English sentence and breaks it into words to determine if it is a phrase or a clause. A message requesting positive identification was sent to Cherryvale, but the suspect severed his foot to escape his leg irons and bled to death. The next day, Rabbi goes back to the appliance store and recovers his remaining cash from the brothers at gunpoint. The fate of the family remains unknown, with theories ranging from a lynching of the family to a successful escape. Location. [11] Whether John Flickinger was really John Bender is unknown. [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. 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. Calamita is swept up into the funnel, along with the filling station and the bodies littering its floors. The affidavits and other papers are missing from the file in LaBette County, so further examination is impossible. So yeah, kind of obscure. A crude sign was hung above the front door that advertised Groceries to the many travelers along the Osage Trail. Their story is unresolved, and remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of the old West. Those most often reporting glowing apparitions on the property were those who came to the site in search of some long-lost souvenir of the grisly murders. John BenderJr. was around 25 years old and handsome, with auburn hair and a mustache, and spoke English fluently with a German accent. 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. They were never caugnt. The corpse was that of Dr. William H. York, his skull bludgeoned and his throat cut from ear to ear. but many still live in fear of their bloody hammer. Even with her clairvoyant abilities, Kate attempted to search for the missing doctor to throw any suspicion off herself. mellon mounds kansas murdersduskull evolution arceus. The family consisted of John Bender, his wife Elvira and their son John Jr. and daughter Kate. KANSAS HISTORICAL MARKER THE MELLON MOUNDS 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. 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. why i quit civil engineering; goo goo gaga family net worth; how to make homemade biscuits without baking powder; In the spring of 1894, the victims bodies were discovered, sending the town into hysteria. Several weeks after the discovery of the bodies, Addison Roach and his son-in-law, William Buxton, were arrested as accessories. [2], Testimony from people who had stayed at the Benders' inn and managed to escape before they could be killed appeared to support the presumed execution method of the Benders. She and her brother John often attended Sunday School nearby Harmony Grove and were readily accepted in the community. ", "Kate proclaimed herself responsible to no one save herself.". https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Benders. Buried in the apple orchard. 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. Hunza Guides is Pakistan's top mountain destination management company offering full board tours, trekking and expeditions services in Pakistan. Carrie Nelson was beaten to death during an apparent robbery at Blue Mounds State Park in May 2001. Donald, his wife Karen and their three kids live a nice, comfortable life. "[8] A Roman Catholic prayer book was found in the house with notes inside written in German, which were later translated. 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. Body found in Drum Creek with a crushed skull and throat cut. Advertisement Coins. 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. Relocating to Independence from, 7) December 1872: Johnny Boyle. The parts did not belong to any of the other victims found and are believed to belong to at least three additional victims. The township trustee called for volunteers, and several hundred turned out to form a search party that included Colonel York. They admitted Dr. York had stayed with them and suggested the possibility that he had run into trouble with Indians. A roadside sign now marks their murderous exploits. The Benders were not what they appeared. Hell the first album from the Smiths included a song about the Moors Murderers. One weird oversight. Much folklore and legend surrounds the Benders, making it difficult to separate fact from fiction. 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.. She also conducted sances and gave lectures on spiritualism, for which she gained notoriety for advocating free love. [18], A historical marker describing the Benders' crimes is located in the rest area at the junction of U.S. Route 400 and U.S. Route 169 north of Cherryvale. Records of the incarceration back up this affidavit. [1][3] On April 3, Colonel York returned to the inn with armed men after being informed that a woman had fled from the inn after Elvira Bender had threatened her with knives. Shortly after theyve settled, Rabbi leaves Satchel alone with his usual goodbye of, If I dont come back, Im dead or in jail. He drives into Liberal to see about the money he left behind, only to discover that the feed store was sold at auction and has been converted to an appliance store by a pair of brothers. what happened to johnny rodriguez country singervice president internal student council. Satchel walks down the road with his dog. 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. Kate then became abusive toward them, and shortly afterward the Bender men emerged from behind the cloth. Before York left, Kate asked him to return alone the following Friday night, and she would use her clairvoyant abilities to help him find his brother. 20) May 1873: Dr William York. Along with her desire for fame, she also craved wealth and position. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. On deer antler shedding, pocket gopher mounds, eagle breeding and murders of crows (that's the name of a flock of crows) rpp program apartments newport news. Immigrating from Germany, John Bender, Sr. was 60 years old when he arrived in the area; his wife was about 55. Yet another claimed to have killed the Benders during a gunfight and buried their bodies on the prairie. A Catholic priest claimed to have seen one of the Bender men concealing a large hammer, at which point he became uncomfortable and quickly departed. A beautiful girl of about 23, she was quick to laugh and talk to strangers. Cherryvale Museum [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. Sunflower seeds are incredibly rich sources of many essential minerals. Mrs. Monroe resisted, declaring that she would not be taken alive, but was subdued by local deputies. 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.' Bit by bit, the story of the Benders was pieced together. Dismembered parts of several other victims were also discovered but could never be identified. 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. Some say that they escaped, others that they were executed by a vengeful posse. After Colonel Yorks visit and the meeting at the Harmony Grove schoolhouse, the Bender family fled. [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. 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. 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. Along with an old episode of Death Valley Days. 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. One of these families was the Benders, comprised of John Bender, Sr.; his wife, Almira; son, John, Jr.; and daughter, Kate. Rewind one day, to Rabbi and Satchel driving past the same station. The body of a young girl was found with no injuries sufficient to cause death. 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. Markers of the Kansas state historical markers program administered by the Kansas Historical Society and Kansas Department of Transportation. Some say they escaped, others that the were executed by a vengeful posse. 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. Colonel York agreed that this was possible and remained for dinner.