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Bloody BendersFamily of serial killers
Country:
 USA |
Content:
- The Bender Family: A Trail of Blood and Murder
- The Homestead
- A Suspicious Family
- A Harbinger of Evil
- The York Brothers
- The Investigation
- The Discovery
- The Aftermath
- The Fate of the Benders
- The Legacy
The Bender Family: A Trail of Blood and Murder
The ImmigrantsIn 1870, the Bender family arrived in America from Germany. They settled in Osage, Labette County, Kansas, where they operated a general store and roadside inn from 1872 to 1873. The family consisted of John Bender, his wife Kate, their son John Jr., and daughter Kate. It has been speculated that the siblings were in a close relationship, with some claiming they were even husband and wife.
The Homestead
The Benders acquired 160 acres of land in Osage, where the father and son built a cabin, livestock barn, and dug a well. In the fall of 1871, the mother and daughter joined the men, and the humble abode was divided into two rooms by a simple canvas curtain. The Benders converted their "living room" into a combination store and inn. The mother and Kate planted two acres of land, established a vegetable garden, and planted an apple orchard north of the inn.
A Suspicious Family
John Bender Sr., around 60 years old, spoke little English, and his guttural speech was barely understandable. His 42-year-old wife was equally unintelligible and was nicknamed "Hell-Cat" by the locals. John Bender Jr., with his distinctive auburn hair and mustache, was around 25 years old. His constant, unexplained laughter earned him the nickname "Dummy" among the locals.
Daughter Kate, around 23 years old, was quite different from her family. She was attractive, spoke English well, and made friends easily. Kate proclaimed herself a healer and clairvoyant, distributing handbills promising to cure any ailment. She held séances, lectured on the afterlife, and gained notoriety for advocating free love. The Benders' inn became popular, largely due to Kate's social skills.
A Harbinger of Evil
In May 1871, the body of a man named Jones was found in Drum Creek, his skull crushed and his throat cut. In February 1872, the bodies of two more men were discovered with similar injuries. By 1873, reports of missing persons in the area had become so frequent that travelers avoided the area. The region, already notorious for horse thieves and other outlaws, gained a double reputation, and a self-styled "Vigilance Committee" made arrests and released suspects with alarming speed. Many "respectable" citizens who fell under suspicion fled the country in fear of lynching.
The York Brothers
In the winter of 1872, George Loncher, having buried his wife, left for Iowa with his daughter, never to be seen again. In the spring of 1873, his neighbor, Dr. William York, went in search of them and disappeared. York's two brothers, Colonel Ed York and Kansas Senator Alexander M. York, assembled a posse of 50 men to find him, questioning travelers on the Independence trail and searching the countryside. On March 28, 1873, Colonel Ed arrived at the Bender inn, where the family admitted that his brother had stopped there. They speculated that William might have had trouble with Native Americans after leaving their establishment. Colonel York, satisfied with their explanation, remained for dinner. He returned with armed men in April after reports emerged of a woman narrowly escaping an attack by Bender's mother, who had threatened her with a knife.
The Investigation
The mother told Ed that the woman had cursed her coffee and ordered the men to leave. Kate promised the colonel she would use her psychic abilities to help find his missing brother. York's men, as well as neighbors of the Benders, insisted they were guilty and should be hanged. However, York, lacking conclusive evidence, hesitated to act. A meeting was held in the schoolhouse, attended by 75 men, including John Bender and his son. After much debate, they agreed to search every homestead between Big Hill Creek and Drum Creek.
The Discovery
Three days later, Billy Tole noticed that the Benders' inn was deserted, their livestock starving. When the posse entered the property, the family was nowhere to be found. A foul odor led them to a concealed trapdoor under the bed. Beneath it was an 6x7-foot pit with an 3-foot drop, the floor covered in clotted blood. Sledgehammers were found nearby, and soon after, Dr. York's body was unearthed on the Bender property. Subsequent excavations revealed 11 more bodies, including George Loncher and his daughter, Jones, and the two men mentioned earlier. One of the bodies, a young woman, showed no visible injuries, leading to speculation that she had been smothered or buried alive.
The Aftermath
Newspapers reported that a mob seized a friend of the Benders named Brockman and hanged him from a beam in the inn. He was twice revived between interrogations, then staggered home, "looking as if he was either drunk or out of his mind." The Bender homestead was torn apart by souvenir hunters, leaving not a stone standing at the site.
The Fate of the Benders
It was believed that if a guest at the inn proved to be wealthy, the Benders would seat them at the head of the table (away from the curtain). Beautiful Kate would entertain the guest while John or his son emerged from behind the curtain, smashing the victim's skull with a hammer. Kate or the mother would then slit their throat, and the body would fall through the trapdoor. The killers often buried the bodies in the garden. Dozens of bullet holes found in the roof and side rooms of the inn led the media to speculate that some victims had resisted after being struck by the hammer.
Numerous volunteer groups searched for the Benders. One account claims that a posse caught and shot all of them dead, burning Kate alive. Another version suggests that the vigilantes caught and lynched the Benders, then dumped their bodies in the Verdigris River. Whatever the truth, Ed York spent the next seven years unsuccessfully searching for his brother's killers, offering a substantial reward for their capture. Two women believed to be Benders were apprehended in the 1880s, but the case was dropped for lack of evidence.
The Legacy
The three hammers allegedly used in the Bender murders were donated to a museum in Cherryvale, Kansas, in 1967. The artifacts were eventually removed due to a dispute with local residents. The story of the Bender family remains a chilling tale of murder, greed, and the horrors that can lurk in the shadows.
