#Labette county

[hisdhampir]

"I Want to Explore...History!"

PART I OF THE "I'm Bored" SERIES

Hello everyone! And welcome to part I of the "I'm Bored" series I made in collaboration with @alvaconsumesmedia!

Below you will find a list of different historical content I personally recommend you research and consume if you find yourself bored and wanting to explore the world of history!

If you have any questions about this list, want more information about a person or event than is listed, or wish to make a recommendation as to what should be added, send me a message to my ask box!!

HISTORY TOPICS TO RESEARCH:

[LIST] The Sumerians, Reading Recs.・located in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia, emerging during the Chalcolithic and early Bronze Ages between the sixth and fifth millennium BC were the Sumerians - the oldest recorded civilzation in the entire world....also they invented writing, literature, and beer, so you know they were fun.

The Sedlec Ossuary・also known as the Church of Bones, the Sedlec Ossuary, located in the Czech Republic, is one of the most unusual chapels you will ever see as it is decorated with the real bones of some 40,000 people.

The Great Molasses Flood of 1917・if an inescapable tsunami wave of molasses charging 35 miles per hour toward you seems impossible...you should have been there to see it in Boston in 1919.

The Mouse Utopia Experiments・if you ever wondered what the horrifying real story that inspired The Rats of NIMH was...well you've found it here.

Subtropolis・SubTropolis is a business complex located 150 feet underground in an artificial cave in the bluffs north of the Missouri River in Kansas City, Missouri made out of an old mine that was, at one time, supposed to be an amusement park.

The Dancing Plague of 1518・a plague that hit the town of Strasbourg in 1515 that caused as many as 400 people to dance until they died.

The Demonic Possessions of Loudun・The best-known case of possession in Western European history took place in the French town of Loudun at the Church of Saint Peter where no nun was safe from demon possession.

The Tower of Silence・A dakhma, also known as a Tower of Silence was a structure built by Zoroastrians made to store decomposing dead bodies to keep them away from the city as to avoid contamination of the soil.

The Game of Hounds and Jackals・a popular game played in 1805 by the Egyptians. A copy of the game can be found today in The Met.

The Bloody Bender Murders・in the 1870s the Bender family opened an Inn in Labette County in Kansas and began murdering people who came to visit.

ART HISTORY TOPICS TO RESEARCH:

The "Le génie du mal" and the "L’ange du mal"・the St. Paul Cathédrale de Liège in Belgium, once upon a time, hired two artists both to make statues of the Devil to place in their church and, unfortunately for the nuns of St. Paul Cathédrale de Liège they were done just a little too well.

Albert Kahn's Archive of The Planet・It was Kahn's dream to document the entire world via photography, from 1909 and 1931 his team dispatched to accomplish this goal. However, when the great depression hit his dreams were smashed.

HISTORICAL FIGURES TO RESEARCH:

Carvaggio・Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, known mononymously as Caravaggio, was an Italian painter active in Rome, disliked by many during his time for his arrogance, his rebellious nature...oh yeah, and he was a murderer.

Violet Jessop・Violet Constance Jessop was an Irish-Argentine ocean liner stewardess and nurse in the early 20th century who managed to survive THREE shipwrecks in her time, including the titanic!

Kate Warne・Kate Warne was none other than the first female detective in the United States, who worked for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency - the same agency that inspired many of the original Sherlock novels.

Hatshepsut・Hatshepsut was the Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh Thutmose II and, after his passing, was made the first ever Queen of Egypt...so why has no one ever heard of her?

Ching Shih・Zheng Yi Sao, also known as Shi Xianggu, Shek Yeung and Ching Shih, was the leader of the largest recorded pirate fleat to ever exist from 1801 to 1810 in China...also the pirate queen in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies was based on her...not really important but I think that's pretty cool.

Marie Vigoreaux・Marie Vigoreaux, was a French fortune teller and an active part of the famous Poison Affair of the 1670s.

Olga of Kiev・Olga was a regent of Kievan Rus' for her son Sviatoslav from 945 until 957 who is famously known for taking revenge on entire city by mass murdering them and then, after the deed was done, converted to Catholicism and becoming a patreon saint afterward...and, yes, she is still honored as a saint in Ukraine to this day

Wu Zetian・Wu Zetian, personal name Wu Zhao, was the first and only Empress of China, who ruled from 660 to 705 and she would do anything to ensure that she stayed in charge.

Julie D'Aubigny・Julie d'Aubigny, better known as Mademoiselle Maupin or La Maupin, was a French opera singer....but what's more exciting is that she was a bisexual, cross-dressing, swords-woman, and murderer.

Alexander the Great・Alexander the Great was the king of Macedonia (336–323 bce), who overthrew the Persian empire, carried Macedonian arms to India, and laid the foundations for the Hellenistic world of territorial kingdoms.

HOLLYWOOD HISTORY TO RESEARCH:

The Ava Gardner, Barbara Payton, Lana Turner Love Affair・known as the most scandalous love affair in Hollywood, Gardner, Payton, and Turner were secretly sleeping together for years....and Frank Sinatra was not happy about it.

NONFICTION HISTORICAL BOOKS TO READ:

[LIST] Medieval Religion, Reading Recs.・my list of reading recommendations to help you learn more about religion during the medieval ages.

ARTICLES TO READ:

"What Does God Smell Like?" by John Last・Unusual smells have been a distinguishing mark of holiness since the earliest days of Christian worship, so what is the smell of God?

That's all for history exploration! I hope that this helped you in curing your boredom! if you have any questions regarding anything discussed here or if you'd like to make a request to be added to the list, please send an ask to my ask box! I appreciate all comments and questions!

[eggcatsreads]

February Wrap-Up

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Favorite Read of the Month:

Solita by Vivien Rainn (GR review)

It’s only through facing the past and her buried fears can Sadie find salvation as she upturns the Hacienda’s twisted roots, roots born from the faith and fire of the conquistas, the Spaniards who came from distant shores, bringing with them not only their God, but also their demons.

THE gothic romance. This book changed my perspective on romance books. I've thought about this book regularly since I read it.

"In my time," he continues, voice low, "sanctity was measured by suffering. Those saints that abstained from the pleasures of life, fasted to starvation, mortified their flesh, drank the blood of the wounded - it was only they who saw the eyes of God, it was only through their agony that they were touched by true divinity, enraptured by their own faith."

"I...I'm not a saint, Silas." Her eyes meet his in a gaze that's wrapped up in the promise for everything she's always denied herself. The promise of temptation for the taste of that forbidden fruit, a single bite all it takes for irreversible expulsion, for an eternal fall from grace.

"I never said you were."

The warmth of his breath is so close to her own, heat mingling, pulses flush close. "Then what are you saying?"

"That I am," he answers. "I found God. And I'm looking into her eyes."

HELLO???? THIS QUOTE HAS IRREVOCABLY CHANGED HOW I READ ROMANCE BOOKS. THIS IS THE STANDARD.

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Rest of Books Read Under the Cut:

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Undertakers by Nicole Glover (sequel)

The second book in the Murder & Magic series of historical fantasy novels featuring Hetty Rhodes and her husband, Benjy, magic practitioners and detectives living in post–Civil War Philadelphia.

Godkiller by Hannah Kaner

Kissen’s family were killed by zealots of a fire god - now, she makes a living killing gods. That is until she finds a god she cannot kill: Skedi, a god of white lies, who bound himself to a young noble, and are on the run from assassins.

The Book of Living Secrets by Madeline Roux (GR review)

Best friends Adelle and Connie love of a little-known gothic romance novel called Moira. When they find a way to enter the book, suddenly everything isn't how they remember.

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton (GR review)

It's 1634 and Samuel Pipps, the world's greatest detective, is being transported to be executed for a crime he may, or may not, have committed. Out at sea things begin happening. A twice-dead leper stalks the decks. Strange symbols appear on the sails. Livestock is slaughtered. And then three passengers are marked for death, including Samuel.

The Song of the Sandman by J.F. Dubeau (GR review) (sequel)

After a terrible mass shooting at Cicero’s Circus, the evil presence responsible for the carnage is taken in by a doomsday cult lying in wait for such an opportunity.

The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist by Radley Balko

For nearly two decades, medical examiner Dr. Steven Hayne performed the vast majority of Mississippi's autopsies, while his friend Dr. Michael West, a local dentist, pitched himself as a forensic jack-of-all-trades. Together they became the go-to experts for prosecutors and helped put countless Mississippians in prison. But then some of those convictions began to fall apart.

Hell's Half-Acre by Susan Jonusas

In 1873 the people of Labette County, Kansas discovered the remains of countless bodies, and below the cabin was a cellar stained with blood. The cabin's family, the Benders, were nowhere to be found, sparking a frenzy that continued for decades.

Seductive Poison by Deborah Layton

In this haunting and riveting firsthand account, a survivor of Jim Jones's Peoples Temple opens up the shadowy world of cults and shows how anyone can fall under their spell.

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Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Born to be Hanged by Keith Thomson

The year is 1680, in the heart of the Golden Age of Piracy, and more than three hundred daring, hardened pirates gather on a remote Caribbean island. The plan: to wreak havoc on the Pacific coastline, raiding cities, mines, and merchant ships.

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Books read so far this year: 21

How I rate books.

[spdk1]

REVIEW: All the Blood We Share: A Novel of the Bloody Benders of Kansas (2022)

A Book by Camilla Bruce I will be upfront and say that I did not finish this book – I normally don’t do reviews like this, but I felt that I made it far enough in to justify even a short review. The so-called ��Bloody Benders” were a family of nineteenth Century serial killers operating in Labette County, Kansas from May 1871 to December 1872. Not much is known about the family other than the…

[rebeleden]

Hell's Half-Acre: The Untold Story of the Benders, a Serial Killer Family on the American Frontier

CC KILLER DNA

[dailyunsolvedmysteries]

The Bloody Benders: America's First Family of Serial Killers

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 family consisted of John Bender, his wife Elvira and their son John Jr. and daughter Kate. 

In May 1871, the body of a man named Jones, who had his skull crushed and his throat cut, was discovered in Drum Creek. The owner of the Drum Creek claim was suspected, but no action was taken. In February 1872, the bodies of two men were found who had the same injuries as Jones. By 1873, reports of missing people who had passed through the area had become so common that travelers began to avoid the trail.

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. Many innocent men under suspicion were also run out of the county by these committees. 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. In the spring of 1873, Longcor's former neighbor, Dr. William Henry York, went looking for them and questioned homesteaders along the trail. Dr. York reached Fort Scott, and on March 9 began the return journey to Independence, but never arrived.

Dr. 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. Senator Samuel C. Pomeroy's bribery of state legislators in his bid for re-election. Both knew of William's travel plans and, when he failed to return, an all-out search began for the missing doctor. Colonel York, leading a company of some 50 men, questioned every traveler along the trail and visited all the area homesteads.

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. They admitted Dr. York had stayed with them and suggested the possibility that he had run into trouble with Indians. Colonel York agreed that this was possible and remained for dinner. 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. Elvira allegedly could not understand English, while the younger Benders denied the claim.

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. 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. 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.

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. Seventy-five locals attended the meeting, including Colonel York and both John Bender Sr. and John Bender Jr. 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. Despite York's strong suspicions regarding the Benders since his visit several weeks earlier, no one had watched them, and it was not noticed for several days that they had fled.

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. Tole reported the fact to the township trustee, but due to inclement weather, several days lapsed before the abandonment could be investigated. The township trustee called for volunteers, and several hundred turned out to form a search party that included Colonel York. When the party arrived at the inn they found the cabin empty of food, clothing, and personal possessions.

A bad odor was noticed and traced to a trap door underneath a bed, nailed shut. After opening the trap, the party found clotted blood on the floor of the empty room underneath, 6 feet (1.8 m) deep and 7 feet (2.1 m) square at the top by 3 feet (0.9 m) square at the bottom. 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. The men then physically lifted the cabin and moved it to the side to dig under it, but no bodies were found.

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. The probing continued until midnight, with another nine suspected grave sites marked before the men were satisfied they had found them all and retired for the night. 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. All but one had their heads bashed with a hammer and throats cut, and newspapers reported that all were "indecently mutilated." The body of a young girl was found with no injuries sufficient to cause death. It was speculated that she had been strangled or buried alive.

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. The Bender cabin was destroyed by souvenir hunters who took everything, including the bricks that lined the cellar and the stones lining the well.

It is conjectured that when a guest stayed at the Benders' bed and breakfast inn, the hosts would give the guest a seat of honor at the table that was positioned over a trap door into the cellar. With the victim's back to the curtain, Kate would distract the guest while John Bender or his son came from behind the curtain and struck the guest on the right side of the skull with a hammer. One of the women would cut the victim's throat to ensure death, and the body was then dropped through the trap door. Once in the cellar, the body would be stripped and later buried somewhere on the property, often in the orchard. 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.

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. William Pickering said that when he had refused to sit near the wagon cloth because of the stains on it, Kate Bender had threatened him with a knife, whereupon he fled the premises. 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.

Two men who had traveled to the inn to experience Kate Bender's psychic powers stayed for dinner, but had refused to sit at the table next to the cloth, instead preferring to eat their meal at the main shop counter. Kate then became abusive toward them, and shortly afterward the Bender men emerged from behind the cloth. At this point the customers felt uneasy and decided to leave, a move that almost certainly saved their lives.

More than a dozen bullet holes were found in the roof and sides of the cabin. The media speculated that some of the victims had attempted to fight back after being hit with the hammer.

Several groups of vigilantes were formed to search for the Benders. Many stories say that one vigilante group actually caught the Benders and shot all of them but Kate, whom they burned alive. Another group claimed they had caught the Benders and lynched them before throwing their bodies into the Verdigris River. Yet another claimed to have killed the Benders during a gunfight and buried their bodies on the prairie. No one ever claimed the $3,000 reward ($67,858 as of 2022), however.

The story of the Benders' escape spread, and the search continued on and off for the next 50 years. Often two women traveling together were accused of being Kate Bender and her mother.

[mindblowingfactz]

The Bloody Benders, also known as the Bender Family, were a family of serial killers who lived and operated in Labette County, Kansas. They are known to have killed at least a dozen people between 1871 and 1873. They disappeared before their crimes were discovered and were never seen again.

[conradscrime]

America’s First Serial Killer Family:  The Bloody Benders

January 18, 2022

In October 1870, 5 families of spiritualists moved around the town of Osage in northwestern Labette County. One of these families were John Bender Sr. and John Bender Jr., who registered 160 acres of land that was adjacent to the Great Osage Trail, which at the time was the only open road to get farther west. 

A cabin, a barn with a corral and a well were built, and in the fall of 1871, Elvira Bender and her daughter Kate arrived. The cabin was divided into two rooms by a canvas wagon-cover. The smaller room was for the Benders to live, while the front room was turned into a general store where they sold dry goods. 

The front room also had the kitchen and dining table, and travellers who stopped at the store would eat there or even spend the night on occasion. Elvira and Kate eventually planted a 2 acre vegetable garden and apple orchard that was north of their cabin. 

John Bender Sr., was around 60 years old and spoke little English. Elvira also spoke very little English and was 55 years old. Elvira was known to be so unfriendly that her neighbours began to call her a “she-devil.” 

John Bender Jr., was around 25 years old, and did speak English fluently, but with a German accent. He was known to be quite handsome, with auburn hair and a moustache. Kate Bender was around 23 years old, was attractive and also spoke English well with rarely any accent. She was a self-proclaimed healer and psychic, and would often distribute flyers advertising supernatural powers and how she could cure illnesses. 

Kate would also hold séances and gave lectures on spiritualism, and was known to advocate free love. Because Kate was so popular, it gained lots of attraction for the Benders’ inn. John Bender Sr., and Elvira were known to keep to themselves frequently, but John Jr., and Kate often attended Sunday school in Harmony Grove. 

There was no actual proof, but the Benders were believed to be German immigrants. There is no documentation of where they were born. John Bender Sr., was either from Germany or Netherlands people believe, and Elvira was supposedly born Almira Hill Mark, in the Adirondack Mountains. She married a man named Simon Mark, and had 12 children with him. It was also believed she then married a man named William Stephen Griffith and was suspected of murdering many of her husbands, though there is no evidence to support these claims. 

Kate is believed to be Elvira’s 5th daughter, and some even suspected that John and Kate were not brother and sister, but rather husband and wife, according to neighbours. 

In May 1871, the body of a man named Jones was discovered in Drum Creek. He had his skull crushed and his throat cut. The owner of the Drum Creek was suspected of the murder, but no action was taken. In February 1872, the bodies of two men who had endured the same injuries as Jones, were found. By 1873, reports of missing people who had passed through the area had become very common, and travellers started to avoid the trail. 

The area was known for horse thieves and “villains” and even committees in the town would arrest some of these individuals for the disappearances of travellers, though they would be later released. 

In the winter of 1872, a man named George Newton Longcor and his infant daughter, Mary Ann, left Kansas to settle in Iowa, and were never seen again. In the spring of 1873, George’s former neighbour, Dr. William Henry York went looking for them and questioned people along the trail. Dr. York reached Fort Scott and on March 9 began his journey back to Kansas, but never got home. 

Dr. York had two brothers and who knew of his plan to travel and look for George and his daughter. When Dr. York did not return home they began to search for him. One of his brothers, Colonel York, questioned every traveller on the trail and visited the area homesteads. 

On March 28, 1873, Colonel York arrived at the Benders’ inn and told them that his brother had gone missing and if they had seen him. The Benders admitted that Dr. York had stayed with them and suggested that he perhaps had run into some troubles with the Indians. Colonel York believed that could be possible and stayed at the Benders for dinner. On April 3, 1873, Colonel York returned to the Benders’ inn with armed men after hearing about a woman who had fled the inn after Elvira threatened her with knives. The younger Benders denied this claim as Elvira could not speak English well. 

Colonel York repeated this claim and Elvira got very angry, ordered the men to leave her house, revealing that she actually did know the English language more than was thought. Kate told Colonel that he could return alone on the following Friday night, and she would use her abilities to help him find his brother. The men with Colonel were convinced that the Bender family and a neighbour family, the Roaches were guilty and wanted to hang them. Colonel said they needed to find evidence first. 

The other nearby communities began to make accusations that the Osage community was responsible for all the disappearances of travellers. There was a meeting held in the Harmony Grove Schoolhouse, with 75 locals in attendance including John Bender Sr., and John Bender Jr. At the meeting it was agreed that a warrant would be obtained to search every homestead between Big Hill Creek and Drum Creek. 

Three days after the meeting, a man named Billy Tole was driving cattle past the Bender inn when he noticed it had been abandoned and the farm animals had gone unfed. Tole reported this, but due to weather, several days went by before they could investigate. They found the cabin empty of food, clothing and personal belongings. 

Inside the cabin, the volunteers smelled a bad odour, and traced the smell to a trap door that was underneath a bed, nailed shut. After opening this trap door, it was found an empty room with clotted blood on the floor. The stone floor was broken with sledgehammers but no bodies were found. They also dug under the cabin but found nothing. 

They then probed the ground around the cabin with a metal rod, and found Dr. York’s body later in the evening, in the disturbed soil of the vegetable garden and apple orchard. Dr. York had been buried face down with his feet barley below the surface. 

Another nine suspected grave sites were marked before the men believed they had found all of them. They did continue to dig the next morning, and found another 8 bodies found in 7 more suspected graves, and one found in the well with various body parts. All but one victim had their heads bashed with a hammer and their throats cut. The body of a young girl was found with no injuries to cause death and was determined to have been strangled or buried alive. 

A Roman Catholic prayer book was found in the house with notes written in German that were translated. It said, “Johannah Bender. Born July 30, 1848,” “John Gebhardt came to America on July 1 18??.” “big slaughter day, Jan eighth,” and “hell departed.” 

The Bender cabin was destroyed by souvenir hunters who took everything and State Senator Alexander York offered a $1,000 reward for the Bender family’s arrest. On May 17, Kansas Governor Thomas A. Osborn offered a $2,000 reward. 

It was theorized that when a guest would stay at the Benders’ inn, the Bender’s would allow them a seat of honour at the table, which was positioned over a trap door that led to the cellar. Kate would distract the guest, while John Bender Sr or his son would come from behind and strike the guest with a hammer. 

The guest would then have their throat cut by one of the Bender women to ensure they were dead. The body was then dropped through the trap door into the cellar, and then they would be stripped and later buried on the Bender property. The motive was essentially robbery, as some of their guests were wealthy, but others were not at all, suggesting the Benders would sometimes kill just for the thrill of it. 

Some of the Bender’s guests had survived, claiming they refused to sit in the seat of honour or would flee when they noticed the family holding hammers or becoming abusive. 

Detectives found the Bender’s wagon, abandoned with a hungry team of horses just outside the city limits of Thayer, 12 miles north of the inn. It was confirmed that in Thayer the family had bought tickets for the train. It’s said that John Jr and Kate left the train and caught one to Texas, and from there travelled to an outlaw colony between Texas and New Mexico. 

One detective claimed he had traced them to the border, where he found that John Jr. died from apoplexy. John Sr. and Elvira continued to Kansas City, where it is believed they were catching a train to St. Louis, Missouri. 

Different groups of vigilantes went on the search for the Bender’s. One group claimed to have actually caught them, and shot them all but Kate, whom they burned alive. Another group said they caught the Bender’s and lynched them before throwing them in the Verdigris River. Another group claimed to have killed them during a gunfight and buried their bodies on the prairie. 

In 1884, it was reported that John Bender Sr. had committed suicide in Lake Michigan. Also in 1884, it was said that a man matching John Sr.’s description was arrested in Montana for a murder committed in Idaho. Authorities were working on getting identification of the man, but he had severed his foot to escape and bled to death. By the time they were ready for identification he was too decomposed to do so. 

However, the man’s skull was put on display as that of John Sr in a Salmon saloon and stayed there until Prohibition forced it’s closure in 1920, though the skull disappeared. 

On October 31, 1889, it was reported that a woman named Mrs. Almira Monroe (also known as Almira Griffith) and a woman named Mrs. Sarah Eliza Davis were arrested in Niles, Michigan a few weeks earlier for larceny. The women were released after being found not guilty but were immediately arrested for the Bender murders.

A source claimed that Mrs. Frances E. McCann, a daughter of one of the Bender’s victims, had reported the women to authorities in early October 1889 after tracking them down. 

Mrs. Sarah Eliza Davis claimed that Mrs. Monroe was Elvira Bender, and that she was not Kate Bender, rather her sister Sara. Mrs. Monroe denied this claim and accused Sarah Eliza of being Kate Bender. 

The two were committed to trial and it was scheduled for February 1890, though was postponed until May. Both women were discharged. Many people denied that these women were the Bender’s, though there is no doubt they were criminals. 

It is suspected that the Bender family murdered more than 20 people. Besides Dr. York and a few others, most of the bodies went unidentified. In the Bender cabin, three hammers were found: a shoe hammer, a claw hammer and a sledgehammer that matched indentations in some of the victims skulls. 

The hammers were given to the Bender Museum in 1967 by the son of the man who had headed the search back in the 1870′s. In 1978, the items needed to be relocated and eventually ended up at the Cherryvale Museum where they still remain. 

The Bender family were never officially found, and no one knows where their fate lies. 

[vintage-every-day]

November 1940: Home supervisor examining canned goods of FSA rehabilitation borrower in food storage cave. Labette County, Kansas. Acetate negative by John Vachon.

[myhauntedsalem]

The Bloody Benders

In the late 1800’s while traveling the roads of Labette County, Kansas you might have come across a small bed and breakfast inn owned by the Bender family. As travel was slow via horse and cart you may have felt inclined to stop off for the night, especially if you were a man as the Benders daughter Kate was quite beautiful and ‘curvy’. Unfortunately should you stay the night (or even just for a meal) it was likely you were not going to leave again. The Bender family were all serial killers and their list of victims was long. As you are shown to the place of honor at the dinner table you probably would not take great notice of the thick curtain behind you that subdivided the little one room cabin, or the trap door at your feet. Unfortunately death was waiting for you there. Kate would serve you, entertain you with flirtatious conversation, her low cut and loose shirt keeping you distracted. As this was taking place John Bender, the family’s patriarch and his son, would be standing right behind you, a heavy hammer in their hands. When the time was right they would swing, the hammer smashing you in the side of the head. This would leave you unconscious or dead, but either way you were soon to be finished off. The table would be moved out of the way, and the trapdoor opened, where you would be slid below the house to have your throat cut, spilling your lifeblood onto the cellar floor. From here you would have all your valuable possessions taken from you and then buried in one of the various adhoc burial grounds dotted around the Bender property. Maybe you would be buried whole, maybe in parts… it all depended on the Bender’s mood and whether you were easy to carry or not. You were then just another of the missing persons who had disappeared while traveling this part of the country, a statistic, your fate unknown until this murderous scheme was uncovered by almost pure luck. The Bender family killed more than a dozen people at their property between 1871 and 1873. In 1870, five families had settled in the Osage township, Kansas, located along the great Osage Trail, a main route for anyone looking to travel west. One of these families was John Bender Senior and his son John Bender Junior. They made their land claim and began creating a home – the one room cabin, a barn and a well. Once these initial constructions were complete they sent for Kate Bender and her daughter Kate (yep, two John’s and two Kate’s, due to this the parents will now be referred to as Ma and Pa Bender and their children as John and Kate.) This small community of families were all spiritualists, of which Kate was a self proclaimed psychic and healer. Ma and Pa spoke very little English, were not very nice to their neighbors, and were considered half wits. John spoke English well, but was also considered a halfwit due to his tendency to laugh aimlessly and at length. Kate on the other hand was beautiful, charming and quite the business woman. The Bender’s home was subdivided by a sheet allowing the back end to become their living space and the front half to be a general store and a place people could come for a meal. Kate also utilized it for her spiritual practices, healings, lectures and seances. It was a quiet community, travelers went through and although many went missing, no one thought there was murder happening in their own town. That is until the body of a man was found in a nearby creek with his head crushed and throat cut. The following year, 1872, two other men were discovered in a similar state, and soon people realized something was quite wrong as finally the disappearances seemed to be linked to the Osage township. Groups of vigilantes were formed who would then travel around arresting anyone who seemed untoward or had the slightest criminal record. However, with no proof, these people were released by authorities only to be chased out of the town. In late 1872 a man and his infant daughter were relocating to another part of the country, and when they were not heard from again a neighbor, Doctor York, followed their trail to go

looking for them. He also was never seen again. Doctor York had two brothers, one a Colonel, who went looking for him and the trail led straight to the Bender family. The Bender’s did say that the Doctor had stayed at the inn, but had left the next day and that perhaps he had been attacked and killed by the local Indians.That would have been that had Ma Bender not chased a woman from the inn screaming and threatening her with a knife. Colonel York returned to the inn with armed men to find out what had happened. Ma Bender could not speak English very well, but upon being pushed, she flew in a rage saying the woman she had chased was a witch who had cursed her. Kate Bender settled the situation down and invited the Colonel back (alone) the following night so she could use her psychic abilities to help him locate his Doctor brother. The Colonel did not fall for the ruse and was convinced the Bender family were guilty of all the disappearances, but needed proof. A meeting was arranged at the township in the hopes of organizing a warrant to search all the homes (as not to single out the Bender family), but the arguing began and soon once again the Osage Indians were in the firing line, many thought they were to blame. As all of this was taking place, the Bender family quietly took their possessions and fled. Their disappearance was not noted for several days, but when it was, there was a massive outcry and many people descended on the property to search it for the missing people. They opened the trapdoor and found it bloodstained, the floor was dug up and found that so much blood had seeped into it that they were still digging up clotted blood several feet down. The cabin was then lifted by several dozen men and carried some distance so the entire floor could be easily dug up. No bodies were found. However, when they started to dig in the vegetable garden and apple orchard the bodies were discovered – one of the first found was Doctor York. A majority of the bodies were found to have one side of the head smashed in and their throats cut. Not all bodies were found in the ground, as some were discovered in the Well along with other dismembered remains. As the word got out about the ‘Bloody Benders’ crowds of people traveled to the property which was soon stripped of every possession left by the family as souvenirs, and once that was done, people started to take the wooden cladding home with them. Everyone wanted a piece of this macabre history. A friend of the Bender’s was found by the mob and taken back to the house and questioned. When he had no answers they hanged him from a rafter, and when he lapsed into unconsciousness they took him down, woke him up and continued interrogating him. This cycle of hanging and release was repeated several times before he was allowed to leave. Many other people would be caught, tortured and arrested under suspicion of being in cahoots with the Bender family, or being a Bender. However it is not known whether the Bender family themselves were ever caught. Bounties were put on their heads, and although several groups claimed to have captured and killed the Bender’s (one saying they burnt Kate at the stake for being a witch and murderer), none ever claimed the reward. Many of the remains found on the property were never identified or claimed and were reburied near to where they were discovered. As a final twist, it turns out that Ma and Pa Bender might not have been married, but rather John and Kate were!

[brownanddickson]

The Benders: Keepers of the Devil's Inn

Wood, Fern Morrow. The Benders: Keepers of the Devil's Inn. Cherryvale, KS: F.M. Wood, 1992. First Edition. ISBN: 0960692215. 107 pp. Inscribed by author. Price sticker on back cover. Early American true crime from Cherryvale, Kansas. Near fine. Paperback.

[jamht1972]

[davidrussellschilling]

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The Theater Circle gave its first posthumous award to Barry Weller, known professionally as B. Weller, for outstanding supporting actor in a drama.(More…)

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[balletbookworm]

Hell's Half-Acre : The Untold Story of the Benders, America's First Serial Killer Family by Susan Jonusas

Hell’s Half-Acre : The Untold Story of the Benders, America’s First Serial Killer Family by Susan Jonusas

Summary from Goodreads: A suspense filled tale of murder on the American frontier—shedding new light on a family of serial killers in Kansas, whose horrifying crimes gripped the attention of a nation still reeling from war. In 1873 the people of Labette County, Kansas made a grisly discovery. Buried by a trailside cabin beneath an orchard of young apple trees were the remains of countless…

[goalhofer]

U.S. Daily Low Temperature Records Tied/Broken 4/10/22

Geneva, Alabama: 36 (also 36 2000)

Lake Ft. Smith State Park, Arkansas: 26 (previous record 28 2003)

Lake Ouachita State Park, Arkansas: 28 (previous record 29 2003)

Unincorporated Modoc County, California: 17 (previous record 19 2001)

Unincorporated Collier County, Florida: 42 (previous record 43 2009)

Unincorporated Collier County, Florida: 45 (previous record 52 2016)

Daytona Beach, Florida: 42 (also 42 1938)

Unincorporated Highlands County, Florida: 33 (previous record 35 1986)

Unincorporated Indian River County, Florida: 43 (previous record 47 2016)

Jacksonville Beach, Florida: 43 (previous record 44 1996)

Kissimmee, Florida: 45 (also 45 1986)

Unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida: 47 (previous record 48 2009)

Rufkin, Florida: 48 (also 48 1996)

Sanford, Florida: 45 (also 45 2000)

Venice, Florida: 47 (previous record 48 1974)

Moscow, Idaho: 24 (also 24 2005)

Unincorporated Valley County, Idaho: 19 (previous record 23 2008)

Clarinda, Iowa: 19 (previous record 20 2007)

Unincorporated Labette County, Kansas: 24 (previous record 26 2003)

Unincorporated Beaverhead County, Montana: 14 (also 14 1975)

Unincorporated Humboldt County, Nevada: 6 (previous record 13 2021)

Muskogee, Oklahoma: 30 (previous record 31 1916)

Ralston, Oklahoma: 25 (previous record 26 2003)

Unincorporated Curry County, Oregon: 31 (also 31 2021)

Fremont National Forest, Oregon: 19 (also 19 2001)

Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge, Oregon: 9 (previous record 16 1977)

Unincorporated Jackson County, Oregon: 30 (previous record 31 2021)

Unincorporated Lane County, Oregon: 31 (also 31 1991)

Morgan Mt. summit, Oregon: 23 (previous record 24 1991)

Willamette National Forest, Oregon: 25 (previous record 26 2021)

Greer, South Carolina: 28 (previous record 30 1976)

Lewisburg, Tennessee: 19 (previous record 22 1966)

Unincorporated Clallam County, Washington: 15 (previous record 27 1992)

Cougar Mt. summit, Washington: 27 (also 27 2010)

Davenport, Washington: 19 (previous record 21 2010)

Deer Mt. summit, Washington: 25 (previous record 26 1999)

Lake Chellan National Recreation Area, Washington: 25 (previous record 26 2021)

Unincorporated Mason County, Washington: 31 (also 31 2001)

Spokane, Washington: 25 (also 25 1954)

Wenatchee National Forest, Washington: 23 (previous record 24 2021)

Wilbur, Washington: 17 (previous record 19 1902)

[lapdropworldwide]

This Serial-Killing Family Terrorized the American Frontier

This Serial-Killing Family Terrorized the American Frontier

Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Public Domain Hell’s Half-Acre tells the story of the grisly murders committed by the Bender family during their time spent in Labette County, Kansas, in the early 1870s. The family, an older couple–Ma and Pa, and younger couple Kate and John–killed at least 11 people before fleeing the state, leaving a trail of horror in their wake. When…

[ccmirror]

Making Wetland Restoration History in Kansas

Making Wetland Restoration History in Kansas

USDA – Article by By Angela R. Allen, NRCS, Kansas. This is part of the Fridays on the Farm Series Max and Eweleen Good, the first landowners in Kansas to voluntarily participate in a USDA wetland restoration program in 1994. The Goods live on 40 acres northeast of Oswego, Kansas, in Labette County. Their land likely started as tall grass prairie scattered with ponds before being used as…