In mid-October, Deputy Sheriff LeRoy Dick, the Osage Township trustee who had headed the search of the Bender property, arrived in Michigan and arrested the couple on October 30, following their release on the larceny charges. It also brings to mind Lester Nygards murder weapon in season one. Elvira allegedly could not understand English, while the younger Benders denied the claim. If you live in that town in Kansas today, oh yeah you know about it. York reached Fort Scott, and on March 9 began the return journey to Independence, but never arrived. Location. I believe I read this year that the land where the house once stood got sold to someone. At the site of a freshly stirred depression in the earth, they found the first body, buried head downward with its feet scarcely covered. Much folklore and legend surrounds the Benders, making it difficult to separate fact from fiction. The Benders were not what they appeared. One may have been Jack Bogart, whose horse was purchased from a friend of the Benders after he went missing in 1872. He finally gets to eat that evening at a bizarre dinner of fish sticks and potatoes. Moyra Melons (or Moyra Mounds) is a well-endowed mature model famous for saucy poses in revealing clothing and lingerie. John Bender, Sr. chose a 160-acre section on the western slopes of the mounds that continue to bear their name today. [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. This tugs his heartstrings, inspiring him to leave the boardinghouse in search of some kind of birthday treat for his ward. The parts did not belong to any of the other victims found and are believed to belong to at least three additional victims. Another of Mrs. Monroe's daughters, Mary Gardei, later provided an affidavit claiming that her mother (then Almira Shearer), under the name of Almira Marks, was actually serving two years in the Detroit House of Corrections in 1872 for the manslaughter of her daughter-in-law, Emily Mark. They disappeared in the spring of 1873, shortly before inquisitive neighbors discovered the victims' bodies. 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. The victim was then dispatched from behind with a hammer, the body was dropped into a basement pit, later to be buried in an orchard. Markers of the Kansas state historical markers program administered by the Kansas Historical Society and Kansas Department of Transportation. Outside the door is a plaque that reads: KANSAS Many of these minerals play a vital role in bone mineralization, red blood cell production, enzyme secretion, hormone production, as well as in the regulation of cardiac and skeletal muscle activities. rpp program apartments newport news. 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. This one would make a great show/movie, but we keep seeing remakes and reboots. 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. In the spring of 1873, Longcor's former neighbor, Dr. William Henry York, went looking for them and questioned homesteaders along the trail. This historical marker was erected by Kansas State Historical Society and Kansas Department of Transportation. However, by the time the men arrived at the Benders cabin very early the next morning, they found them gone. 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. Subreddit for the FX original TV series, Fargo. East/West is a cunningly timed bottle episode. 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. Secretly, the four made a living through murder and robbery., Located on a main road, the Benders sold meals and supplies to travelers. Rock Chalk! allah y hafdek traduction; markel annual meeting 2022; community action partnership appointment line; July 3, 2022 mellon mounds kansas murdersdcs vsn modsdcs vsn mods The Mellon family is a wealthy and influential American family from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His son chose a narrow piece of land just north of his fathers; however, he never lived on his claim nor made any improvements. 23) February 1872: Two unidentified men found on the prairie in February 1872 with crushed skulls and throats cut. [1][2][3], John Bender, Sr. was around 60 years old and spoke little English. 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. [5], 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. When the vigilantegroup approached, the Benders fired on them, at which time, the judge lost part of his ear to a flying bullet. Johnny Boyles body was found in the well. With the full realization that there was a major problem in their township, the group decided to search every farmstead between Big Hill Creek and Drum Creek. Legend has it that the family of four gruesomely murdered at least 11 patrons, scattering the bodies throughout their property and county. Attempts to capture the bloodthirsty family were immediately made by both law officers and vigilantes alike. "[8] A Roman Catholic prayer book was found in the house with notes inside written in German, which were later translated. Mrs. Almira Griffith) and Mrs. Sarah Eliza Davis had been arrested in Niles, Michigan (often misreported as Detroit) several weeks earlier for larceny. Like others, he was hit over the head as he sat at the table. Their murders were carried out by use of a canvas curtain that divided the house into two rooms. As the boy listened, the men continued to talk, relating the tale of how the judge had lost his ear. Speaking English fluently with a German accent, he was said to have been social, but he was prone to laughing aimlessly, which led many people to think of him as a half-wit. The Benders family, of German descent, was one of the families who moved to the outskirts of Kansas. In 1884, it was reported that John Flickinger had committed suicide in Lake Michigan. Tole reported the fact to the township trustee, but due to inclement weather, several days lapsed before the abandonment could be investigated. 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. There is a LOT to unpack in the latest episode of Fargo, some of which will likely be easier when we see what happens next. 215 East 4th Street read the excerpt from part 1 of the odyssey 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. 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]. ", In May 1871, the body of a man named Jones, whose skull had been crushed and throat cut, was discovered in Drum Creek. Some say that they escaped, others that they were executed by a vengeful posse. 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. 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. [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. Though the tales of what happened to the Benders can only be speculated as to their accuracy, the fact that ten bodies were found on the property is not disputed. It is conjectured[by whom?] The breastbone had been driven in. Also a great song by Macabre about the Benders: https://youtu.be/NJpbxpbI8FA. Donald's family owns successful McDonald's franchises in their home town of Phoenix, Arizona. She was 20 at the time of her death. The Bender artifacts were eventually given to the Cherryvale Museum, where they remain in a wall-mounted display case. 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. Graves of the many who the Benders killed. Buried in the apple orchard. He pointed out that both families' modus operandi, family unit numbers and other evidence proved that they are one and the same. 5) December 1872: W.F. He takes Satchel to a quirky (to say the least) boardinghouse, owned by feuding, deaf, elderly sisters. Also one of the victims was the neighbor of the person who wrote Little House on the Prarie. Though the pair were jailed, the case was dropped for lack of evidence. [7], 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. Thanks for putting this up I knew the story sounded familiar..the was on an episode of Lore. 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. 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. did phineas and ferb die in a car accident. ?," "big slaughter day, Jan eighth", and "hell departed. Kate soon gained notoriety as a self proclaimed healer and . Kate then became abusive toward them, and shortly afterward the Bender men emerged from behind the cloth. 18701873", Sheriff Saves the Neck of a Man Who Murdered His Own Daughter, "Dr William H. York (1840-1873) - Find a Grave", "The Bloody Benders: 140-year-old crime scene still fascinates today", "Selective Omissions, or, What Laura Ingalls Wilder left out of LITTLE HOUSE", "Little House on the Prairie, serial killers, and the nature of memoir", "They Bite: Anthony Boucher's Weirder Western", "Hitchcock's Birds, Hope Diamond, Phineas Gage", "One Red Dead Redemption 2 Side Quest Is Based On An Actual Serial Killer", 1873 map of Bender claim in Osage township of Labette County, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bloody_Benders&oldid=1142480623, "The old man was a repulsive, hideous brute, without a redeeming trait, dirty, profane and ill-tempered. styled components as prop typescript; indie bands from austin, texas; dr pepper marketing strategy; barking and dagenham hmo register; famous belgian chocolate brands 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. But if your not from Kansas it's a fairly obscure story. RELATED: Keep up with our Fargo Season Four recaps here! So weird, this last weekend I was just reading about the Benders due to a similar encounter in Red Dead Redemption 2. Their room is assigned based on Rabbis political and New Testament leanings, which place them in the west wing. When neighboring communities started to make slanderous insinuations, the Osage Township called a meeting held at the Harmony Grove schoolhouse in March to see what, if anything, could be done. [18], According to a news report from contemporary media, an unnamed man from Kansas City, who had investigated the Bender Family's house and the rumors of their deaths numerous times, claimed that The Kelly Family were in fact the Benders. And then, in so many words, Scalia said that nothing in the Eighth Amendment requires that jurors considering "mitigating evidence" that could . In the end, it was Kate who was primarily blamed for the numerous bloody murders that, even at her young age, was the inspiration for the crimes. McCrotty, and John Geary, as well as an unidentified male and female. They then began to follow a wagon trail left by the Benders that took them down as far south as Tulsa, Oklahoma, before circling back into Kansas. mellon mounds kansas murdersduskull evolution arceus. The man further elaborated that all the stories of the latter's capture were made up, supposedly by a group of Confederates, who have also helped the Benders dispose of the murdered victims' horses and wagons. She maintained carnal relations with her brother, and boldly proclaimed her right to do so in the following words found in her lecture manuscript: "Shall we confine ourselves to a single love, and deny our natures their proper sway?Even though it be a brother's passion for his own sister, I say it should not be smothered. It takes an English sentence and breaks it into words to determine if it is a phrase or a clause. By 1873, reports of missing people who had passed through the area had become so common that travelers began to avoid the trail. 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. Rabbi retreats to take cover behind his vehicle, and Calamita catches him with a bullet in the arm before hes in the clear, making it difficult to return fire. By the way, said clerk is a Colored. 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. The discussion began regarding the ten people who were reported missing, including a well-known Independence physician named Dr. William H. York. The house sits alone in a barren landscape composed of post-harvest fields coated halfheartedly with snow. Keeping mostly to themselves, the Benders appeared to simply be struggling homesteaders who worked hard to earn their living like the other area pioneers. Instead, we downshift hard into the side story ofSatchel (Rodney L Jones III) andRabbi (Ben Whishaw) on the lam, withConstant Calamita (Gaetano Bruno) on their tail. Mrs. Monroe resisted, declaring that she would not be taken alive, but was subdued by local deputies. I used to have their Dahmer album way back. After a cabin, a barn with a corral, and a well were built, in the fall of 1871, Elvira Bender and daughter Kate arrived, and the cabin was divided into two rooms by a canvas wagon-cover. 1315) December 1872: Various body parts. In Rabbis absence, Satchel discovers a Jack Russel terrier hiding in the wardrobe in his room. 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. Though most were led to believe John and Kate were sister and brother, others said that they sometimes passed as man and wife. The Vicious Harpes First AmericanSerial Killers, The Bloody Benders The Benders are believed to have killed about a dozen people, including one child. Yep that's the one from a book I have. So yeah, kind of obscure. 20) May 1873: Dr William York. Calamita notices him and shoots twice out the window. 1) May 1871: Mr. Jones. Once in the cellar, the body would be stripped and later buried somewhere on the property, often in the orchard. [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. "[20][21] Some have cast doubt on the story, saying that Laura would have been only 4 when her family moved away from the area, and that the Benders were exposed in 1873, two years after the Ingalls family left. 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. Mrs. McCann's story came from dreams about her father's murder, which she discussed with Sarah Eliza. They were released after being found not guilty, but were then immediately re-arrested for the Bender murders. She also conducted sances and gave lectures on spiritualism, for which she gained notoriety for advocating free love. This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 16:54. Though he allegedly committed suicide in 1884 in Lake Michigan, others believed that Ma and Kate murdered him because he had fled Cherryvale with all the cash and valuables they had taken from their victims. The desk clerk who shows them to their room warns them that the sisters dont care for colored people, a refrain echoed repeatedly through this episode. And everything is in color! The Version table provides details related to the release that this issue/RFE will be addressed. In addition to the museum, southeast Kansas may be the only place where a state historical marker celebrates mass murder. 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. The digging continued the next day; nine other bodies and numerous dismembered body parts were found, including a woman and a little girl. 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. John Jr. was found to have been a man named John Gebhardt. Props to Noah Hawley for referencing a lot of forgotten crimes, from Jane Toppan, the Kansas City Massacre, and now the Bloody Benders. The 162-acre tract of cropland known as the "Bender Farm" will be sold off to. 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. Her face was a fit picture of the midnight hag that wove the spell murderous ambition about the soul of Macbeth. Menu The affidavits and other papers are missing from the file in LaBette County, so further examination is impossible. 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. Another group claimed they had caught the Benders while escaping to the south and lynched them before throwing their bodies into the Verdigris River. According to a breathless Daily Mail report, nursery-school teacher Inessa Tarverdiyeva and her husband, dentist Roman Podkopayev, were behind "a six-year reign of terror including at least 30. The body of a young girl was found with no injuries sufficient to cause death. Yet another group claimed to have killed the Benders during a gunfight and buried their bodies on the prairie. The Lawrence Kansas Subreddit. Yes it was. When attempts were made to relocate the museum it became a point of controversy, some locals objecting to the town being known for the Bender murders. [5][18] 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.' 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. (AP) - A man already in prison . Their murders were carried out by use of a canvas curtain that divided the house into two rooms. The Bloody Benders - Serial Killers of Kansas Bender Mounds, Kansas by Kathy Alexander. In the first season, Deputy Molly Solverson (Allison Tolman), daughter of former state trooper, now diner owner, Lou Solverson (Carradine), must overcome the good-natured goofery of her department as she tracks the unparalleled malevolence of Loren Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton), who in serpent-like fashion enters the ear of persecuted loser Lester . Their story is unresolved, and remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of the old West. From Howard County, Kansas. When the party arrived at the inn they found the cabin empty of food, clothing, and personal possessions. Finally, unsolved murders in Shawnee County, Kansas, can be found among these lists. Relocating to Independence from, 7) December 1872: Johnny Boyle. Cherryvale, Kansas Museum by Kathy Alexander. . Gabe Gibson, Effingham, Illinois, as told to him by his grandfather, Emerson Smalley, January 2011. Colonel York, leading a company of some 50 men, questioned every traveler along the trail and visited all the area homesteads. In tonight's episode, there's a plaque at the Barton Arms, the hotel Rabbi and Satchel stay at. Afterward, she reportedly remarried several times, killing those husbands and three of her older children so they could not testify against her. It isnt a kill shot, though, and Calamita whips around to put Omie down. Daughter Kate was the friendliest of the bunch, speaking good English with just a slight accent and bore cultivated social skills. They were never caugnt. 11) December 1872: Red Smith. All four had crushed skulls and throats cut. As Active Shooter incidents have increased, employers are tasked with training employees on how to escape, hide, or fight. Several groups of vigilantes were formed to search for the Benders. The "Bloody Benders" were a German family of four that settled a claim in southeastern Kansas in Labette County. 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. As more and more travelers disappeared, suspicion began to center on the Benders. One arm was broken. Many innocent men under suspicion were also run out of the county by these committees.[5]. Kate soon gained notoriety as a self proclaimed healer and spiritualist. Hey babe, nice melon mounds. The media speculated that some of the victims had attempted to fight back after being hit with the hammer. A crude sign was hung above the front door that advertised Groceries to the many travelers along the Osage Trail. All Rights Reserved. John and his raw-boned wife spoke with such guttural accents that few people could understand them. "[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. Of the family, Pa Bender was found to have been a man named John Flickinger, from either Germany or Holland. Kate's popularity became a large attraction for the Benders' inn. [11] Whether John Flickinger was really John Bender is unknown. Located on a main road, the Benders sold meals and supplies to travelers. It first seems like Rabbi might escape, but ultimately he raises his hands in surrender and flies up into the clouds. The notorious "Bloody Benders" were a German immigrant family who owned both a general store and small inn in the early 1870s in Labette County. Immigrating from Germany, John Bender, Sr. was 60 years old when he arrived in the area; his wife was about 55. The petite auburn-haired beauty desired notoriety and often advocated free love and justification for murder in her lectures. Several weeks after the discovery of the bodies, Addison Roach and his son-in-law, William Buxton, were arrested as accessories. [1][2] A knife with a four-inch tapered blade was reportedly found hidden in a mantel clock in the Bender house by Colonel York. 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. Bender Mounds, Kansas by Kathy Alexander. 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. While there is no definitive number, estimates report that the Benders killed at least a dozen travelers before their crimes were discovered. Touch for map. 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. 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. [3] Also in 1884, an elderly man matching John Bender Sr.'s description was arrested in Montana for a murder committed near Salmon, Idaho, where the victim had been killed by a hammer blow to the head. This is blatantly a reference to the Bender Family, a family of serial killers from late 1800s Kansas. His habit of laughing aimlessly led to him being described as a half-wit, though many afterward believed this was simply a ruse to disguise his clever nature. In the winter of 1872, Mr. Loncher and his daughter had left Independence for Iowa but were never heard from again. Records of the incarceration back up this affidavit. 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.
