A piece of land where Kansas' first known serial killers murdered at least 11 people in the 1870s is up for auction. Though most of us know of Dodge Citys wicked ways, the deadly gunfight of the Daltons in Coffeyville, and the many outlaws and gunfighters who spent time in the Sunflower State, few are aware of a family of mass murderers, living a supposed quiet life near the small town of Cherryvale. 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. A mysterious murder site has a new owner. He's - Kansas Reflector Fargo: The True Story - Image Journal Anyway just had to mention this, bizarre crimes and female killers are my specialty and outside appearing in Red Dead 2, the Bloody Benders don't get a lot of attention. mellon mounds kansas murders - lavamusic.is 11) December 1872: Red Smith. Does that mean that Satchel has just landed in Oz now? 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. At a fork of the Fall and Verdigris Rivers, they found the Benders with their wagon backed up against a fallen tree with canvas over it for shelter. 215 East 4th Street 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. The group is believed to be one of the first serial killer families in America. 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. Bender Property Digging, sketch in Harpers Weekly, June 7, 1873. [2] The elder Benders did not leave the train at Humboldt, but instead continued north to Kansas City, where it is believed they purchased tickets for St. Louis, Missouri.[1]. Senator Samuel C. Pomeroy's bribery of state legislators in his bid for re-election. Catch up here! Mrs. McCann's story came from dreams about her father's murder, which she discussed with Sarah Eliza. 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. Marker is in this post office area: Cherryvale KS 67335, United States of America. The family consisted of John Bender, his wife Elvira and their son John Jr. and daughter Kate. 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. Elvira allegedly could not understand English, while the younger Benders denied the claim. It isnt a kill shot, though, and Calamita whips around to put Omie down. This is blatantly a reference to the Bender Family, a family of serial killers from late 1800s Kansas. 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. She advocated "free love," and denounced all social regulations for the promotion of purity and the prevention of carnality, which she called "miserable requirements of self-constituted society." The corpse was that of Dr. William H. York, his skull bludgeoned and his throat cut from ear to ear. 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. I remember that song. Prying it open, the men found a six-foot-deep hole filled with clotted blood, causing a terrible odor. As they break for a Coke, Calamita arrives. The family consisted of John Bender, his wife Elvira and their son John Jr. and daughter Kate. 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. His son chose a narrow piece of land just north of his fathers; however, he never lived on his claim nor made any improvements. 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. The texts read "Johannah Bender. 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. Kate's popularity became a large attraction for the Benders' inn. State Senator Alexander York offered a $1,000 ($22,619 as of 2023) reward for the family's arrest. It was a story about the infamous Benders and about one man who got away. barry mcguigan, daughter funeral; mellon mounds kansas murders [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 KANSAS MURDER TRILOGY by Melvin Litton offers three stand-alone novels that spring from the heartland and mark three pivotal moments in our nation's life: the fall of Saigon and the loss of faith in the post-war construct, 1975; the brink of the Space Age and Civil Rights era, 1960; and the Great Depression, 1934. the mellon family kansas. ", "Young Bender, seen when excited, recalled the grave-robbing hyena at once to mind. 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. All of the bizarre characters in the house sit around the table, except the hospital man and his companion, and the table (like the whole house) is split into two meals, two styles of dcor and two serving staffs in accordance with the sisters feud. Buried in the apple orchard. This is blatantly a reference to the Bender Family, a family of serial killers from late 1800s Kansas. If this really is Oz, then Satchel is Dorothy and Rabbit is Toto. The family quickly ran away in the middle of the night never to be seen. 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 John was prone to laughing aimlessly, which led many to consider him a "half-wit." "The Bender Family Some New Light on Their Mysterious Disappearance". Records of the incarceration back up this affidavit. 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. 37 20.932 N, 95 31.668 W. Marker is in Morehead, Kansas, in Montgomery County. The front section also contained the kitchen and dining table, where travelers could stop for a meal or even spend the night. Hey babe, nice melon mounds. 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.. "[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. So weird, this last weekend I was just reading about the Benders due to a similar encounter in Red Dead Redemption 2. 2014. What a uniquely weird unsolved mystery. They were never caugnt. On May 17, Kansas Governor Thomas A. Osborn offered a $2,000 ($45,239 as of 2023) reward for the apprehension of all four. 2023 Geek Girl Authority. Uncovered: Unsolved Kansas Murders At the site of a freshly stirred depression in the earth, they found the first body, buried head downward with its feet scarcely covered. 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. York reached Fort Scott, and on March 9 began the return journey to Independence, but never arrived. It was reported at the time that Kate was into free love, telling fortunes, and being a little too close to her brother. Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History, Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., December 18, 2011, The Bloody Benders. melon mounds liberal kansas 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. Originally scheduled for February 1890, the trial was held over to May. Menu $2,000 (2023: $45,239) missing. Somehow, he escaped, appearing naked in the middle of the night at Jesse Smalleys doorstep. . 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. A decade after the gruesome killings, nothing was left of the cabin and outbuildings on the property. Though most were led to believe John and Kate were sister and brother, others said that they sometimes passed as man and wife. It is conjectured[by whom?] The little store carried a few supplies such as powder, shot, groceries, liquor, and tobacco, sold meals, and provided a safe overnight resting place to the strangers along the road. Fargo is a critically acclaimed series created by Noah Hawley, who is also the creator of FX's Legion. [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. Each season of Fargo stands alone - you can watch them all out of order and still be able to understand what's going on. These include the 2012 murder of Quan Donnell, the 1996 murder of Michelle Hutchinson, the 2013 murder of Juan Solis, and the 2016 murder of Robert Williams, among countless others. 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. In her lectures she publicly declared that murder might be a dictation for good; that in what the world might deem villainy, her soul might read bravery, nobility, and humanity. The digging continued the next day; nine other bodies and numerous dismembered body parts were found, including a woman and a little girl. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Benders. The two arrive at The Mellon Mounds- a historical marker in Kansas. Cherryvale, Kansas Ransom, the trains conductor, said that John, Jr., and Kate disembarked at Chanute and took the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad train south to the Red River country near Dennison, Texas, which was then the terminus of the railroad. Rabbi would not have been one of the Mellons.). I wouldn't have imagined a crazier hotel story other than H H Holmes and The Murder Castle. Elvira was rumored to have murdered several husbands, but none of these rumors was ever proven. We are, in fact, in Kansas. ", In May 1871, the body of a man named Jones, whose skull had been crushed and throat cut, was discovered in Drum Creek. Kansas murderers list | Murderpedia sdsu basketball recruiting 2021vice president internal student council. The family soon built a small one-room framed cabin, a barn, and a corral and dug a well. 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. Yes it was. When friends and family began to look for them, they could trace them as far as the Big Hill Country of southeast Kansas before finding no trace of the lost traveler. Yet another claimed to have killed the Benders during a gunfight and buried their bodies on the prairie. A Look at Fargo- Season 4, Episode 9: "East/West" - What Else is on 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. So yeah, kind of obscure. They killed as many as 26 people, I believe there is a museum that stills has a bloody knife they used. Their downfall was the murder of a father and daughter named Loncher, and Dr. William York, who had come looking for the missing pair. [5][18] A self-proclaimed healer and psychic, she distributed flyers advertising her supernatural powers and her ability to cure illnesses. melon mounds liberal kansas python list memory allocation Continuing, they began to dig around the cabin, especially in an area the Benders had utilized as a vegetable garden and orchard. She was 20 at the time of her death. 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. mellon mounds kansas murders. [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. In the 19th century, Kansas was a bloody place, especially before the Civil War, as " Free-Soilers " and slavery advocates "duked" it out for control of the new territory. Kate then became abusive toward them, and shortly afterward the Bender men emerged from behind the cloth. Calcium, iron, manganese, zinc, magnesium, selenium, and copper are especially concentrated in sunflower seeds. did phineas and ferb die in a car accident. Everywhere Satchel and Rabbi appear together, someone calls out the color of Satchels skin and questions their connection. He steps out of his car, gun drawn, and discovers the filling station attendants body in a doorway. The Benders tried to help by admitting that Dr. York had stopped at their place but convinced the search party that he had left and was probably waylaid by Indians. Rock Chalk! Leona Laurie is a Senior Contributor for Geek Girl Authority and co-host of the Marvel-Us podcast. , Near here are the Bender Mounds, named for the infamous Bender family ~~ John, his wife, son, and daughter Kate ~~ who settled here in 1871. She mentioned stopping at the inn, as well as recounting the rumors of the murders spreading through their community. The museum remained a popular tourist destination until it closed in 1978 when a fire station was built. 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. I believe I read this year that the land where the house once stood got sold to someone. Next to their room is a hospital man, an obese white man with bandages all over him and some kind of skin condition that makes him look monstrous to the passing child. [1][2] 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. Also a great song by Macabre about the Benders: https://youtu.be/NJpbxpbI8FA. The Benders were widely believed to be German immigrants. Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated November 2022. FARGO Recap: (S04E09) East/West - Geek Girl Authority RELATED: Keep up with our Fargo Season Four recaps here! Elvira and Kate Bender also planted a 2-acre (0.81ha) vegetable garden and apple orchard north of the cabin. She learns something new about herself every time she watches an episode of Wonder Woman. Burnett's mound myth - Topeka Tornado No documentation or definitive proof of their relationships to one another, or where they were born, has ever been found. The Benders are believed to have killed about a dozen people, including one child., Although stories abound, the ultimate fate of the murderous Bender family is uncertain. Moyra Melons (or Moyra Mounds) is a well-endowed mature model famous for saucy poses in revealing clothing and lingerie. Season 4 Episode 22 (1961) of the TV series, Season 1, episode 15 (2006) of the TV series, The "Hitchcock's Birds, Hope Diamond, Phineas Gang" episode of the Travel Channel's show, The Bender Family is mentioned in episode 94 of the podcast, The story was recounted on Investigation Discovery's, The metal pioneers Macabre have a song about the Benders, who are said to be of Norwegian ancestry -. Satchel asks to keep Rabbit, and Rabbi refuses until he learns that its the boys birthday. Secretly, the four made a living through murder and robbery. It says this home used to be run by the infamous Mellon Family, who lured travelers in before killing them with a hammer. 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. The wall wherein he hid his cash is gone, and he knows with certainty that the brothers found it. 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. read the excerpt from part 1 of the odyssey 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.". what is the best response to an active shooter event 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. John Bender, Jr. was actually a man named John Gebhardt. White Settlers Buried the Truth About the Midwest's Mysterious Mound In the end, the artifacts, including the hammers, photos, and newspaper clippings, were placed in the Cherryvale Museum and can still be seen today at 215 East 4th Street. By the time a deputy from Cherryvale arrived, identification was impossible due to decomposition. Afterward, she reportedly remarried several times, killing those husbands and three of her older children so they could not testify against her. One of the women would cut the victim's throat to ensure death, and the body was then dropped through the trap door. Whether the stuff of folklore or fact, many believe that the trapped souls of these century-old ghosts continue to lurk at the site today. Serial killer music is a genre unto itself. And Donald Mellon is your typical doting daddy, a clean-cut family man his girls admire and adore. 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. Kansas Historical Society Historical Markers - hmdb.org No one ever claimed the $3,000 reward ($67,858 as of 2023), however. For years, sightings of Ma Bender and Kate were reported, and in 1889, two women were extradited from Michigan on the charge. "[8] A Roman Catholic prayer book was found in the house with notes inside written in German, which were later translated. In addition to the museum, southeast Kansas may be the only place where a state historical marker celebrates mass murder. but many still live in fear of their bloody hammer. 10) December 1872: John Greary. [1] The family consisted of John Bender, his wife Elvira and their son JohnJr. and daughter Kate. 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. The township trustee called for volunteers, and several hundred turned out to form a search party that included Colonel York. Yeah! At her hearing, Mrs. Monroe denied any knowledge of Shearer or the manslaughter charge and remained incarcerated with her daughter. Bug ID: JDK-8141210 Very slow loading of JavaScript file - Bug Database As Calamita advances on him, Rabbi tries to grip his gun well enough to shoot. "[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. Unresolved: Release in which this issue/RFE will be addressed. 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. [2], 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. The Benders remained silent when most of the attendees volunteered to have their premises searched. The episode opens with Omie Sparkman (Corey Hendrix) pulling into a filling station on a desolate road in Kansas. The women's identities were later confirmed by two Osage township witnesses from a tintype photograph. Tole reported the news to Leroy F Dick, the Township Trustee, and a search party was soon formed, which included Dr. Yorks brother, Colonel A.M. York, of Fort Scott. 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. If not accosted by road agents, travelers also had to be concerned about Indian attacks. It would make for a fun season of the show that's for sure. The Benders used the smaller room at the rear for living quarters, while the front room was converted into a "general store" where a few dry goods were sold. Bloody Benders - The Forgotten Story of a Family of Pioneer Kansas ASSOCIATED PRESS. Props to Noah Hawley for referencing a lot of forgotten crimes, from Jane Toppan, the Kansas City Massacre, and now the Bloody Benders. Other corpses found in the area and the many mysterious disappearances of other lonely travelers led the locals to believe that the Benders killed more than 20 people. Several groups of vigilantes were formed to search for the Benders. [1][2][3], John Bender, Sr. was around 60 years old and spoke little English. styled components as prop typescript; indie bands from austin, texas; dr pepper marketing strategy; barking and dagenham hmo register; famous belgian chocolate brands THE MELLON MOUNDS. Premium Powerups . They disappeared in the spring of 1873, shortly before inquisitive neighbors discovered the victims' bodies. Will this theme continue next week? Eventually, she married and went by the name of Sara Eliza Davis. melon mounds liberal kansas Four other bodies with crushed skulls and slit throats were also found outside the property in Drum Creek and on the surrounding prairie. 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. 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 . ?," "big slaughter day, Jan eighth", and "hell departed. Today, Smalley descendants continue to live in the Neodosha and Cherryvale area. Keeping mostly to themselves, the Benders appeared to simply be struggling homesteaders who worked hard to earn their living like the other area pioneers. One of those places was the Bender Inn. The 4th United States Colored Infantry, 1863-1866, A History of the Ninth New Jersey Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War, How . However, none of these tales were confirmed, nor were bodies found, so most thought that the Benders had managed to escape. Marker is on the grounds of the rest area located northeast of the intersection of US Highways 189 and 400, about three miles south of Morehead. 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. She is fun enough. 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. 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. Fact or fiction, no one knows, but Ive always enjoyed the tale and hope you will as well. why i quit civil engineering; goo goo gaga family net worth; how to make homemade biscuits without baking powder; noah hester restaurant; Dr. York had two brothers, one living in Fort Scott and the other in Independence. The book "All the Blood We Share: A Novel of the Bloody Benders of Kansas", by Camilla Bruce, published in 2022. Dismembered parts of several other victims were also discovered but could never be identified. In The Wizard of Oz, things are in black and white in Kansas and turn color after the Cyclone drops Dorothy and Toto in Oz. The victim was then dispatched from behind with a hammer, and the body was dropped into a basement pit, later to be buried in an orchard., As more and more travelers disappeared, suspicion began to center on the Benders. 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. [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.

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