[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. Kansas Muskmelon, 2 g. $2.75 Out of Stock Item #52106 (Orange flesh) 90 days. (In case you wondered after reading that, like I did, what year The Mulligan Concern arrived in Kansas City, it was 1920. 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. Outside the door is a plaque that reads: KANSAS Four other bodies with crushed skulls and slit throats were also found outside the property in Drum Creek and on the surrounding prairie. Upon further investigation, Captain James B. So provocative was the Bender family tale that the Bender Museum was created in Cherryvale in 1961. A terrible smell inside the abandoned inn also met them. The parts did not belong to any of the other victims found and are believed to belong to at least three additional victims. The fate of the family remains unknown, with theories ranging from a lynching of the family to a successful escape. A decade after the gruesome killings, nothing was left of the cabin and outbuildings on the property. [1], One detective later claimed that he had traced the pair to the border, where he had found that JohnJr. had died of apoplexy. 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.". Though the pair were jailed, the case was dropped for lack of evidence. One vigilante group claimed to have shot down the men and Ma Bender and burned Kate alive as the witch they believed her to be. It was confirmed that the family had bought tickets on the Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston Railroad for Humboldt. HISTORICAL MARKER [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. 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. The Bender cabin was ripped apart by gruesome souvenir hunters right down to the bloody bricks that lined the cellar. 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. The family includes Andrew Mellon, one of the longest-serving U.S. Treasury Secretaries, along with prominent members in the judicial, banking, financial, business, and political professions, as well as a famous recluse, Cordelia Scaife May . Graves of the many who the Benders killed. Finally, the men physically moved the entire cabin to the side and began to search beneath, but no bodies were found there either. ", "Old Mrs. Bender was a dirty old Dutch crone. She also conducted sances and gave lectures on spiritualism, for which she gained notoriety for advocating free love. mellon mounds kansas murdersduskull evolution arceus. Senator Samuel C. Pomeroy's bribery of state legislators in his bid for re-election. From there, they traveled to an outlaw colony thought to be in the border region between Texas and New Mexico. Hes connected to a medical machine and has a hovering attendant with goggles on, ministering to him with a hypodermic needle. Of the family, Pa Bender was found to have been a man named John Flickinger, from either Germany or Holland. In total, 12 men "of bad repute in general" would be arrested, including Brockman. 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. [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. Kate soon gained notoriety as a self proclaimed healer and spiritualist. When a traveler was seated at the table, his head was outlined against the curtain. The 162-acre tract of cropland known as the "Bender Farm" will be sold off to. 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. literally thought of red dead redemption 2 when i saw this episode, and saw that scene. Hell the first album from the Smiths included a song about the Moors Murderers. The old Bender property was haunted, and the rumors of the locals began to fly. By the way, said clerk is a Colored. It was a story about the infamous Benders and about one man who got away. Because some of the travelers were carrying nothing of value, it was widely speculated that the Benders killed simply for the bloody thrill of it. 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. They admitted Dr. York had stayed with them and suggested the possibility that he had run into trouble with Indians. 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. 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. It says this home used to be run by the infamous Mellon Family, who lured travelers in before killing them with a hammer. A number of researchers question the ready acceptance of the affidavit's authenticity and suggest that the county was unwilling to accept the expense of boarding the two women for an extended period. Some say that they escaped, others that they were executed by a vengeful posse. 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. Good info. The group is believed to be one of the first serial killer families in America. 620-336-3576. 215 East 4th Street Their story is unresolved, and remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of the old West. In the spring of 1873, Dr. York took it upon himself to look for the Lonchers, stopping at the homesteads along the trail to ask questions. Fargo is a critically acclaimed series created by Noah Hawley, who is also the creator of FX's Legion. 1) May 1871: Mr. Jones. 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. Legends of America founder Kathy Weiser-Alexander hams it up for Discovery Channel producers for the show Evil Kin, episode 2, season 2, The Bloody Benders, original air date August 12. 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. [11] Whether John Flickinger was really John Bender is unknown. flower arranging classes northern virginia. Along with her desire for fame, she also craved wealth and position. While popular retelling of the story holds that John Jr. and Kate were siblings, contemporary newspapers reported . 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. However, there were no bodies in the hole. From these depths allegedly came the souls of those murdered on the site, wandering about the property and making moaning sounds that passersby could hear. In 1923 it was donated to the Kansas Museum of History by York's wife but is not on display; still bearing reddish-brown stains on the blade, it can be seen upon request. Calcium, iron, manganese, zinc, magnesium, selenium, and copper are especially concentrated in sunflower seeds. John was prone to laughing aimlessly, which led many to consider him a "half-wit." When the party arrived at the inn they found the cabin empty of food, clothing, and personal possessions. [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]. 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. 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 -. [5], Detectives following wagon tracks discovered the Benders' wagon, abandoned with a starving team of horses with one of the mares lame, just outside the city limits of Thayer, 12mi (19km) north of the inn. She was 20 at the time of her death. As the boy listened, the men continued to talk, relating the tale of how the judge had lost his ear. Other bodies found in the garden were those of Henry McKenzies mutilated remains, three men by the names of Ben Brown, W.F. Along with an old episode of Death Valley Days. All four had crushed skulls and throats cut. 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. Prairie Ghosts, Byways & Historic Trails Great Drives in America, Soldiers and Officers in American History, Washington-on-the-Brazos, Texas Declaring Independence, Stanley, Ks Extinct but Still Here (LOK), Black Bob Reservation in Johnson County (LOK). John BenderJr. was around 25 years old and handsome, with auburn hair and a mustache, and spoke English fluently with a German accent. The body of a young girl was found with no injuries sufficient to cause death. The family quickly ran away in the middle of the night never to be seen. On May 17, Kansas Governor Thomas A. Osborn offered a $2,000 ($45,239 as of 2023) reward for the apprehension of all four. This tugs his heartstrings, inspiring him to leave the boardinghouse in search of some kind of birthday treat for his ward. Discover something new every day from News, Sports, Finance, Entertainment and more! Home TV & Streaming Recaps & Reviews FARGO Recap: (S04E09) East/West, Posted by Leona Laurie | Nov 16, 2020 | Recaps & Reviews, TV & Streaming | 0. Yep that's the one from a book I have. Sunflower seeds are incredibly rich sources of many essential minerals. One of those places was the Bender Inn. Premium Powerups . Prying it open, the men found a six-foot-deep hole filled with clotted blood, causing a terrible odor. Much folklore and legend surrounds the Benders, making it difficult to separate fact from fiction. Her face was a fit picture of the midnight hag that wove the spell murderous ambition about the soul of Macbeth. Colonel York, leading a company of some 50 men, questioned every traveler along the trail and visited all the area homesteads. (AP) - A man already in prison . [1][3] On April 3, Colonel York returned to the inn with armed men after being informed that a woman had fled from the inn after Elvira Bender had threatened her with knives. 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. If you live in that town in Kansas today, oh yeah you know about it. I'd need to check but my gut feeling is that its real. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2022 with funding from Kahle/Austin Foundation https://archive.org/details/washingtonhistor0014unse The CAashington Historical . Legend has it that the family of four gruesomely murdered at least 11 patrons, scattering the bodies throughout their property and county. The affidavits and other papers are missing from the file in LaBette County, so further examination is impossible. 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. 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. Inicio; mellon mounds kansas murders; Sin categorizar; mellon mounds kansas murders 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. They disappeared in the spring of 1873, shortly before inquisitive neighbors discovered the victims' bodies. Johnny Boyles body was found in the well. The texts read "Johannah Bender. Mrs. McCann's story came from dreams about her father's murder, which she discussed with Sarah Eliza. When his father (my great grandfather), Frank Smalley, was a boy, he was hiding in the hayloft of the family barn when he overheard a group of men below talking and laughing. Many innocent men under suspicion were also run out of the county by these committees.[5]. It also brings to mind Lester Nygards murder weapon in season one. rpp program apartments newport news. A Catholic priest said he fled when he saw one of the Bender men concealing a large hammer. Yep the Abberdeens are very clearly based on the Benders, specifically Kate and John Jr. The wall wherein he hid his cash is gone, and he knows with certainty that the brothers found it. Across the hall from them, on the east side of the building, is an Old Testament preacher and his mother (whom the resident gabby salesman- west- mistakes for the preachers wife). As Active Shooter incidents have increased, employers are tasked with training employees on how to escape, hide, or fight. Markers of the Kansas state historical markers program administered by the Kansas Historical Society and Kansas Department of Transportation. Elvira allegedly could not understand English, while the younger Benders denied the claim. Hey babe, nice melon mounds. So yeah, kind of obscure. "The Bender Family Some New Light on Their Mysterious Disappearance". Both knew of his travel plans, and when he failed to return home, an all-out search began for the missing doctor. sdsu basketball recruiting 2021vice president internal student council. This unnamed man was one of the many who made the mistake of stopping at the Bender Inn. Colonel York agreed that this was possible and remained for dinner. Attempts to capture the bloodthirsty family were immediately made by both law officers and vigilantes alike. $10 (2023: $226), a, 8-9) December 1872: George Newton Longcor and his 18-month-old daughter, Mary Ann. A pity, it has quite a few quirks. 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. Cherryvale, Kansas Museum by Kathy Alexander. This historical marker was erected by Kansas State Historical Society and Kansas Department of Transportation. One of these families was the Benders, comprised of John Bender, Sr.; his wife, Almira; son, John, Jr.; and daughter, Kate. At her hearing, Mrs. Monroe denied any knowledge of Shearer or the manslaughter charge and remained incarcerated with her daughter. She learns something new about herself every time she watches an episode of Wonder Woman. 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. Only a few days later, the homestead was found abandoned, and the search party began to discover the grisly remains of the bodies. [7], A Kansas newspaper reported that the crowd was so incensed after finding the bodies that a friend of the Benders named Brockman, who was among the onlookers, was hanged from a beam in the inn until unconscious, revived, interrogated, then hanged again. Bit by bit, the story of the Benders was pieced together. The for the guy who discovered Pluto? They were never caugnt. Resolved: Release in which this issue/RFE has been resolved. Fact or fiction, no one knows, but Ive always enjoyed the tale and hope you will as well. Donald, his wife Karen and their three kids live a nice, comfortable life. 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. Phone: 620-624-3885 Fax: 620-626-7629 Manager: Nora Rubio Email: Email Mead Lumber of Liberal Hours: Cemetery. Near here are the Bender Mounds, named for the infamous Bender family--John, his wife, son, and daughter Kate--who settled here in 1871. the mellon mounds kansas murders Blakeslee, 75, became intrigued by Etzanoa after scholars at UC Berkeley retranslated in 2013 the often muddled Spanish accounts of their forays into what is now Kansas . January 23, 2021. Buried in the apple orchard. Kate was the fifth child of Ma Bender and was born Eliza Griffith. And then, in so many words, Scalia said that nothing in the Eighth Amendment requires that jurors considering "mitigating evidence" that could . Secretly, the four made a living through murder and robbery. mellon mounds kansas murders. 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. It declares, THE FUTURE IS NOW.. Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated November 2022. It isnt a kill shot, though, and Calamita whips around to put Omie down. Another group claimed they had caught the Benders while escaping to the south and lynched them before throwing their bodies into the Verdigris River. The story of the Benders' escape spread, and the search continued on and off for the next 50 years. She and her brother John often attended Sunday School nearby Harmony Grove and were readily accepted in the community. 20) May 1873: Dr William York. ", In May 1871, the body of a man named Jones, whose skull had been crushed and throat cut, was discovered in Drum Creek. Props to Noah Hawley for referencing a lot of forgotten crimes, from Jane Toppan, the Kansas City Massacre, and now the Bloody Benders. Franks father, Jesse P. Smalley, and several men were joking with a local judge, teasing him about his missing ear. From the first grayscale frame, its clear that were arent in Kansas City anymore. Mrs. Monroe now admitted she had married a Mr. Shearer in 1872 and claimed she had previously denied it, as she did not want the court to know that her name was Shearer at that time and that she had a conviction for manslaughter. 6) December 1872: Henry McKenzie. When he pulls into the drive, he spots Calamitas empty car at the pump immediately. Although stories abound, the ultimate fate of the murderous Mellon family was never discovered. Photo courtesy of the BCA. However, as more time passed, the disappearances became more frequent, and by the spring of 1873, the region had become strife with rumors, and travelers began to avoid the trail. The front section also contained the kitchen and dining table, where travelers could stop for a meal or even spend the night. "[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. 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. Each season of Fargo stands alone - you can watch them all out of order and still be able to understand what's going on. [1][2][3] 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. At the site of a freshly stirred depression in the earth, they found the first body, buried head downward with its feet scarcely covered. Satchel asks to keep Rabbit, and Rabbi refuses until he learns that its the boys birthday. 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. Mrs. Almira Griffith) and Mrs. Sarah Eliza Davis had been arrested in Niles, Michigan (often misreported as Detroit) several weeks earlier for larceny. What a uniquely weird unsolved mystery. On deer antler shedding, pocket gopher mounds, eagle breeding and murders of crows (that's the name of a flock of crows) Some say they escaped, others that the were executed by a vengeful posse. Originally scheduled for February 1890, the trial was held over to May. The legend was debunked on June 8, 1966, when an EF-5 twister churned its way across the city, cutting a diagonal swath of destruction from S.W. The house sits alone in a barren landscape composed of post-harvest fields coated halfheartedly with snow. He then cautiously looks through a window, where he sees Calamita standing over a wounded Omie, gun drawn. Another group claimed they had caught the Benders and lynched them before throwing their bodies into the Verdigris River. There is a lot of weird details, like the two children, Kate and John Jr Bender possibly being husband and wife, or the parents Elvira and John Sir being two nobodies who merely said they were family. A roadside sign now marks their murderous exploits. At this point the customers felt uneasy and decided to leave, a move that almost certainly saved their lives. About 75 people attended the gathering, including both Bender men. [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. In tonight's episode, there's a plaque at the Barton Arms, the hotel Rabbi and Satchel stay at. 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 Benders remained silent when most of the attendees volunteered to have their premises searched. [7], A bad odor was noticed and traced to a trap door underneath a bed, nailed shut. Kate soon gained notoriety as a self-proclaimed healer and spiritualist. 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. The "Bloody Benders" were a German family of four that settled a claim in southeastern Kansas in Labette County. why i quit civil engineering; goo goo gaga family net worth; how to make homemade biscuits without baking powder; noah hester restaurant; 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. was harry hibbs married; waterloo central railway wedding. 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. 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. Though no one ever collected the rewards offered, rumors of several parties who had captured and killed the Benders began to fly. A message requesting positive identification was sent to Cherryvale, but the suspect severed his foot to escape his leg irons and bled to death. The next 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.