(In case you wondered after reading that, like I did, what year The Mulligan Concern arrived in Kansas City, it was 1920. 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. The right knee had been wrenched from its socket, and the leg doubled up under the body. Near here are the Bender Mounds, named for the infamous Bender family ~~ John, his wife, son, and daughter Kate ~~ who settled here in 1871. He steps out of his car, gun drawn, and discovers the filling station attendants body in a doorway. When the men arrived at the property, they found the cabin empty of food, clothing, and personal possessions. Her face was a fit picture of the midnight hag that wove the spell murderous ambition about the soul of Macbeth. Although the elder Benders kept to themselves, Kate and her brother regularly attended Sunday school in nearby Harmony Grove. "[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. 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. melon mounds liberal kansas 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. 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, Sr. chose a 160-acre section on the western slopes of the mounds that continue to bear their name today. They were never caugnt. The front section also contained the kitchen and dining table, where travelers could stop for a meal or even spend the night. 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). This went on for years until they killed someone related to a Civil War hero and a senator. [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. ", In May 1871, the body of a man named Jones, whose skull had been crushed and throat cut, was discovered in Drum Creek. 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. Cherryvale, Kansas Thanks for putting this up I knew the story sounded familiar..the was on an episode of Lore. Elvira and Kate Bender also planted a 2-acre (0.81ha) vegetable garden and apple orchard north of the cabin. Some say they escaped, others that the were executed by a vengeful posse. When the party arrived at the inn they found the cabin empty of food, clothing, and personal possessions. 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. He has a white man in his trunk, an informant who has helped him track Calamita to the Liberal, Kansas, area. Yet another claimed to have killed the Benders during a gunfight and buried their bodies on the prairie. Also one of the victims was the neighbor of the person who wrote Little House on the Prarie. allah y hafdek traduction; markel annual meeting 2022; community action partnership appointment line; July 3, 2022 mellon mounds kansas murdersdcs vsn modsdcs vsn mods 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. 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. Donald, his wife Karen and their three kids live a nice, comfortable life. Also, sleep with one eye open. 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. They disappeared in the spring of 1873, shortly before inquisitive neighbors discovered the victims' bodies. 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. Last night, I listened to a story from my grandfather, Emerson Smalley, about the Benders and their supposed end. Satchel asks to keep Rabbit, and Rabbi refuses until he learns that its the boys birthday. Though no one ever collected the rewards offered, rumors of several parties who had captured and killed the Benders began to fly. 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. Deputy Sheriff Dick, along with Mrs. McCann, escorted the pair to Oswego, Kansas, where seven members of a 13-member panel confirmed the identification and committed them for trial. Today, Smalley descendants continue to live in the Neodosha and Cherryvale area. And then, in so many words, Scalia said that nothing in the Eighth Amendment requires that jurors considering "mitigating evidence" that could . Props to Noah Hawley for referencing a lot of forgotten crimes, from Jane Toppan, the Kansas City Massacre, and now the Bloody Benders. Even with her clairvoyant abilities, Kate attempted to search for the missing doctor to throw any suspicion off herself. The Six Most Terrifying Serial Killer Families In History - Gizmodo They were never caugnt. 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. Sunflower seeds are incredibly rich sources of many essential minerals. They were released after being found not guilty, but were then immediately re-arrested for the Bender murders. Yep that's the one from a book I have. Kate was the fifth child of Ma Bender and was born Eliza Griffith. In 1870, five families of spiritualists settled in western Labette County, about seven miles northeast of where Cherryvale would be platted a year later. When he wakes alone again in the morning, Satchel takes Rabbit for a walk down the lane to where a man has finished building a cryptic billboard featuring a white man in a suit and hat smiling expectantly in front of a ranch style house. are enough to drive him back into his own room, where he bars the door with a chair and falls asleep again with gun in his hand. Buried in the apple orchard. (AP) - A man already in prison . In total, 12 men "of bad repute in general" would be arrested, including Brockman. 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. Cherryvale, Kansas Museum by Kathy Alexander. The for the guy who discovered Pluto? 'Wichita Massacre' Brothers Get Zero Sympathy From The - HuffPost Although stories abound, the ultimate fate of the murderous Mellon family was never discovered. The breastbone had been driven in. Hell the first album from the Smiths included a song about the Moors Murderers. Kate soon gained notoriety as a self proclaimed healer and . One arm was broken. When he pulls into the drive, he spots Calamitas empty car at the pump immediately. 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. Bit by bit, the story of the Benders was pieced together. Born July 30, 1848," "John Gebhardt came to America on July 1 18? mellon mounds kansas murders - indutecma.com The filling station attendant tells Omie that this is the only place for gas for miles, and that if Calamita hasnt been through yet, he definitely will. Their murders were carried out by use of a canvas curtain that divided the house into two rooms. 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. , Near here are the Bender Mounds, named for the infamous Bender family ~~ John, his wife, son, and daughter Kate ~~ who settled here in 1871. Elvira was rumored to have murdered several husbands, but none of these rumors was ever proven. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Benders. Located on a main road, the Benders sold meals and supplies to travelers. It said the plaque was erected by the Kansas City historical society. The Carr brothers were convicted of capital murder in a crime spree in Wichita in 2000 that included robbery, rape, forced sex and four fatal shootings in a snow-covered soccer field. Location. ", "Old Mrs. Bender was a dirty old Dutch crone. Press J to jump to the feed. Kate was a self-proclaimed healer and psychic, gave lectures on spiritualism, and conducted sances. At this point the customers felt uneasy and decided to leave, a move that almost certainly saved their lives. If this really is Oz, then Satchel is Dorothy and Rabbit is Toto. 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 . [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. At Chanute, JohnJr. and Kate left the train and caught the MK&T train south to the terminus in Red River County near Denison, Texas. McCrotty, and John Geary, as well as an unidentified male and female. One may have been Jack Bogart, whose horse was purchased from a friend of the Benders after he went missing in 1872. They purchased tickets on the northbound Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston Train to Humboldt. HISTORICAL MARKER It says this home used to be run by the infamous Mellon Family, who lured travelers in before killing them with a hammer. Some believe justice came to them in the end. The fate of the family remains unknown, with theories ranging from a lynching of the family to a successful escape. The search of the cabin resulted in the recovery of three hammers: a shoe hammer, a claw hammer, and a sledgehammer that appeared to match indentations in some of the skulls. I wouldn't have imagined a crazier hotel story other than H H Holmes and The Murder Castle. State Senator Alexander York offered a $1,000 ($22,619 as of 2023) reward for the family's arrest. It is in Morehead in Montgomery County Kansas. Ma Bender was born Almira Meik in the Adirondacks and married as a teenager to a man named George Griffith. Fortunately, Rabbi returns in time to shut down the likely police shooting and receives a warning from the officer about keeping his colored boy out of sight in a town like that. Markers of the Kansas state historical markers program administered by the Kansas Historical Society and Kansas Department of Transportation. 23) February 1872: Two unidentified men found on the prairie in February 1872 with crushed skulls and throats cut. Whenever he is asked a question about himself, Satchels response is that he is hungry. This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 16:54. Also a great song by Macabre about the Benders: https://youtu.be/NJpbxpbI8FA. 215 East 4th Street [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. A roadside sign now marks their murderous exploits. The next day, Rabbi goes back to the appliance store and recovers his remaining cash from the brothers at gunpoint. The body would then be buried in the garden behind the house during the night. Game got that right. From there, they traveled to an outlaw colony thought to be in the border region between Texas and New Mexico. In the winter of 1872, Mr. Loncher and his daughter had left Independence for Iowa but were never heard from again. I used to have their Dahmer album way back. Thomas Jefferson was one of the first to excavate into a Native American burial mound, citing the disappearance of the "noble" Indianscaused by violence and the corruption of the encroaching white. As they break for a Coke, Calamita arrives. This is a list of notable male murderers who committed their murders in Kansas, USA. Marker is in this post office area: Cherryvale KS 67335, United States of America. Finally, the men physically moved the entire cabin to the side and began to search beneath, but no bodies were found there either. Mrs. McCann's story came from dreams about her father's murder, which she discussed with Sarah Eliza. Guess well have to wait to find out . It was speculated that she had been strangled or buried alive. As they enter the location, named The Barton Arms, the clerk eventually gives Rabbi keys for the west side, though she lets him know that the sisters don't care much for Coloreds. According to the Pittsburgh Dispatch, the daughter of one of the Benders' victims, Mrs. Frances E. McCann, had reported the pair to authorities in early October after tracking them down. 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. Several days later, the Benders team and wagon were found a short distance away, and the horses nearly starved. Often two women traveling together were accused of being Kate Bender and her mother.[10]. [1] The family consisted of John Bender, his wife Elvira and their son JohnJr. and daughter Kate. 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 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. 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. Catch up here! [1], One detective later claimed that he had traced the pair to the border, where he had found that JohnJr. had died of apoplexy. [1][2][3], John Bender, Sr. was around 60 years old and spoke little English. Buried in the apple orchard. 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. $10 (2023: $226), a, 8-9) December 1872: George Newton Longcor and his 18-month-old daughter, Mary Ann. Bug ID: JDK-8141210 Very slow loading of JavaScript file - Bug Database When a traveler was seated at the table, his head was outlined against the curtain. John BenderJr. was around 25 years old and handsome, with auburn hair and a mustache, and spoke English fluently with a German accent. Kansas Historical Society Historical Markers - hmdb.org They were never found and later I formed my own conclusions why. 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. They set up an inn, lured people into staying, then either hit them with a hammer or cut there throats with a knife before burying them in an apple orchard. Ma Bender and Kate would then rifle the body for money, pushing him through the trap door into the hole below the cabin, where Kate would slit his throat. Historical Weather. On October 31, 1889, it was reported that a Mrs. Almira Monroe (a.k.a. [citation needed], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}372056N 952910W / 37.349N 95.486W / 37.349; -95.486, According to one of the myths that has grown around the murders, after dinner, Colonel York was sitting in the front room when he noticed a gold, List of fugitives from justice who disappeared, List of serial killers in the United States, "The Bloody Benders Serial Killers of Kansas", "The Bloody Benders, Kansas, ca. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. 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. Home surveillance camera captures domestic violence, then murder Much folklore and legend surrounds the Benders, making it difficult to separate fact from fiction. Four other bodies with crushed skulls and slit throats were also found outside the property in Drum Creek and on the surrounding prairie. Suspect charged in 2001 state park killing | MPR News Uncovered: Unsolved Kansas Murders He pointed out that both families' modus operandi, family unit numbers and other evidence proved that they are one and the same. Colonel York, leading a company of some 50 men, questioned every traveler along the trail and visited all the area homesteads. Kate soon gained notoriety as a self proclaimed healer and spiritualist. Rabbi has a tailor-made response for each situation, but the active reminder of reality for black Americans in 1950 definitely adds to the tension of the episode. Rewind one day, to Rabbi and Satchel driving past the same station. The media speculated that some of the victims had attempted to fight back after being hit with the hammer. Seventy-five locals attended the meeting, including Colonel York and both John BenderSr. and John BenderJr. 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. 37 20.932 N, 95 31.668 W. Marker is in Morehead, Kansas, in Montgomery County. Gabe Gibson, Effingham, Illinois, as told to him by his grandfather, Emerson Smalley, January 2011. A Look at Fargo- Season 4, Episode 9: "East/West" - What Else is on the mellon mounds kansas murders - tech4society.group Satchel walks down the road with his dog. It first seems like Rabbi might escape, but ultimately he raises his hands in surrender and flies up into the clouds. A crude sign was hung above the front door that advertised Groceries to the many travelers along the Osage Trail. the mellon mounds kansas murders - segiteknoloji.com [5][18] The discussion began regarding the ten people who were reported missing, including a well-known Independence physician named Dr. William H. York. Body found in Drum Creek with a crushed skull and throat cut. [7] Brockman would be arrested again 23 years later for the rape and murder of his own 18-year-old daughter.[8]. Judge Calvin dismissed Mary Gardei's affidavit as she was a "chip off the old block"; he found that other affidavits supporting Gardei's were sufficient proof that the women could never be convicted, however, and he discharged them both. From Howard County, Kansas. Kate then became abusive toward them, and shortly afterward the Bender men emerged from behind the cloth. Wikizero - Bloody Benders The wall wherein he hid his cash is gone, and he knows with certainty that the brothers found it. After bearing him a dozen children, including Kate, Mr. Griffith suddenly died; some said of a bad place on his head, resembling a dent that might be made with a hammer. RELATED: Keep up with our Fargo Season Four recaps here! When the war was over, pioneers began to head westward along the many trails through Kansas; murder and mayhem persisted as hardened men from the battlefields, grown used to the violence, continued their violent ways along the overland trails in the many cow towns. This unnamed man was one of the many who made the mistake of stopping at the Bender Inn. Some say that they escaped, others that they were executed by a vengeful posse. After the Benders escape, one detective, who had closely followed all the leads, said that he had traced Gebhardt to the outlaw country along the Texas/New Mexico border, where he had found that the criminal had died of apoplexy. [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. 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. From the first grayscale frame, its clear that were arent in Kansas City anymore. Fact or fiction, no one knows, but Ive always enjoyed the tale and hope you will as well. In honor of the Kansas state-wide Centennial Celebration, an exact replica of the Bender cabin was built that housed antiques and household items. Later she married William Stephen Griffith. For years, sightings of Ma Bender and Kate were reported, and in 1889, two women were extradited from Michigan on the charge. 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. Rabbi would not have been one of the Mellons.). As word of the grisly murders spread, more and more travelers came forward to tell their own stories of a narrow escape, including one gentleman named William Pickering. melon mounds kansas murders Donald's family owns successful McDonald's franchises in their home town of Phoenix, Arizona. [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. Bender Property Digging, sketch in Harpers Weekly, June 7, 1873. Copyright20062023,Somerightsreserved. When a traveler was seated at the table, his head was outlined against the curtain. Moyra Melons (or Moyra Mounds) is a well-endowed mature model famous for saucy poses in revealing clothing and lingerie. "[8] A Roman Catholic prayer book was found in the house with notes inside written in German, which were later translated. Along with her desire for fame, she also craved wealth and position. 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. She was 20 at the time of her death.
Toledo Blade Obituaries This Week, Warner Brothers Consumer Products Licensing Contact, Articles M