This historical marker was erected by Kansas State Historical Society and Kansas Department of Transportation. From there, they traveled to an outlaw colony thought to be in the border region between Texas and New Mexico. barry mcguigan, daughter funeral; mellon mounds kansas murders Some say that they escaped, others that they were executed by a vengeful posse. The lonely hills meander across what is now U.S. Highway 400, where travelers whoosh by in comfort at 65 mph. Kate then became abusive toward them, and shortly afterward the Bender men emerged from behind the cloth. The right knee had been wrenched from its socket, and the leg doubled up under the body. 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. In total, 12 men "of bad repute in general" would be arrested, including Brockman. Kate's popularity became a large attraction for the Benders' inn. 23) February 1872: Two unidentified men found on the prairie in February 1872 with crushed skulls and throats cut. Fortunately, Omie appears behind Calamita and gets him with his last bullet. About 75 people attended the gathering, including both Bender men. They were never found and later I formed my own conclusions why. It was confirmed that the family had bought tickets on the Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston Railroad for Humboldt. A message requesting positive identification was sent to Cherryvale, but the suspect severed his foot to escape his leg irons and bled to death. In 1967, three of the Bender hammers were gifted to the museum by the Dick family. After opening the trap, the party found clotted blood on the floor of the empty room underneath, 6 feet (1.8m) deep and 7 feet (2.1m) square at the top by 3 feet (0.9m) square at the bottom. Of the discovery of her remains, the Kansas City Times reported: The little girl was probably eight years of age and had long, sunny hair and some traces of beauty on a countenance that was not yet entirely disfigured by decay. [1][2][3], John Bender, Sr. was around 60 years old and spoke little English. Both knew of his travel plans, and when he failed to return home, an all-out search began for the missing doctor. 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.". Buried in the apple orchard. [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. Her face was a fit picture of the midnight hag that wove the spell murderous ambition about the soul of Macbeth. When he pulls into the drive, he spots Calamitas empty car at the pump immediately. As more and more travelers disappeared, suspicion began to center on the Benders. The museum remained a popular tourist destination until it closed in 1978 when a fire station was built. When the visitors stopped for a meal, they were seated at a table with their backs to the large canvas separating the inn from the living quarters. [1] The family consisted of John Bender, his wife Elvira and their son JohnJr. and daughter Kate. We are, in fact, in Kansas. By the time a deputy from Cherryvale arrived, identification was impossible due to decomposition. . Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History, Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., December 18, 2011, The Bloody Benders. Many innocent men under suspicion were also run out of the county by these committees.[5]. The plaque was created for the show. Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated November 2022. 37 20.932 N, 95 31.668 W. Marker is in Morehead, Kansas, in Montgomery County. Once Kansas declared itself with the Union and the Civil War began, the bloody battles continued. The Bloody Benders - Serial Killers of Kansas Bender Mounds, Kansas by Kathy Alexander. [11] Whether John Flickinger was really John Bender is unknown. rpp program apartments newport news. I haven't heard Macabre in years. 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. Originally scheduled for February 1890, the trial was held over to May. mellon mounds kansas murders. If this really is Oz, then Satchel is Dorothy and Rabbit is Toto. 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. It says this home used to be run by the infamous Mellon Family, who lured travelers in before killing them with a hammer. 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. The men then physically lifted the cabin and moved it to the side to dig under it, but no bodies were found. Guess well have to wait to find out . She watches (and recaps) a lot of TV, sees every Marvel movie on opening night and reads voraciously. The digging continued the next day; nine other bodies and numerous dismembered body parts were found, including a woman and a little girl. The episode opens with Omie Sparkman (Corey Hendrix) pulling into a filling station on a desolate road in Kansas. 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 women's identities were later confirmed by two Osage township witnesses from a tintype photograph. The fate of the family remains unknown, with theories ranging from a lynching of the family to a successful escape. Kate was a self-proclaimed healer and psychic, gave lectures on spiritualism, and conducted sances. Catch up here! 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. Bloody Benders - The Forgotten Story of a Family of Pioneer Kansas Serial Killers By: Justin Nobel | Date: Sat, November 16th, 2013 The Bender family lived in southeastern Kansas and murdered pioneers headed west during the late 1800s. Many stories say that one vigilante group actually caught the Benders and shot all of them but Kate, whom they burned alive. Also one of the victims was the neighbor of the person who wrote Little House on the Prarie. As the boy listened, the men continued to talk, relating the tale of how the judge had lost his ear. The corpse was that of Dr. William H. York, his skull bludgeoned and his throat cut from ear to ear. One of these families was the Benders, comprised of John Bender, Sr.; his wife, Almira; son, John, Jr.; and daughter, Kate. Upon further investigation, Captain James B. Relocating to Independence from, 7) December 1872: Johnny Boyle. Nothing like this sickening series of crimes had ever been recorded in the whole history of the country.. (In case you wondered after reading that, like I did, what year The Mulligan Concern arrived in Kansas City, it was 1920. January 23, 2021. 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 That is a Kansas historical society sign. From the first grayscale frame, its clear that were arent in Kansas City anymore. In Rabbis absence, Satchel discovers a Jack Russel terrier hiding in the wardrobe in his room. 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. melon mounds liberal kansaspython list memory allocationpython list memory allocation 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. The affidavits and other papers are missing from the file in LaBette County, so further examination is impossible. 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. The Benders were undoubtedly surprised to find that the man wasnt dead. 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. [1][2][3], The area was already widely known for "horse thieves and villains, and vigilance committees often "arrested" some for the disappearances, only for them to be later released by the authorities. 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. Finally, unsolved murders in Shawnee County, Kansas, can be found among these lists. 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. It isnt a kill shot, though, and Calamita whips around to put Omie down. Near here are the Bender Mounds, named for the infamous Bender family ~~ John, his wife, son, and daughter Kate ~~ who settled here in 1871. read the excerpt from part 1 of the odyssey This one would make a great show/movie, but we keep seeing remakes and reboots. 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. Graves of the many who the Benders killed. Daughter Kate was the friendliest of the bunch, speaking good English with just a slight accent and bore cultivated social skills. 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. She also claimed to possess psychic powers, including communicating with the dead. [1], One detective later claimed that he had traced the pair to the border, where he had found that JohnJr. had died of apoplexy. The next day, Rabbi goes back to the appliance store and recovers his remaining cash from the brothers at gunpoint. 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 wall wherein he hid his cash is gone, and he knows with certainty that the brothers found it. He returns his attention to Rabbi, who has noticed something behind the Italian: a bona fide Wizard of Oz tornado. Elvira was rumored to have murdered several husbands, but none of these rumors was ever proven. 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 . 2014. All four had crushed skulls and throats cut. John Jr. was found to have been a man named John Gebhardt. Several groups of vigilantes were formed to search for the Benders. The Lawrence Kansas Subreddit. Yep that's the one from a book I have. A roadside sign now marks their murderous exploits. They were not pursued, as lawmen following outlaws into this region often never returned. 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. In addition to the museum, southeast Kansas may be the only place where a state historical marker celebrates mass murder. Several weeks after the discovery of the bodies, Addison Roach and his son-in-law, William Buxton, were arrested as accessories. 12) December 1872: Abigail Roberts. Moyra Melons (or Moyra Mounds) is a well-endowed mature model famous for saucy poses in revealing clothing and lingerie. Today, Smalley descendants continue to live in the Neodosha and Cherryvale area. The owner of the Drum Creek claim was suspected, but no action was taken. 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. Secretly, the four made a living through murder and robbery., Located on a main road, the Benders sold meals and supplies to travelers. Cherryvale, Kansas Museum by Kathy Alexander. Copyright20062023,Somerightsreserved. On October 31, 1889, it was reported that a Mrs. Almira Monroe (a.k.a. It was speculated that she had been strangled or buried alive. Tole reported the fact to the township trustee, but due to inclement weather, several days lapsed before the abandonment could be investigated. 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. The Benders remained silent when most of the attendees volunteered to have their premises searched. Elvira and Kate Bender also planted a 2-acre (0.81ha) vegetable garden and apple orchard north of the cabin. It said the plaque was erected by the Kansas City historical society. Later she married William Stephen Griffith. Donald, his wife Karen and their three kids live a nice, comfortable life. 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. Colonel York agreed that this was possible and remained for dinner. 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). They buried their victims in a neighboring orchard, unbeknownst to the townspeople. But if your not from Kansas it's a fairly obscure story. Yet another claimed to have killed the Benders during a gunfight and buried their bodies on the prairie. The family consisted of John Bender, his wife Elvira and their son John Jr. and daughter Kate. Discover something new every day from News, Sports, Finance, Entertainment and more! . For years, sightings of Ma Bender and Kate were reported, and in 1889, two women were extradited from Michigan on the charge. Co D 123rd Ill Infantry. What a uniquely weird unsolved mystery. Serial killer music is a genre unto itself. Although stories abound, the ultimate fate of the murderous Mellon family was never discovered. I believe I read this year that the land where the house once stood got sold to someone. Calcium, iron, manganese, zinc, magnesium, selenium, and copper are especially concentrated in sunflower seeds. Bender Property Digging, sketch in Harpers Weekly, June 7, 1873. 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. From Howard County, Kansas. While popular retelling of the story holds that John Jr. and Kate were siblings, contemporary newspapers reported . 2023 Geek Girl Authority. [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. 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. Bender Mounds, Kansas by Kathy Alexander. betty crocker net worth 2020; vietnamese culture relationships; pastillas para dormir durante el embarazo; what does modern fit mean in men's shirts? Even with her clairvoyant abilities, Kate attempted to search for the missing doctor to throw any suspicion off herself. 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. It is in Morehead in Montgomery County Kansas. She soon found the lecture circuit profitable by distributing circulars that proclaimed her skills, including supernatural powers and the ability to cure illnesses and infirmities. The Benders family, of German descent, was one of the families who moved to the outskirts of Kansas. 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. Colonel York, leading a company of some 50 men, questioned every traveler along the trail and visited all the area homesteads. [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 vacated land was then made available to homesteaders, who, for the most part, were a group of hard-working pioneers farming the areas softly rolling hills and windswept prairies. 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. What little he did speak was so guttural that it was usually unintelligible. ASSOCIATED PRESS. The Mellon family is a wealthy and influential American family from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. John Bender, Jr. was actually a man named John Gebhardt. 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. [7], A bad odor was noticed and traced to a trap door underneath a bed, nailed shut. Satchel tries looking for Rabbi, but a short conversation with the hospital man and a glimpse of the preacher and his mother folding a flag in their underwear (night wear?) Once in the cellar, the body would be stripped and later buried somewhere on the property, often in the orchard. Southeast Kansas, in particular, was known as a rough area. And then, in so many words, Scalia said that nothing in the Eighth Amendment requires that jurors considering "mitigating evidence" that could . The 4th United States Colored Infantry, 1863-1866, A History of the Ninth New Jersey Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War, How . but many still live in fear of their bloody hammer. The parts did not belong to any of the other victims found and are believed to belong to at least three additional victims.