Rock Chalk! . 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. A terrible smell inside the abandoned inn also met them. A beautiful girl of about 23, she was quick to laugh and talk to strangers. [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. 215 East 4th Street The house sits alone in a barren landscape composed of post-harvest fields coated halfheartedly with snow. Donald's family owns successful McDonald's franchises in their home town of Phoenix, Arizona. As they break for a Coke, Calamita arrives. Their story is unresolved and remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of the old west. Last night, I listened to a story from my grandfather, Emerson Smalley, about the Benders and their supposed end. The lonely hills meander across what is now U.S. Highway 400, where travelers whoosh by in comfort at 65 mph. 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. Later, Satchel awakens to find that hes fallen asleep and doesnt know where his friend has gone. They buried their victims in a neighboring orchard, unbeknownst to the townspeople. So yeah, kind of obscure. Serial killer music is a genre unto itself. Everywhere Satchel and Rabbi appear together, someone calls out the color of Satchels skin and questions their connection. Despite the lack of identification, the man's skull was displayed as that of "Pa Bender" in a Salmon saloon until Prohibition forced its closure in 1920 and the skull disappeared. 6) December 1872: Henry McKenzie. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Attempts to capture the bloodthirsty family were immediately made by both law officers and vigilantes alike. The Bender cabin was destroyed by souvenir hunters who took everything, including the bricks that lined the cellar and the stones lining the well.[1][2]. Advertisement Coins. In honor of the Kansas state-wide Centennial Celebration, an exact replica of the Bender cabin was built that housed antiques and household items. From there, they traveled to an outlaw colony thought to be in the border region between Texas and New Mexico. RELATED: Missed the last episode? However, there were no bodies in the hole. Sometime later, Billy Tole, a neighbor of the Benders, noticed that the Bender Inn was abandoned and their farm animals unfed. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Benders. Even with her clairvoyant abilities, Kate attempted to search for the missing doctor to throw any suspicion off herself. Kate soon gained notoriety as a self proclaimed healer and spiritualist. 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. The Benders family, of German descent, was one of the families who moved to the outskirts of Kansas. Contemporary newspapers reported his name as either "George W. Longcor" or "George Loncher," while Mary Ann is similarly reported as being either eight years old or 18 months old. 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. The Benders were undoubtedly surprised to find that the man wasnt dead. (AP) - A man already in prison . 1. ", "Old Mrs. Bender was a dirty old Dutch crone. [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. 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. John Bender, Sr. chose a 160-acre section on the western slopes of the mounds that continue to bear their name today. 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. This one would make a great show/movie, but we keep seeing remakes and reboots. After the third hanging, they released him and he staggered home "as one who was drunken or deranged. Tole reported the fact to the township trustee, but due to inclement weather, several days lapsed before the abandonment could be investigated. Another group claimed they had caught the Benders and lynched them before throwing their bodies into the Verdigris River. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. mellon mounds kansas murdersduskull evolution arceus. did phineas and ferb die in a car accident. On October 31, 1889, it was reported that a Mrs. Almira Monroe (a.k.a. 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. [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. By 1873, reports of missing people who had passed through the area had become so common that travelers began to avoid the trail. Is Rabbi really dead? Elvira allegedly could not understand English, while the younger Benders denied the claim. [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. Secretly, the four made a living through murder and robbery. They disappeared in the spring of 1873, shortly before inquisitive neighbors discovered the victims' bodies. 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. Kate soon gained notoriety as a self proclaimed healer and . 37 20.932 N, 95 31.668 W. Marker is in Morehead, Kansas, in Montgomery County. Hes connected to a medical machine and has a hovering attendant with goggles on, ministering to him with a hypodermic needle. 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). 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. So provocative was the Bender family tale that the Bender Museum was created in Cherryvale in 1961. 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. 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. About 75 people attended the gathering, including both Bender men. But if your not from Kansas it's a fairly obscure story. Look for these with their cute sunflowers. kansas historical marker the mellon mounds Orchard Park Police Blotter 2021 , Fran Mccaffery Daughter , How Much Does Bronny Average? January 23, 2021. [5], Three days after the township meeting, Billy Tole was driving cattle past the Bender property when he noticed that the inn was abandoned and the farm animals were unfed. 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 -. Elvira was rumored to have murdered several husbands, but none of these rumors was ever proven. Calamita is swept up into the funnel, along with the filling station and the bodies littering its floors. East/West is a cunningly timed bottle episode. [7], A bad odor was noticed and traced to a trap door underneath a bed, nailed shut. 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. By the way, said clerk is a Colored. [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. The Version table provides details related to the release that this issue/RFE will be addressed. Also a great song by Macabre about the Benders: https://youtu.be/NJpbxpbI8FA. 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. She also conducted sances and gave lectures on spiritualism, for which she gained notoriety for advocating free love. McCrotty. After following a fresh trail of wagon tracks, a search party found that the Benders had gone to the town of nearby Thayer, some twelve miles to the north. The body would then be buried in the garden behind the house during the night. The wall wherein he hid his cash is gone, and he knows with certainty that the brothers found it. 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. They disappeared in the spring of 1873, shortly before inquisitive neighbors discovered the victims' bodies. Kate Bender, who was around 23, was cultivated and attractive and spoke English well, with little accent. $2,000 (2023: $45,239) missing. Once in the cellar, the body would be stripped and later buried somewhere on the property, often in the orchard. why i quit civil engineering; goo goo gaga family net worth; how to make homemade biscuits without baking powder; noah hester restaurant; Yes it was. A Catholic priest said he fled when he saw one of the Bender men concealing a large hammer. And then, in so many words, Scalia said that nothing in the Eighth Amendment requires that jurors considering "mitigating evidence" that could . Dr. York had two brothers, one living in Fort Scott and the other in Independence. "[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. The Bender artifacts were eventually given to the Cherryvale Museum, where they remain in a wall-mounted display case. It declares, THE FUTURE IS NOW.. I believe I read this year that the land where the house once stood got sold to someone. [1] The family consisted of John Bender, his wife Elvira and their son JohnJr. and daughter Kate. As the boy listened, the men continued to talk, relating the tale of how the judge had lost his ear. The 4th United States Colored Infantry, 1863-1866, A History of the Ninth New Jersey Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War, How . John and his raw-boned wife spoke with such guttural accents that few people could understand them. Bender Mounds, Kansas by Kathy Alexander. Later she married William Stephen Griffith. $38 (2023: $860) and a wagon with a team of horses missing. She mentioned stopping at the inn, as well as recounting the rumors of the murders spreading through their community. literally thought of red dead redemption 2 when i saw this episode, and saw that scene. Some of the Benders' neighbors claimed that John and Kate were not brother and sister, but actually husband and wife. Buried in the apple orchard. 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. Also, sleep with one eye open. 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?) They admitted Dr. York had stayed with them and suggested the possibility that he had run into trouble with Indians. If not accosted by road agents, travelers also had to be concerned about Indian attacks. It was confirmed that the family had bought tickets on the Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston Railroad for Humboldt. And everything is in color! He takes Satchel to a quirky (to say the least) boardinghouse, owned by feuding, deaf, elderly sisters. Word of the gruesome murders spread fast, and thousands of people flocked to the site, including news reporters from as far away as New York and Chicago. Rounding out the boardinghouse crew (west side) is a young man on his way to make it rich on the Texas oil fields. James, John Towner; The Benders of Kansas; Kan-Okla Publishing, Wichita, KS, 1913, reprinted 1995. The family quickly ran away in the middle of the night never to be seen. what happened to johnny rodriguez country singervice president internal student council. A roadside sign now marks their murderous exploits. 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. Subreddit for the FX original TV series, Fargo. 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. Both knew of William's travel plans and, when he failed to return, an all-out search began for the missing doctor. Leona Laurie is a Senior Contributor for Geek Girl Authority and co-host of the Marvel-Us podcast. 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. With the exception of McKenzie and York,[17] who were buried in Independence; the Longcors, who were buried in Montgomery County; and McCrotty, who was buried in Parsons, Kansas, none of the other bodies were claimed, and they were reburied at the base of a small hill 1 mile (1.6km) southeast of the Benders' orchard, one of several at the location now known as "The Benders Mounds". $10 (2023: $226), a, 8-9) December 1872: George Newton Longcor and his 18-month-old daughter, Mary Ann. In total, 12 men "of bad repute in general" would be arrested, including Brockman. [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. 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. She also claimed to possess psychic powers, including communicating with the dead. 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. Once Kansas declared itself with the Union and the Civil War began, the bloody battles continued. 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. Marker is in this post office area: Cherryvale KS 67335, United States of America. 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. According to the May 23, 1873 edition of The Emporia News, he was identified with the name of William Bender. The body of a young girl was found with no injuries sufficient to cause death. One may have been Jack Bogart, whose horse was purchased from a friend of the Benders after he went missing in 1872. In 1870, five families of spiritualists settled in western Labette County, about seven miles northeast of where Cherryvale would be platted a year later. 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. John Jr. was found to have been a man named John Gebhardt. 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. mellon mounds kansas murders. Bender Property Digging, sketch in Harpers Weekly, June 7, 1873. 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. The family, John and Elvira and their two children John Jr. and Kate, ultimately settled down near Cherryvale city on a 160-acre property, intending to run an inn. 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. 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. Several days later, the Benders team and wagon were found a short distance away, and the horses nearly starved. In the spring of 1894, the victims bodies were discovered, sending the town into hysteria. 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. Thanks for putting this up I knew the story sounded familiar..the was on an episode of Lore. 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. 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. The real one reads as follows: Near here are the Bender Mounds, named for the infamous Bender family--John, his wife, son, and daughter Kate--who settled here in 1871. 5) December 1872: W.F. 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. 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.. 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. Today, Smalley descendants continue to live in the Neodosha and Cherryvale area. Hey babe, nice melon mounds. The Lawrence Kansas Subreddit. The fate of the family remains unknown, with theories ranging from a lynching of the family to a successful escape. Find links to our programs, locations, partners, staff members, and communications. The Mellon family is a wealthy and influential American family from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 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. Meanwhile, Ma and Pa Bender continued on the train north to Kansas City, where it was believed they transferred to a train headed to St. Louis. 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. 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. I used to have their Dahmer album way back. Ten bodies were found in the Benders apple orchard, including Dr. York and the people he had been searching for Mr. Loncher and his daughter, just seven or eight years old. Props to Noah Hawley for referencing a lot of forgotten crimes, from Jane Toppan, the Kansas City Massacre, and now the Bloody Benders. All four had crushed skulls and throats cut. ", "Young Bender, seen when excited, recalled the grave-robbing hyena at once to mind. 0 coins. Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History, Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., December 18, 2011, The Bloody Benders. My grandfather, who is approaching 80 years old, is always full of great stories, but he assured me that his father, who passed this on to him, knew what happened. Though many wanted to relocate the building, it had become a controversy in Cherryvale, with locals objecting to the town being known for the Bender atrocities. It says this home used to be run by the infamous Mellon Family, who lured travelers in before killing them with a hammer. 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. The family soon built a small one-room framed cabin, a barn, and a corral and dug a well. It was a story about the infamous Benders and about one man who got away. The desk clerk who shows them to their room warns them that the sisters dont care for colored people, a refrain echoed repeatedly through this episode. He then cautiously looks through a window, where he sees Calamita standing over a wounded Omie, gun drawn. Shortly thereafter, the family disappeared. A trap door, nailed shut, was discovered on the cabin floor. Kate was purportedly Elvira's fifth daughter. 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. The probing continued until midnight, with another nine suspected grave sites marked before the men were satisfied they had found them all and retired for the night. While popular retelling of the story holds that JohnJr. and Kate were siblings, contemporary newspapers reported that several of the Benders' neighbors had stated that they claimed to be married, possibly in a common law marriage. When the vigilantegroup approached, the Benders fired on them, at which time, the judge lost part of his ear to a flying bullet. The corpse was that of Dr. William H. York, his skull bludgeoned and his throat cut from ear to ear. 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. The family consisted of John Bender, his wife Elvira and their son John Jr. and daughter Kate. THE MELLON MOUNDS. 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. John Bender, Jr. was a tall, slender man of about 25 who was handsome with auburn hair and a mustache. 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. 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. I haven't heard Macabre in years. In the winter of 1872, George Newton Longcor left Independence, Kansas with his infant daughter Mary Ann to resettle in Iowa; they were never seen again. They were never found and later I formed my own conclusions why. Only a few days later, the homestead was found abandoned, and the search party began to discover the grisly remains of the bodies. Some say they escaped, others that the were executed by a vengeful posse. 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. Other bodies found in the garden were those of Henry McKenzies mutilated remains, three men by the names of Ben Brown, W.F. The media speculated that some of the victims had attempted to fight back after being hit with the hammer. This is a list of notable male murderers who committed their murders in Kansas, USA. Four other bodies with crushed skulls and slit throats were also found outside the property in Drum Creek and on the surrounding prairie. Along with an old episode of Death Valley Days.
Literature Is An Expression Of Life,
Bad Bee Pick Up Lines,
How To Spot A Collapsed Narcissist,
Articles M
