It was a story about the infamous Benders and about one man who got away. Outside the door is a plaque that reads: KANSAS mellon mounds kansas murders - lavamusic.is Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. The Benders family, of German descent, was one of the families who moved to the outskirts of Kansas. 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. Another group claimed they had caught the Benders while escaping to the south and lynched them before throwing their bodies into the Verdigris River. 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. The house sits alone in a barren landscape composed of post-harvest fields coated halfheartedly with snow. 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. In its first three days of opening, it attracted more than 2,000 visitors. Several days later, the Benders team and wagon were found a short distance away, and the horses nearly starved. Sometime later, Billy Tole, a neighbor of the Benders, noticed that the Bender Inn was abandoned and their farm animals unfed. Nice, in all my research on serial killers, I can't name many examples of a full family of murderers, and two of them were female, another rarity. One of these families was the Benders, comprised of John Bender, Sr.; his wife, Almira; son, John, Jr.; and daughter, Kate. For years, sightings of Ma Bender and Kate were reported, and in 1889, two women were extradited from Michigan on the charge. The property was located directly on the Osage Mission-Independence Trail that operated from Independence to Fort Scott. Fargo recap: The future is now! - yahoo.com 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. It is conjectured[by whom?] Continuing, they began to dig around the cabin, especially in an area the Benders had utilized as a vegetable garden and orchard. Prying it open, the men found a six-foot-deep hole filled with clotted blood, causing a terrible odor. 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. Only a few days later, the homestead was found abandoned, and the search party began to discover the grisly remains of the bodies. Afterward, she reportedly remarried several times, killing those husbands and three of her older children so they could not testify against her. 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. 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. It was reported at the time that Kate was into free love, telling fortunes, and being a little too close to her brother. 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. 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. 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. I'd need to check but my gut feeling is that its real. 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. did phineas and ferb die in a car accident. Finally, the men physically moved the entire cabin to the side and began to search beneath, but no bodies were found there either. The book "All the Blood We Share: A Novel of the Bloody Benders of Kansas", by Camilla Bruce, published in 2022. 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. I believe I read this year that the land where the house once stood got sold to someone. It would make for a fun season of the show that's for sure. 2014. Fact or fiction, no one knows, but Ive always enjoyed the tale and hope you will as well. Resolved: Release in which this issue/RFE has been resolved. 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. Although stories abound, the ultimate fate of the murderous Bender family is uncertain. John Bender, Sr. chose a 160-acre section on the western slopes of the mounds that continue to bear their name today. Nothing like this sickening series of crimes had ever been recorded in the whole history of the country.. Later she married William Stephen Griffith. In tonight's episode, there's a plaque at the Barton Arms, the hotel Rabbi and Satchel stay at. Uncovered: Unsolved Kansas Murders Thanks for putting this up I knew the story sounded familiar..the was on an episode of Lore. Also a great song by Macabre about the Benders: https://youtu.be/NJpbxpbI8FA. 23) February 1872: Two unidentified men found on the prairie in February 1872 with crushed skulls and throats cut. While popular retelling of the story holds that John Jr. and Kate were siblings, contemporary newspapers reported . barry mcguigan, daughter funeral; mellon mounds kansas murders John Bender, Sr. was from either Germany, Norway, or the Netherlands and may have been born John Flickinger. Mellon family - Wikipedia Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History, Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., December 18, 2011, The Bloody Benders. Cherryvale Museum Burnett's mound myth - Topeka Tornado 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. Everywhere Satchel and Rabbi appear together, someone calls out the color of Satchels skin and questions their connection. RELATED: Keep up with our Fargo Season Four recaps here! 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. As they make their way up to the top floor, they peer in the open rooms of the other tenants. Does that mean that Satchel has just landed in Oz now? 'Bloody Benders' property goes up for sale in Kansas | CNN Kate was purportedly Elvira's fifth daughter. Home TV & Streaming Recaps & Reviews FARGO Recap: (S04E09) East/West, Posted by Leona Laurie | Nov 16, 2020 | Recaps & Reviews, TV & Streaming | 0. He then cautiously looks through a window, where he sees Calamita standing over a wounded Omie, gun drawn. Mrs. Davis claimed that Mrs. Monroe was Elvira Bender, but that she herself was not Kate, but her sister Sarah; she later signed an affidavit to that effect, while Monroe continued to deny the identification and in turn accused Sarah Eliza of being the real Kate Bender. Gabe Gibson, Effingham, Illinois, as told to him by his grandfather, Emerson Smalley, January 2011. The violence at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999 was the watershed event which led to the creation of our current day active shooter response programs. Near here are the Bender Mounds, named for the infamous Bender family ~~ John, his wife, son, and daughter Kate ~~ who settled here in 1871. [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. The Bloody Benders: What Happened to this Family of Killers? 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. Both knew of his travel plans, and when he failed to return home, an all-out search began for the missing doctor. why i quit civil engineering; goo goo gaga family net worth; how to make homemade biscuits without baking powder; noah hester restaurant; Suspect charged in 2001 state park killing | MPR News These 10 Kansas Serial Killers' Stories Will Chill You To The Bone 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. Though most were led to believe John and Kate were sister and brother, others said that they sometimes passed as man and wife. He has a white man in his trunk, an informant who has helped him track Calamita to the Liberal, Kansas, area. [1] The family consisted of John Bender, his wife Elvira and their son JohnJr. and daughter Kate. THE KANSAS MURDER TRILOGY by Melvin Litton offers three stand-alone novels that spring from the heartland and mark three pivotal moments in our nation's life: the fall of Saigon and the loss of faith in the post-war construct, 1975; the brink of the Space Age and Civil Rights era, 1960; and the Great Depression, 1934. the mellon family kansas. If the terrible story of the Bender murders was not legend enough, another tale began to circulate regarding the property upon which the Benders had once lived. melon mounds liberal kansas With the victim's back to the curtain, Kate would distract the guest while John Bender or his son came from behind the curtain and struck the guest on the right side of the skull with a hammer. The Benders then stripped him of his clothes and went to bury him when the man suddenly awoke. Yep that's the one from a book I have. 1315) December 1872: Various body parts. Touch for map. 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. Southeast Kansas, in particular, was known as a rough area. Like others, he was hit over the head as he sat at the table. After last weeks sincere entry into all-out war, as well as the deaths of several key players, one might have hoped to watch the action in Kansas City escalate. Good info. Records of the incarceration back up this affidavit. Copyright20062023,Somerightsreserved. In the end, the artifacts, including the hammers, photos, and newspaper clippings, were placed in the Cherryvale Museum and can still be seen today at 215 East 4th Street. Subreddit for the FX original TV series, Fargo. January 23, 2021. , Near here are the Bender Mounds, named for the infamous Bender family ~~ John, his wife, son, and daughter Kate ~~ who settled here in 1871. 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. Mrs. Almira Griffith) and Mrs. Sarah Eliza Davis had been arrested in Niles, Michigan (often misreported as Detroit) several weeks earlier for larceny. Bender Mounds, Kansas by Kathy Alexander. They were never found and later I formed my own conclusions why. Cherryvale, Kansas Museum by Kathy Alexander. Relocating to Independence from, 7) December 1872: Johnny Boyle. If not accosted by road agents, travelers also had to be concerned about Indian attacks. [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. After Colonel Yorks visit and the meeting at the Harmony Grove schoolhouse, the Bender family fled. 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. Calamita is swept up into the funnel, along with the filling station and the bodies littering its floors. "[8] A Roman Catholic prayer book was found in the house with notes inside written in German, which were later translated. White Settlers Buried the Truth About the Midwest's Mysterious Mound 20) May 1873: Dr William York. They werent even a true family the only ones related were Ma and Kate Bender. 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. One of the women would cut the victim's throat to ensure death, and the body was then dropped through the trap door. When he refused to sit with his back to the canvas because of its disgusting stains, Pickering said that Kate Bender threatened him with a knife, so he fled the premises. When a traveler was seated at the table, his head was outlined against the curtain. 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. Though no one ever collected the rewards offered, rumors of several parties who had captured and killed the Benders began to fly. styled components as prop typescript; indie bands from austin, texas; dr pepper marketing strategy; barking and dagenham hmo register; famous belgian chocolate brands 620-336-3576. He does not deliver his usual parting words to Satchel. what happened to johnny rodriguez country singer that when a guest stayed at the Benders' bed and breakfast inn, the hosts would give the guest a seat of honor at the table that was positioned over a trap door into the cellar. 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. What a uniquely weird unsolved mystery. 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. ", "Kate proclaimed herself responsible to no one save herself.". Dismembered parts of several other victims were also discovered but could never be identified. She also conducted sances and gave lectures on spiritualism, for which she gained notoriety for advocating free love. A Catholic priest said he fled when he saw one of the Bender men concealing a large hammer. I remember that song. 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. Several groups of vigilantes were formed to search for the Benders. And then, in so many words, Scalia said that nothing in the Eighth Amendment requires that jurors considering "mitigating evidence" that could . York reached Fort Scott, and on March 9 began the return journey to Independence, but never arrived. 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. 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. 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 would not have been one of the Mellons.). If this really is Oz, then Satchel is Dorothy and Rabbit is Toto. 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. Kate's popularity became a large attraction for the Benders' inn. [7] Brockman would be arrested again 23 years later for the rape and murder of his own 18-year-old daughter.[8]. was harry hibbs married; waterloo central railway wedding. Catch up here! On March 28, 1873, Colonel York arrived at the Benders' inn with a Mr. Johnson, explaining to them that his brother had gone missing and asked if they had seen him. 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. Photo courtesy of the BCA. However, none of these tales were confirmed, nor were bodies found, so most thought that the Benders had managed to escape. Also, sleep with one eye open. As Calamita advances on him, Rabbi tries to grip his gun well enough to shoot. RELATED: Missed the last episode? Benders Mounds Cemetery in Kansas - Find a Grave Cemetery They disappeared in the spring of 1873, shortly before inquisitive neighbors discovered the victims' bodies. 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. In 1870, five families of spiritualists settled in western Labette County, about seven miles northeast of where Cherryvale would be platted a year later. , Fedmyster Google Doc , Gladiator Lucilla Character Analysis , Fran Mccaffery Daughter , The Ranches At Royal Pines Livingston Tx , Crooked Stick Golf Club Membership Cost , Mart Bus Fitchburg To Gardner . Moyra Melons (or Moyra Mounds) is a well-endowed mature model famous for saucy poses in revealing clothing and lingerie. It says this home used to be run by the infamous Mellon Family, who lured travelers in before killing them with a hammer. The 4th United States Colored Infantry, 1863-1866, A History of the Ninth New Jersey Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War, How . Will this theme continue next week? Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Benders. Satchel decides to keep her, without asking anyone in the building whose she is, and Rabbis only objection to this when he meets her is that she makes noise. 12) December 1872: Abigail Roberts. 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. Buried in the apple orchard. William Pickering said that when he had refused to sit near the wagon cloth because of the stains on it, Kate Bender had threatened him with a knife, whereupon he fled the premises. John Bender, Jr. was actually a man named John Gebhardt. 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. 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. 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. Is Rabbi really dead? [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. Hes connected to a medical machine and has a hovering attendant with goggles on, ministering to him with a hypodermic needle. Ma Bender was born Almira Meik in the Adirondacks and married as a teenager to a man named George Griffith. When the Benders opened their store and inn in 1871, many travelers would stop for a meal or supplies. Game got that right. Secretly, the four made a living through murder and robbery. It was confirmed that the family had bought tickets on the Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston Railroad for Humboldt. A cult-like group, the families, chose from several available claims and began to make their homes. Colonel York agreed that this was possible and remained for dinner. Anyway just had to mention this, bizarre crimes and female killers are my specialty and outside appearing in Red Dead 2, the Bloody Benders don't get a lot of attention. 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. The only thing remaining an empty hole that had once been the cellar. Born July 30, 1848," "John Gebhardt came to America on July 1 18? Graves of the many who the Benders killed. The body would then be buried in the garden behind the house during the night. [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. The media speculated that some of the victims had attempted to fight back after being hit with the hammer. Kansas murderers list | Murderpedia A crude sign was hung above the front door that advertised Groceries to the many travelers along the Osage Trail. betty crocker net worth 2020; vietnamese culture relationships; pastillas para dormir durante el embarazo; what does modern fit mean in men's shirts? mellon mounds kansas murders. It first seems like Rabbi might escape, but ultimately he raises his hands in surrender and flies up into the clouds. 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. When the party arrived at the inn they found the cabin empty of food, clothing, and personal possessions. mellon mounds kansas murders The Bender cabin was ripped apart by gruesome souvenir hunters right down to the bloody bricks that lined the cellar. 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.". 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. 215 East 4th Street Her face was a fit picture of the midnight hag that wove the spell murderous ambition about the soul of Macbeth. Satchel walks down the road with his dog. The Benders were not what they appeared. By the time a deputy from Cherryvale arrived, identification was impossible due to decomposition. From there, they traveled to an outlaw colony thought to be in the border region between Texas and New Mexico. At her hearing, Mrs. Monroe denied any knowledge of Shearer or the manslaughter charge and remained incarcerated with her daughter. And everything is in color! 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.