The right knee had been wrenched from its socket, and the leg doubled up under the body. Kate was purportedly Elvira's fifth daughter. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Benders. Press J to jump to the feed. 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. This is blatantly a reference to the Bender Family, a family of serial killers from late 1800s Kansas. Donald, his wife Karen and their three kids live a nice, comfortable life. She mentioned stopping at the inn, as well as recounting the rumors of the murders spreading through their community. 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. 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. Kate then became abusive toward them, and shortly afterward the Bender men emerged from behind the cloth. The Lawrence Kansas Subreddit. In 1884, it was reported that John Flickinger had committed suicide in Lake Michigan. Today, Smalley descendants continue to live in the Neodosha and Cherryvale area. Calamita notices him and shoots twice out the window. Guess well have to wait to find out . Rabbi would not have been one of the Mellons.). 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. As more and more travelers disappeared, suspicion began to center on the Benders. [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. 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. ", "Young Bender, seen when excited, recalled the grave-robbing hyena at once to mind. [3] Also in 1884, an elderly man matching John Bender Sr.'s description was arrested in Montana for a murder committed near Salmon, Idaho, where the victim had been killed by a hammer blow to the head. It first seems like Rabbi might escape, but ultimately he raises his hands in surrender and flies up into the clouds. Game got that right. Relocating to Independence from, 7) December 1872: Johnny Boyle. They were never caugnt. 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]. This went on for years until they killed someone related to a Civil War hero and a senator. Born July 30, 1848," "John Gebhardt came to America on July 1 18? Premium Powerups . The two were known to have had a relationship, and further tales abounded that when Kate became pregnant, they would simply bash in the babys head once it was born. Touch for map. 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. flower arranging classes northern virginia. Gabe Gibson, Effingham, Illinois, as told to him by his grandfather, Emerson Smalley, January 2011. The book "Hell's Half-Acre: The Untold Story of the Benders, a Serial Killer Family on the American Frontier", by Susan Jonusas, published in 2022. 215 East 4th Street Resolved: Release in which this issue/RFE has been resolved. A cult-like group, the families, chose from several available claims and began to make their homes. Outside the door is a plaque that reads: KANSAS RELATED: Keep up with our Fargo Season Four recaps here! 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. Many innocent men under suspicion were also run out of the county by these committees.[5]. "[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 plaque was created for the show. but many still live in fear of their bloody hammer. 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 . Later she married William Stephen Griffith. She and her brother John often attended Sunday School nearby Harmony Grove and were readily accepted in the community. From the first grayscale frame, its clear that were arent in Kansas City anymore. 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). Buried in the apple orchard. 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. The body of a young girl was found with no injuries sufficient to cause death. 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. 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. ", In May 1871, the body of a man named Jones, whose skull had been crushed and throat cut, was discovered in Drum Creek. 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. Subreddit for the FX original TV series, Fargo. That is a Kansas historical society sign. However, by the time the men arrived at the Benders cabin very early the next morning, they found them gone. Is Rabbi really dead? 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. I haven't heard Macabre in years. The Benders are believed to have killed about a dozen people, including one child., Although stories abound, the ultimate fate of the murderous Bender family is uncertain. The Benders were widely believed to be German immigrants. They were released after being found not guilty, but were then immediately re-arrested for the Bender murders. When the men arrived at the property, they found the cabin empty of food, clothing, and personal possessions. [5][6], Around the same time, neighboring communities began to make accusations that the Osage community was responsible for the disappearances, and Osage township arranged a meeting in the Harmony Grove schoolhouse. She was 20 at the time of her death. 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. When the vigilantegroup approached, the Benders fired on them, at which time, the judge lost part of his ear to a flying bullet. 23) February 1872: Two unidentified men found on the prairie in February 1872 with crushed skulls and throats cut. John BenderJr. was around 25 years old and handsome, with auburn hair and a mustache, and spoke English fluently with a German accent. 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 -. why i quit civil engineering; goo goo gaga family net worth; how to make homemade biscuits without baking powder; 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. Rounding out the boardinghouse crew (west side) is a young man on his way to make it rich on the Texas oil fields. 11) December 1872: Red Smith. James, John Towner; The Benders of Kansas; Kan-Okla Publishing, Wichita, KS, 1913, reprinted 1995. They disappeared in the spring of 1873, shortly before inquisitive neighbors discovered the victims' bodies. Several groups of vigilantes were formed to search for the Benders. While not actually on the old Bender property, the marker sits on the high prairie about a mile northwest of Bender Mounds at the US-400 and US-169 interchange at the Montgomery County Rest area, north of Cherryvale. So yeah, kind of obscure. When he pulls into the drive, he spots Calamitas empty car at the pump immediately. The breastbone had been driven in. Also, sleep with one eye open. 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. 0 coins. John Jr. was found to have been a man named John Gebhardt. In Rabbis absence, Satchel discovers a Jack Russel terrier hiding in the wardrobe in his room. [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. We are, in fact, in 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. I wouldn't have imagined a crazier hotel story other than H H Holmes and The Murder Castle. Unresolved: Release in which this issue/RFE will be addressed. 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. All Rights Reserved. Cherryvale, Kansas 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. 1) May 1871: Mr. Jones. The legend was debunked on June 8, 1966, when an EF-5 twister churned its way across the city, cutting a diagonal swath of destruction from S.W. The media speculated that some of the victims had attempted to fight back after being hit with the hammer. The affidavits and other papers are missing from the file in LaBette County, so further examination is impossible. [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. While there is no definitive number, estimates report that the Benders killed at least a dozen travelers before their crimes were discovered.