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1874 Bloody Benders... John Bender arrested ?...
1874 Bloody Benders... John Bender arrested ?...
Item # 714477
April 10, 1874
THE NEW YORK HERALD, April 10, 1874
* Bloody Benders - serial killers
* John Bender arrested ?
The top of page 7 has one column headings: "THE BLOODTHIRSTY BENDERS" "Probable Arrest of the Kansas Murderers in Utah" "The Fugitive Family Hid in the Mountains" and more. (see) Nice reporting here.
Other news of the day. Complete with all 12 pages, nice condition.
background: The Bloody Benders, a family of four—John Bender Sr., Elvira (Kate Sr./Almira), John Jr., and Kate Jr.—operated a deadly scheme in Labette County, Kansas, from May 1871 to December 1872, preying on travelers along the Osage Mission Trail. Posing as innkeepers, they lured guests into their small cabin, where victims were seated at a table positioned over a concealed trapdoor; Kate Jr., who claimed spiritualist powers, often distracted them with conversation or séances, while another family member struck from behind with a hammer, slit the victim’s throat, and dumped the body into a cellar through the trapdoor, later robbing and burying them in the orchard. At least 11 murders were confirmed, including Dr. William York and George Longcor with his infant daughter, discovered after the Benders fled in 1873 when Colonel Alexander York’s investigation closed in. Despite a $2,000 reward and rumors of John Bender’s 1874 arrest in Utah, the family vanished, leaving behind a gruesome legacy as America’s first known serial killer family, their fate still a mystery fueling speculation of escape or vigilante justice.
Category: Post-Civil War
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