mellon mounds kansas murders
Tole reported the fact to the township trustee, but due to inclement weather, several days lapsed before the abandonment could be investigated. From there, they traveled to an outlaw colony thought to be in the border region between Texas and New Mexico. The men then physically lifted the cabin and moved it to the side to dig under it, but no bodies were found. It first seems like Rabbi might escape, but ultimately he raises his hands in surrender and flies up into the clouds. $2,000 (2023: $45,239) missing. [2], Testimony from people who had stayed at the Benders' inn and managed to escape before they could be killed appeared to support the presumed execution method of the Benders. This tugs his heartstrings, inspiring him to leave the boardinghouse in search of some kind of birthday treat for his ward. kansas historical marker the mellon mounds Orchard Park Police Blotter 2021 , Fran Mccaffery Daughter , How Much Does Bronny Average? The body of a young girl was found with no injuries sufficient to cause death. 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. 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. 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. Secretly, the four made a living through murder and robbery. 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. They disappeared in the spring of 1873, shortly before inquisitive neighbors discovered the victims' bodies. Born July 30, 1848," "John Gebhardt came to America on July 1 18? In the spring of 1894, the victims bodies were discovered, sending the town into hysteria. 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. 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. I remember that song. Next to their room is a hospital man, an obese white man with bandages all over him and some kind of skin condition that makes him look monstrous to the passing child. A piece of land where Kansas' first known serial killers murdered at least 11 people in the 1870s is up for auction. She watches (and recaps) a lot of TV, sees every Marvel movie on opening night and reads voraciously. Their murders were carried out by use of a canvas curtain that divided the house into two rooms. The two arrive at The Mellon Mounds- a historical marker in Kansas. 2023 Geek Girl Authority. 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. Quickly, the scavengers were frightened away by the dead souls to spread their ghostly tales. Mrs. McCann's story came from dreams about her father's murder, which she discussed with Sarah Eliza. No documentation or definitive proof of their relationships to one another, or where they were born, has ever been found. I wouldn't have imagined a crazier hotel story other than H H Holmes and The Murder Castle. 12) December 1872: Abigail Roberts. They broker an arrangement wherein Omie and his captive paint the building in exchange for being allowed to lie in wait. 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. A trap door, nailed shut, was discovered on the cabin floor. Eventually, she married and went by the name of Sara Eliza Davis. [7] Brockman would be arrested again 23 years later for the rape and murder of his own 18-year-old daughter.[8]. [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. 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. This is a list of notable male murderers who committed their murders in Kansas, USA. 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. Johnny Boyles body was found in the well. Another group claimed they had caught the Benders while escaping to the south and lynched them before throwing their bodies into the Verdigris River. 6) December 1872: Henry McKenzie. The Benders were undoubtedly surprised to find that the man wasnt dead. Then Kate would begin to charm the men with her social skills, flirting, or revealing her psychic gifts. As the men gave their full attention to the alluring Kate, Pa and John Bender, hiding behind the canvas, would strike the unsuspecting traveler in the skull with a hammer. When he pulls into the drive, he spots Calamitas empty car at the pump immediately. 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. 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. When the vigilantegroup approached, the Benders fired on them, at which time, the judge lost part of his ear to a flying bullet. When a traveler was seated at the table, his head was outlined against the curtain. The affidavits and other papers are missing from the file in LaBette County, so further examination is impossible. Other bodies found in the garden were those of Henry McKenzies mutilated remains, three men by the names of Ben Brown, W.F. Upon further investigation, Captain James B. 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 for the guy who discovered Pluto? John BenderJr. was around 25 years old and handsome, with auburn hair and a mustache, and spoke English fluently with a German accent. And Donald Mellon is your typical doting daddy, a clean-cut family man his girls admire and adore. 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 then stripped him of his clothes and went to bury him when the man suddenly awoke. [11] Whether John Flickinger was really John Bender is unknown. They purchased tickets on the northbound Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston Train to Humboldt. Some believe justice came to them in the end. Other corpses found in the area and the many mysterious disappearances of other lonely travelers led the locals to believe that the Benders killed more than 20 people. 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. [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. [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. Many stories say that one vigilante group actually caught the Benders and shot all of them but Kate, whom they burned alive. 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. Her husband and son were said to have feared her as she ran the household with an iron hand. [5][18] 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. why i quit civil engineering; goo goo gaga family net worth; how to make homemade biscuits without baking powder; A place to discuss Lawrence Kansas happenings and news. While popular retelling of the story holds that John Jr. and Kate were siblings, contemporary newspapers reported . Menu . [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. Attempts to capture the bloodthirsty family were immediately made by both law officers and vigilantes alike. 0 coins. It is conjectured[by whom?] 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. The only thing remaining an empty hole that had once been the cellar. Bender Mounds, Kansas by Kathy Alexander. One of the families was John BenderSr. and John BenderJr., who registered 160 acres (65ha) of land located adjacent to the Great Osage Trail, which was then the only open road for traveling farther west. By the way, said clerk is a Colored. It was reported at the time that Kate was into free love, telling fortunes, and being a little too close to her brother. As more and more travelers vanished, suspicion began to circle the Mellons. Also a great song by Macabre about the Benders: https://youtu.be/NJpbxpbI8FA. As the boy listened, the men continued to talk, relating the tale of how the judge had lost his ear. 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.". Ma Bender was born Almira Meik in the Adirondacks and married as a teenager to a man named George Griffith. Resolved: Release in which this issue/RFE has been resolved. East/West is a cunningly timed bottle episode. rpp program apartments newport news. Donald, his wife Karen and their three kids live a nice, comfortable life. What little he did speak was so guttural that it was usually unintelligible. [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. McCrotty, and John Geary, as well as an unidentified male and female. State Senator Alexander York offered a $1,000 ($22,619 as of 2023) reward for the family's arrest. One of those places was the Bender Inn. The discussion began regarding the ten people who were reported missing, including a well-known Independence physician named Dr. William H. York. In the spring of 1873, Longcor's former neighbor, Dr. William Henry York, went looking for them and questioned homesteaders along the trail. "[7], Word of the murders spread quickly, and more than three thousand people, including reporters from as far away as New York City and Chicago, visited the site. The corpse was that of Dr. William H. York, his skull bludgeoned and his throat cut from ear to ear. Cherryvale Museum Serial killer music is a genre unto itself. Elvira allegedly could not understand English, while the younger Benders denied the claim. 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. Southeast Kansas, in particular, was known as a rough area. HISTORICAL MARKER Last night, I listened to a story from my grandfather, Emerson Smalley, about the Benders and their supposed end. One arm was broken. When the party arrived at the inn they found the cabin empty of food, clothing, and personal possessions. His family was from the Cherryvale, Kansas area, and the story involves a group of men that found the Benders and were in a gunfight with them, one of whom was a judge that lost part of his ear in the gun battle. Kate was the fifth child of Ma Bender and was born Eliza Griffith. Their murders were carried out by use of a canvas curtain that divided the house into two rooms. 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. On October 31, 1889, it was reported that a Mrs. Almira Monroe (a.k.a. They were never caugnt. The group is believed to be one of the first serial killer families in America. 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. About 75 people attended the gathering, including both Bender men. 1) May 1871: Mr. Jones. York reached Fort Scott, and on March 9 began the return journey to Independence, but never arrived. Cherryvale, Kansas Museum 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. This historical marker was erected by Kansas State Historical Society and Kansas Department of Transportation. His son chose a narrow piece of land just north of his fathers; however, he never lived on his claim nor made any improvements. 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. Somehow, he escaped, appearing naked in the middle of the night at Jesse Smalleys doorstep. 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 -. In her lectures she publicly declared that murder might be a dictation for good; that in what the world might deem villainy, her soul might read bravery, nobility, and humanity. Body found in Drum Creek with a crushed skull and throat cut. The right knee had been wrenched from its socket, and the leg doubled up under the body. Catch up here! Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. The story of the Benders' escape spread, and the search continued on and off for the next 50 years. They were released after being found not guilty, but were then immediately re-arrested for the Bender murders. This unnamed man was one of the many who made the mistake of stopping at the Bender Inn. If you live in that town in Kansas today, oh yeah you know about it. 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. Kate was a self-proclaimed healer and psychic, gave lectures on spiritualism, and conducted sances. A roadside sign now marks their murderous exploits. 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?) In 1967, three of the Bender hammers were gifted to the museum by the Dick family. One of the women would cut the victim's throat to ensure death, and the body was then dropped through the trap door. A Catholic priest claimed to have seen one of the Bender men concealing a large hammer, at which point he became uncomfortable and quickly departed. Although the elder Benders kept to themselves, Kate and her brother regularly attended Sunday school in nearby Harmony Grove. 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. After the third hanging, they released him and he staggered home "as one who was drunken or deranged. [5], When York repeated the claim, Elvira became enraged, said the woman was a witch who had cursed her coffee, and ordered the men to leave her house, revealing for the first time that "her sense of the English language" was much better than was let on. According to the May 23, 1873 edition of The Emporia News, he was identified with the name of William Bender. He has a white man in his trunk, an informant who has helped him track Calamita to the Liberal, Kansas, area. The Benders are believed to have killed about a dozen people, including one child. Today, Smalley descendants continue to live in the Neodosha and Cherryvale area. I used to have their Dahmer album way back. [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. This went on for years until they killed someone related to a Civil War hero and a senator. Buried in the apple orchard. What a uniquely weird unsolved mystery. In 1923 it was donated to the Kansas Museum of History by York's wife but is not on display; still bearing reddish-brown stains on the blade, it can be seen upon request. Whether the stuff of folklore or fact, many believe that the trapped souls of these century-old ghosts continue to lurk at the site today. The family includes Andrew Mellon, one of the longest-serving U.S. Treasury Secretaries, along with prominent members in the judicial, banking, financial, business, and political professions, as well as a famous recluse, Cordelia Scaife May . Gabe Gibson, Effingham, Illinois, as told to him by his grandfather, Emerson Smalley, January 2011. Mrs. Monroe resisted, declaring that she would not be taken alive, but was subdued by local deputies. When neighboring communities started to make slanderous insinuations, the Osage Township called a meeting held at the Harmony Grove schoolhouse in March to see what, if anything, could be done. 23) February 1872: Two unidentified men found on the prairie in February 1872 with crushed skulls and throats cut. While there is no definitive number, estimates report that the Benders killed at least a dozen travelers before their crimes were discovered. She also claimed to possess psychic powers, including communicating with the dead. Yeah! They killed as many as 26 people, I believe there is a museum that stills has a bloody knife they used. As the haunting legend continued, people began to say that Kate Bender had returned to the property, doomed to roam the very land where she had committed so many atrocities. flower arranging classes northern virginia. Colonel A.M. York, leading a contingency of some 50 men, began questioning every traveler along the trail and stopping at the area homesteads. 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. RELATED: Missed the last episode? Rabbi would not have been one of the Mellons.). 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. The Bloody Benders - Serial Killers of Kansas Bender Mounds, Kansas by Kathy Alexander. A beautiful girl of about 23, she was quick to laugh and talk to strangers. She is fun enough. 215 East 4th Street They were never found and later I formed my own conclusions why. 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. Another group claimed they had caught the Benders and lynched them before throwing their bodies into the Verdigris River. They were never caugnt. [7], A bad odor was noticed and traced to a trap door underneath a bed, nailed shut. The breastbone had been driven in. melon mounds kansas murders. On May 17th, Governor Thomas Osborn added to that amount by offering a $2,000 reward for the apprehension of all four. Those most often reporting glowing apparitions on the property were those who came to the site in search of some long-lost souvenir of the grisly murders. 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. Kate's popularity became a large attraction for the Benders' inn. [7], They then probed the ground around the cabin with a metal rod, especially in the disturbed soil of the vegetable garden and orchard, where Dr. York's body was found later that evening, buried face down with his feet barely below the surface. The family consisted of John Bender, his wife Elvira and their son John Jr. and daughter Kate. 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. Also, sleep with one eye open. 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..