The Bloody Benders: Deranged Killer

The Bloody Benders Seeing an Inn along the osage trail was a blessing for many who took on this grueling path. Unfortunately for some it spelt their demise. A family of deranged killers ensnared their victims with promises of bed, rest, and the supernatural. Nearly all the travelers who stayed the night never left. This unsuspecting but strange family turned out to be one of the most deranged killers of the 19th century.

Background

At first there was nothing strange about a German family moving to Kansas. The Bloody Benders were supposedly made up of a family of German immigrants that moved to Labette County, Kansas (McCoy.) They moved to this area in October of 1870 (Cappello). The family of four consisted of John Bender, Sr., John Bender,

All York’s party could do was scour the Bender property. Three hammers were found on the bender property that matched with the wounds on the victims (“The Disturbing Story.”) Blood was splattered all over the cellar walls of the Bender household (Andrej.) Bodies were scattered about their property including the remains of children (Dimri.) York’s search had come to an end when his body was uncovered in an orchard near the Bender property (Andrej.) His brother was found.

The family had a horrible way of Killing (See figure 6.) From what was found at the murder site it could be deduced that the Benders led unsuspecting victims into a room split in half with a canvas wall (Dimri.) From there the charming kate bender would lull them into a false sense of security (McCoy.) The family would then strike at them from the other side of the canvas with hammers (Cappello.) A gruesome way of killing befitting a savage

Sources report that their victims range from 11 to 21 people (Andrej; Kathy.) Their most likely motive was robbery; they stole whatever they could from the remains of travelers (McCoy.) Even with all this damning the Benders could not be charged because they were nowhere to be found.

Benders Gone From here the whereabouts of the Benders differ. Some reports state that the benders fled through tribal lands where prosecuting them was next to impossible (Farley.) Other accounts state that Kate and John Jr seeked shelter in an outlaw colony near New Mexico; meanwhile John Sr and Elvira were spotted in St Louis, Missouri.(Cappello.) Some say they were spotted in Texas carrying large rifles (Farley.)

A Trial in Niles, Michigan on October 22, 1889 may reveal something about the Benders. Almira Monroe and her daughter Sarah Eleiza Davis had gone to trial over a dispute between common household items (Cappello.) Many of the townspeople believed that those two were Elvira and Kate bender, but nothing was truly confirmed