Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - The Bloody Benders Pt. 2

Episode Date: July 28, 2022

For years, people had been disappearing along the Osage Mission Trail. Between their odd behavior and the horrible stench inside their cabin, the Bender family were obvious suspects. So a town trustee led 75 volunteers onto the property. But things didn’t go as planned. . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Due to the graphic nature of this story, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes discussions of violence and murder. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. May 6, 1873, the stench of decay and sweat hung heavy in the air around the bender property. Men shoveled dirt while a group of spectators watched. Other than the sound of metal cutting through earth, the Kansas prairie was silent. Suddenly, the crashing of wagon wheels interrupted the quiet. A wagon barreled toward the crowd and came to a halt in front of the ruins of the Benter cabin.

Edward York jumped to the ground and onlookers whispered as he marched into what remained of the house, jaw clenched and brows furrowed. When he emerged, Edward was deathly pale. In his hands, he clutched a horse's bridle like a long-forgotten treasure. He'd seemed shaken by what he'd found. In a daze, Edward scanned the barren landscape. Suddenly, as if possessed, he strode toward a patch of soil untouched by the diggers. He grabbed the ramrod from a rifle.

The young man plunged the tool into the dirt, repeatedly stabbing the ground, grunting with effort. The crowd watched quietly, wondering if the young man had cracked. Finally, instead of hitting more earth, the ramrod dug into something horrifically soft. Edward's breath caught as he knelt on the ground and brushed away a layer of dirt. His fingers touched something cold. Shocked, Edward backed away from the hole. His face filled with horror. A group of men ran over to see what he'd discovered.

Digging around the disturbed soil, their shovels hit a lifeless form. There, sticking out of the black earth was a human body. Hi, I'm Greg Poulson. This is Serial Killers, a Spotify original from Parcast. Every episode, we dive into the minds and madness of serial killers. Today, we're wrapping up the mysterious story of the Bloody Benders. I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richardson. Hi, everyone. You can find episodes of Serial Killers and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free on Spotify.

Last time, we met John, Kate, Ma and Pa Bender, who built a cabin of horror in LeBett County, Kansas. The home and makeshift grocery store was a popular stop along the Osage Mission Trail. But as we learned, it was just a ruse to lure innocent travelers to their deaths. Today, we'll watch victims' family members trace their missing loved ones directly to the door of the treacherous family, only to endanger themselves. We've got all that and more coming up. Stay with us. This episode is brought to you by ZipRecruiter, Whether you're hiring for a role or searching for a killer, the hunt can be exhausting.

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flattened by the winds from the Great Plains. With only a few hills and tree clusters, the ground seemed to stretch on forever before disappearing into the horizon. The cabin was also pretty standard. A long rectangular wooden box with a pointed roof stood in stark contrast to the pale open sky. The only thing that made the property stand out

was a small, freshly planted apple orchard. Determined saplings burst from the soil, twisting toward the sky. sky in orderly rows. By 1872, the Bender cabin had a reputation amongst locals for being filthy and smelly. But the apple orchard was the opposite. Its presence lent an endearing quality to the bizarre family of four. In his mid-20s, John Gepphardt had a mustache, a pair of close-set gray eyes, and a nervous

habit of high-pitched laughter. Paw or John Bender was around 60 years old. Griseled paw barely spoke. and middle-aged Elvira Bender, or Ma, was even meaner and more recluse. Kate Bender was by far the town's favorite. The 20-something was stunning, with a flirtatious nature and self-proclaimed spiritual powers. Men stopped by just to catch a glimpse of her in the apple orchard. Visitors often saw one of the family members raking the topsoil,

watering the saplings or sitting amongst the tiny branches. In some ways, the orchard made the Benders with all their peculiar. more approachable. Except approaching the vendor cabin was the last thing anyone should have done, because the family business was murder, and the Osage Mission Trail was their never-ending supply chain. For almost three years, the vendor's lured travelers into their home only to kill them. Then the family stole their money and stole their belongings.

Beyond the family, John also worked with criminals in Texas. to steal horses and sell them through his connections. He likely also used that opportunity to traffic the items that the vendors took from their victims, many of whose names will never know. But there are a few stories that stand out. Benjamin Brown wanted to move with his wife, Mary, and two children closer to town. So in late 1872, he hit the trail, traveling from Osage Mission to independence, intending to secure a loan and buy a property.

But along the way, Benjamin stopped at the Bender cabin for a night and was never seen again. When Benjamin didn't come home, Mary knew something was wrong. She worried that he'd been injured somewhere along the trail, and the thought tormented her. Vanessa is going to take over on the psychology here and throughout the episode. Please note, Vanessa is not a licensed psychologist to a psychiatrist, but we have done a lot of research for this show. Thanks, Greg. According to a 2015 study published in the Journal of Effective Disorders, people who face the disappearance of a loved one may have a similar level of post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD

and depression as those whose loved one dies. However, the people struggling with the disappearance don't get the closure of death, so their symptoms of PTSD and depression may stay higher for much longer. The hope that their loved one is still alive can actually be the very cause, of their pain. Wanting to alleviate that pain, Mary Brown was desperate for answers and took matters into her own hands. She retraced her husband's path by stagecoach, from Osage Mission to Independence, knocking on every door along the way.

After traveling around 25 miles, Mary finally made it to the Bender Cabin. We only know the basics of her visit, but based on the family's typical treatment of guests, we can speculate about what happened. Kate would have welcomed Mary inside and offered her a cup of coffee. But when Mary announced that she was looking for her husband, the atmosphere likely sharpened. John and Paw exchanged glances. Tenths. In that moment, the family wondered what to do.

Perhaps they should cover their tracks. Working her charm, Kate took the frantic woman's hand, comforting her. Mary smiled weakly, grateful for the support. She had no idea that she was so. holding the very hands that slit her husband's throat. Thinking quickly, Kate suggested that she rest a while. Mary wanted to keep searching, but she was tired and the cabin was warm, so she decided to spend the night with the benders.

After Mary went to sleep, the family likely debated what to do. On one hand, killing both members of the Brown family might draw unwanted attention to the cabin. On the other, Mary's prying could prove dangerous. Either way it was a risk, and Mary's fate lay in their hands. In the morning, Mary woke to beams of sunlight shining through the window. Determined to continue the hunt for her husband, she thanked the family for their compassion and set out. She didn't know how lucky she was that she escaped with her life. But not everyone was so fortunate.

In 1871, a blacksmith named George Longkor lost his wife, a wife, week after the birth of their baby girl, Marianne. Suddenly, George was a single father working full-time. Luckily, his good friends and neighbors, Dr. William and Mary York, were kind enough to watch Marianne while he was at his job. But being a full-time blacksmith and single parent just wasn't sustainable. So George decided to move from Onion Creek, Kansas, to Iowa, where his late wife's parents lived. There, they could look after Marianne. Just before Christmas in 1872, George dressed his daughter in layers of clothes and rested her in a rabbit-fur-lined basket. Then he said farewell to the Yorks and set out on the Osage Mission Trail.

But winter travel proved difficult. The icy wind stung George's face, and his fingers grew so numb he couldn't feel the horse's reins in his hands. Though Marianne was wrapped tightly in blankets, the thought of losing another family member made George extra cautious. But after nearly 30 miles of traveling north, he saw the bender cabin. The glow of the fire was all the welcome he needed. We can only speculate about what happened next, but considering the benders operated like a well-oiled machine, we have a pretty good idea of how things went down.

Kate and John ushered George inside and seated him at the table. There, he was right in front of the wagon canvas sheet, which was thick enough to hide Paa and Ma's shadows from the back room. Kate offered to hold Marianne, giving the tired father a break. And as George regained feeling in his fingers and toes, Paa crept up to the sheet from the back, grasping his hammer tight. While George watched Kate doat on the baby, Paw pulled the curtain back and swung the hammer with all his strength.

The blow cracked George's skull, and he slumped over the table motionless. While Ma pushed aside the straw mattress and opened the trap door, Kate and John went through his pockets, taking any cash they could find. But before they could finish their usual process, it seems they had an unexpected visitor. Freight hauler John Handley and a traveling companion arrived at the cabin. There's no way to confirm the exact timing of Hanley's arrival, but based on how the family reacted, it seems believable that he interrupted them in the middle of something sinister. Hanley shouted a greeting as he and his buddy tied up their horses.

Inside, the family froze in place, panicked. Unless they acted quickly, this night could be their downfall. Knowing they had only seconds, John and Paa likely dumped George's body in the cellar, then shut the trap door. They crouched on top of it, holding it in place in case George had somehow survived the blow to the head. Meanwhile, Kate thrust baby Marianne into Ma's arms, cleaned the place as best she could, and extinguished the lanterns,

hoping the shadows would hide any sign that something was wrong. Then Ma ducked into the back, her gnarled hand held lightly over the baby's mouth to prevent noise. And when everything was still, Kate waited for the men to enter. When Handley and his friend walked into the cabin, they were surprised by the dim lighting. It was freezing outside, but inside wasn't much.

much better. And it wasn't just the air that felt frigid. Kate was uncharacteristically cold. She stood in front of the canvas sheet, still and wary. When Hanley stepped forward to greet her, she jolted away from the curtain, perhaps hoping to draw attention away from the back room. She explained she wasn't cooking that night and said the men should just buy groceries for the road.

When Hanley's friend asked if they could build a fire, John appeared from behind the curtain. He stepped defiantly in front of the stove, demanding an extra fee for the wood. Hanley and his companion exchanged a glance. It was clear they weren't welcome. Meanwhile, Hanley's dog, who'd been shuffling around outside, burst into the cabin. Sniffing the floorboards, the animal crawled under the table where George had sat, presumably only minutes earlier, and scratched at the floor. Paul lurched from behind the back curtain, a large,

stick in hand, yelling at the animal. It was all too strange for Handley. He and his friend grabbed the dog and headed back into the freezing night. Anything was better than the treatment they just received. Back in the house, the family relaxed. But with Marianne asleep on a straw mattress, they were reminded that their work wasn't over yet. Now they had to finish the job. Coming up, the Bender family picks the wrong victim.

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He'd served as a surgeon in the Civil War a decade earlier, and it still affected him. Haunted by the men he saw die, he threw himself into his medical practice, working so hard he often became bedridden. When George disappeared, William couldn't bear the thought of letting another man die, let alone a good friend. So in early March, he decided to travel the Osage Mission Trail to look for George and Little Mary Ann. William said goodbye to his wife, promising to return on March 18th at the latest. But Mary felt a pit in her stomach as she waved farewell.

She said a prayer through her tears, already counting down to the 18th. For his part, William was determined to stop at every house. household on the close to 100 mile journey to ask about George. With crisp blue skies and the first blossoming greens of the season, the chill didn't bother him at all. He was on a mission. However, after 45 miles of meeting strangers who couldn't help, the doctor grew weary. One evening, as the sun set low enough to cast long, purple shadows across the prairie, William

came upon the Bender Cabin. Once again, we can only speculate what happened next, but it's easy to imagine that the saplings in the apple orchard danced in the spring breeze, inviting him closer. After tying his horse up outside, William greeted Kate and the rest of the family. He described George and his daughter, hoping the benders had seen them. Kate, speaking for the clan as usual, said no. But this was the second time a victim's loved one had come knocking at their door. It didn't bode well.

In fact, it felt like a threat to their way of life. Perhaps it was William's practiced questions, or maybe it was just because he was a man traveling alone. But the family clearly felt that they couldn't let him leave to stir up trouble. He needed to be silenced. When Kate invited him to stay for a hot dinner, William gratefully accepted. But as he sat at the table in the front room, he was overcome with a familiar smell. The odor brought him back to the battlefield. to searching through piles of dead men looking for survivors.

With horror, he realized what it was that clung to every corner of the cabin, the stench of death. But it was too late. Paz's hammer swung through the air, stunning William. Next, Kate ran a blade across his throat, the killing blow. The family then stripped him of all his belongings and dragged his body into the cellar, where George had died just a few months. earlier. Kate took a deep breath. The danger had passed for now, but it felt like the walls

were closing in on them, and it was only a matter of time before they were caught. Because it wasn't just their victim's loved ones they had to contend with. You see, by this stage, Kate was losing her footing in the local community. Kate had always been friendly and charismatic at church, and her business as a spiritual healer made her interesting to the locals. At least, it had at first. But that year, Kate pushed her services harder than ever before. She started showing up at the doorstep of the sick and dying and wouldn't leave until families hired her.

We don't know why she ramped up the intensity, but it's possible that the benders were running out of money and murder just wasn't enough to pay the bills. In early March, Kate took things a step too far. Her friend Delilah Dien's Ted lost her husband, and with the one-year anniversary of his death approaching, Kate kept pushing her to try a seance. Delilah refused every time, though. She just wasn't interested. Not to be deterred, Kate showed up at Delilah's house unannounced. Thankfully, Delilah's mother-in-law, Henrietta was working in the garden. Henrietta glared at the interloper, while Kate offered her soft-spoken condolences and explained she was there for a seance. But

Henrietta was having none of it. She untied Kate's horse from the garden post and held the reins out, a firm order to leave. Once she realized the dismissal was final, Kate's expression slid into a disgusted pout. Still, she got on her horse and rode away. After that incident, Delilah and Henrietta told everyone that Kate Bender was not to be trusted. In fact, the entire family was suspect. They'd never been popular, but Kate had been at least tolerated.

Now, however... While the Benders lost favor with their neighbors, they had no idea that another storm was brewing elsewhere in Kansas. When William York hadn't come home by March 18th, his wife knew something was wrong. She discussed the matter with William's brother Alexander, who was also worried. And this is where the vendor's real trouble began. Alexander York wasn't your average family man. As a former colonel in the Union Army and a successful attorney,

he was elected to the Kansas State Senate in 1872, and with his own flesh and blood missing, the senator was determined to find answers. First, he enlisted the help of his youngest brother, Edward, who engaged the services of a private investigator named Thomas Beers. Then he gathered a large search party of between 65 to over 100 men. Some of them were looking for missing relatives of their own, but most were simply fueled by the adventure. Starting in independence, the siblings followed William's path some 60-mile,

north through the towns of Osage Mission, Lador and Parsons. Everyone they spoke to remembered the doctor, but it seems no one knew where he was now. The mob followed the brothers on horseback, setting up camp outside the cities. Hordes of men wandered the towns, asking questions about the disappearances. They caught a lucky break in Parsons, where a local had seen William heading towards Big Hill Creek, but that seemed to be the last time anyone had seen it. With little else to go on, Alexander turned his attention to who could possibly be responsible for his brother's disappearance. It wasn't long before someone brought up the Bender family. Between John's laughter and Maw's scowl, the benders were an odd bunch.

The same local also told the Yorks that two years prior, Edward Earn accused the benders of stealing from his family. They also brought up Delilah and Henrietta's latest feud with Kate. If there was anyone around her responsible for people going missing, it was sure to be the benders. Now, Alexander York was a practical man who wasn't inclined to believe rumors without evidence, but the stories about the strange family were the best lead so far. He decided it was worth investigating. On the morning of April 4, 1873, Alexander and Thomas Spears, the investigator, decided to pay the benders a visit. They were about seven miles north of the town when Alexander spotted the Bender's apple orchard, which thrived in the spring sunshine.

John was sitting by the saplings reading the Bible and nodded a hello when the visitors got close. When the two men said they had some questions to ask, John waved them inside, perhaps feeling nervous. When Alexander stepped into the front room, he was surprised by the state of the place. He was careful not to be rude about the filth. but there was something curiously familiar about the odor. According to a 2015 study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, smells can enhance the retrieval of memories and even trigger trauma-related flashbacks. After presenting a group of 73 participants with various odors associated with combat,

the researchers recorded their anxiety levels. 77% of war veterans with PTSD reacted extremely negatively to the manufacturer, smell of a dead body. But so did two-thirds of veterans without the condition. It seemed the stench of death severely affected most veterans, no matter their trauma levels. While many of the travelers who came through the cabin only registered a bad smell, those who served in the Civil War like William and Alexander York probably felt anxious and distressed, whether or not they consciously recalled the odor. They associated it with their violent experiences. Perhaps that explained Alexander's suspicions when he walked through the door.

Alexander was on high alert as he greeted Kate. He told her that they were searching for his brother, William, and asked her to use her abilities as a medium to determine whether or not he was dead. On hearing William's name, Kate's smile faltered. She ran her hands along her skirt, as if smoothing the fabric would even out her nerves. But she couldn't help but notice Beers the detective, taking notes. She had to tread carefully. Using her most pleasant voice, Kate said the task of determining William's fate was too big a mystery to execute with so little preparation.

Alexander nodded in understanding. He wasn't a believer. He just wanted an excuse to meet the family. But Beers scoffed at Kate's excuse and mumbled something about her not having any powers after all. Suddenly, Ma lunged forward, cursing and shouting at the man, apparently incensed at his accusation. Everyone jumped to their feet in shock. After that, it was clearly time for the visitors to be on their way. As he left the cabin, Alexander shook his head.

The benders didn't seem like murderous masterminds to him. They just seemed odd. But just when he was about to leave the cabin, Kate caught up to him. She touched his arm lightly and told him she would have an answer if he came back another night, alone. Alexander shook her hand off. there was no denying Kate's beauty. Her auburn hair tucked in a neat bun with small curls that rested on her cheeks. Even the tiny scar beneath her eye was intriguing. But there was something sinister lurking behind her smile that unsettled him. He declined her offer. Back at home,

Alexander thought about the family. He hadn't found any evidence that they were involved in his brother's disappearance, or any disappearance for that matter. But he couldn't shake the encounter. But he couldn't shake the encounter from his mind. Kate's vague answers, Ma's angry outburst, the unmistakable smell of death that hung in the cabin. It all unsettled him, and he felt like maybe the locals were onto something. Maybe the benders were dangerous. Of course, he couldn't be sure. He needed to search the cabin for evidence that his hunch was right. So that night, Alexander and Beers made a plan. They would get the governor's aide to search every homestead in the area. Then if their search came up empty elsewhere, they'd go back to the Benders and demand answers.

At least, that was the plan. Coming up, the mysterious end to the Bloody Bender story. This episode is brought to you by Prime. Obsession is in session. And this summer, Prime Originals have everything you want. Steamy romances, irresistible love stories, and the book to screen favorites you've already read twice. Off campus, L. Every year after, the love hypothesis, Sterling Point, and more.

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You in? Must be 21 to enter. Now the end of the story. At the beginning of May 1873, Billy Toll rode by the Benjers land while rounding up his cattle. He wasn't the nosy sort, but that morning he heard a strained, desperate scream coming from the property. Billy followed the noise toward a stable, outside a sound. lay in the mud, too weak to stand. A calf lay dead nearby. It looked like the benders hadn't fed their animals in weeks. Taking a look around the property, Billy called out for Kate and John. His only answer was the wind. Curious and perhaps a little worried about what he might find inside,

he walked towards the family's small cabin. Billy walked up to the door, but didn't get too close. Still, he gagged at the stench. The house had always been filthy, but this was overwhelming. The smell of rot crawled through the back of his throat. Billy scanned the room. Clothes lay scattered on the floor. Silverware and kitchen utensils were flung around. It seemed like the family left in a hurry. Looking around, he could see that even the family's beloved apple orchard had wilted. Desperate for fresh air, Billy stumbled back. back from the house. He climbed onto his horse and spurred it toward town. He had to tell people what he'd seen.

The news was the talk of Cherryvale. People had been whispering that maybe the benders were responsible for the missing travelers. Even Alexander York had seemed convinced. But if the family themselves had vanished, it was going to make connecting them to the disappearances much harder. So there was only one thing for that. It was time to properly explore the little cabin next to the orchard. A few days later, Leroy Dick, the town trustee, led a group of local men onto the vendor property. There were 75 volunteers in all.

After all they'd heard about the benders and everything they suspected, everyone was curious about what they might find. For Leroy, it was about far more than curiosity. Like Alexander York, Leroy had a personal connection to the case. His cousin Henry had gone missing on the O'Say. mission trail months earlier. Leroy hoped that searching the property might give him the answers he was looking for. Inside the cabin, Leroy and his men battled through the same thick stench Billy Toll experienced. Those who fought in the Civil War recognized it immediately, the smell

of decomposing bodies. They knew they were in the right place. We're sure they'd solved the mystery. A glint of metal caught Leroy's eye from underneath the stove, bending down he pulled. He pulled out three hammers. The smallest was a three-inch claw hammer. The second had a longer handle and an elongated head. The third was a five-pound sledgehammer. A shiver ran down Leroy's spine. He set the ominous tool aside and walked into the back room,

where the smell was even stronger. He looked around, his eyes watering from the putered air. He kicked aside one of the straw mattresses, revealing the trap door. Seeing that, Leroy was positive he'd find one of the missing men beneath the floorboards. His heart pounding, he grabbed the handle, braced himself, and yanked. A wave of stench washed over the room, so strong that Leroy had to resist the urge to throw up. But when he peered inside, the cellar was empty.

However, the cellar floor was stained with curious red blotches. A few of the men suggested that the benders might have buried bodies underneath the sandstone slab, but it was impossible for the group to dig out the rock from where they stood. The only solution, as odd as it might sound, was to remove the entire cabin. For the next few hours, the volunteers used wagons and horses to tear the wooden house off of its foundation and reveal the cellar. The activity caught the attention of passers-by, and a crowd of spectators gathered around the scene. Finally, the uprooted cabin was discarded and sunlight struck the open cellar. For hours, the men took turns digging, taking breaks only to throw up from the smell of decay.

But eventually they gave up. There was nothing down there. Leroy and his men stared into the empty pit, confused and dismayed. Just when all seemed lost, Edward York sped onto the property. Word of what was going on had reached the town, and he, he couldn't resist the chance to find clues to his brother's fate. Edward stepped into what remained of the dislodged house and looked around. Among the mess, something caught his eye.

Thrown behind the grocery shelves was a tangle of ropes. Edward picked up the straps and his heart skipped a beat. It was a horse's bridle, and it belonged to William. Dazed, Edward walked out of the house where the crowd of volunteers and onlookers watched his every move. He scanned the property, hoping to see something that Leroy and his men had missed. That was when his eyes landed on the apple orchard. To all who passed, the orchard was the one pleasant aspect of the bender's property.

But now that the saplings had been left to die, it was easier to notice an unusual pattern in the soil. Silent Edward marched forward and grabbed a ramrod from one of the men. He hurried toward the orchard and plunged the tool in the soil. into the ground, grunting as he separated dirt and roots from the earth. Again and again, he dug into the soil. After only a few minutes, the ramrod hit something thick and soft. Edward froze. Slowly, he pulled the tool out of the ground.

It was covered in chunks of flesh. Edward stumbled back, as Leroy ordered his men to take over, five feet beneath the surface they uncovered a man's upper bar. body. They had found their first victim. Once the corpse was exhumed, everyone gathered around the horrific sight. The victim's throat had been cut severely, and his head was completely smashed in. But the man's face was still in one piece, and when Edward looked down at the man, he recognized him. It was his brother.

Finally, the York family had their answer. In his attempt to find his friend George Longcor and his daughter, William himself became a victim of the benders. And it was clear he wasn't the only one. Over the next few days, volunteers continued to dig in the orchard. One by one, they pulled out the bodies of men who'd gone missing. In the same mass grave, Leroy found George and his daughter Marianne. George had the same brutal wounds as the others, but Marianne appeared untouched. Maybe she'd been smothered to death, or perhaps the family buried her alive. There wasn't time to puzzle out exactly what happened. The dig was still going.

To add to the locals' horror and confusion, they found dismembered body parts and men they didn't recognize. It was hard to know exactly who or how many lay beneath the Bender's Garden of Death. In all, Leroy and his men discovered eight bodies, including one shoved into a well on the property. With the other murder victims found in the area over the previous three years, plus missing person cases, the bender's body count hovered at 11. But the real number was likely much higher.

The mob of volunteers, disgusted by the sight of so many corpses, were determined to bring the benders to justice. But they'd have to find them first, and it had been weak since anyone had seen the family. So men set out to local train stations asking anyone they crossed if they'd seen. the four family members. Eventually, someone spotted the Bender's wagon, abandoned at a station outside Thayer, Kansas, about 16 miles away. From there, the family could have easily hopped a train to Texas, but there were reports that Ma and Pa had bought train tickets to Missouri.

The truth was, nobody knew where the family had gone, and with so many people looking for the wanted killers, it was hard to distinguish real leads from rumors and hearsay. Locals were so desperate for answers that they started to turn on each other. One night, locals accused the Bender's neighbor, Rudolf Brockman, of aiding the family's crimes. Rudolph denied being involved, but no one was listening to him. With no proof he'd done anything wrong, the group started yelling, cursing, and even throwing things at the man. Eventually, the incensed mob dragged Rudolph to the Bender's cabin, and they tied a noose around his neck. They tossed the rope over a beam and hoisted Rudolph into the air,

watching him kick and scream for his life. But they didn't care about his pleas. They just wanted a confession. They wanted someone to blame. But it's unlikely that any of Rudolph's attackers rationally believed that he helped kill all of those people, fueled by anger, grief, and likely alcohol. The group collectively snapped, feeding off one another's energy.

Back in the 1870s, especially on the frontier, law enforcement was so disorganized that mob justice was common. But this wasn't actually motivated by a true sense of justice. According to a 1991 paper published in the Wajibu Journal, mob justice is, quote, actually the emotional purging of bottled up frustrations, either against oneself or against the society at large. It's possible that the group of men unconsciously gave one another, permission to hurt an innocent man simply because they were angry. If the benders weren't there to hang, why not find someone else?

Thankfully, the mob eventually let Rudolph down. Perhaps they came to their senses. Or maybe they hoped the benders would soon be caught and they could exact vengeance on them. They weren't the only ones holding out hope. Word of the bender family's crimes and mysterious disappearance eventually reached Kansas' is Governor Thomas Osborne. He'd heard of the surge in disappearances along the Osage Mission Trail,

and now that the culprits had a face and a name, he wanted to make an example. Governor Osborne announced that he would pay $500 per family member to the person who found and delivered the benders to him. It was the highest amount of money the state could legally award.

Likely because of the reward, newspapers frequently printed sensational headlines all about the bloody benders. Every day, people reported sightings, spread gossip, and even reported their own neighbors. The hunt for the family became a nationwide circus. Unfortunately, it was a circus that went nowhere fast. Thomas Spears, the private detective, went on an expedition through Kansas and Texas, hoping to track the killer family down.

But a criminal contact led him on a wild goose chase. By the time he realized he'd been hoodwinked, the trail was stone cold. The benders were gone. And frustratingly, that's where the story ends. To this day, no one knows what happened to the murderous Benders after they skipped town. There were theories that they met up with John's criminal contacts and took refuge among the outlaw community, but that's all they were, theories. Questions without a definitive answer. The mystery of their ending might be why the story of the bloody Benders is so enduring.

Without the truth, all anyone can do is wonder. That mystery may also be why the tale is so unsettlingly creepy. The benders appeared in Kansas and no one ever really knew where they came from, or if they even were a family. Then after staining the earth with the blood of their victims, they vanished like specters in the night. Maybe their time in Kansas was just one chapter of their story. Perhaps they went on to claim more lives even as they laid low. Then again, maybe they met their own untouched. timely demise somewhere in the wilderness.

The only thing any of us can really be certain of is this. We'll never know the full story of the bloody Benders. Thanks again for tuning in to serial killers. We'll be back soon with a new episode. For more information on the Bender family, amongst the many sources we used, we found Hell's Half Acre, the untold story of the Benders, a serial killer family on the American frontier,

by Susan Janice, extremely helpful to our research. You can find all episodes of Serial Killers and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free on Spotify. We'll see you next time. Have a killer week. Serial Killers is a Spotify original from Parcast. Executive producers include Max and Ron Cutler, sound designed by Michael Motion, with production assistance by Ron Shapiro, Trent Williamson, and Carly Madden. This episode of serial killers was written by Kit Fitzgerald, edited by Ben Carrow and Joel Callan, fact-checked by Bennett Logan, researched by Brian Petrus, and produced by Joshua Kern.

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