Peter Netzel

On The Trail Of The Benders Peter Netzel

ON THE TRAIL OF THE BENDERS is the account of the grisly details of the mass murders perpetrated by the Bender Family in Kansas and what happened to them after their crimes were discovered. Their story is told through a series of newspaper accounts from the time. On April 3, 1873, a party of men rode up to this roadside tavern and asked the Bender family if they had heard or seen anything of the missing Dr. York. They claimed to be ignorant of his whereabouts. A few days afterward, another party called and made the same inquiry. The Bender family, fearing that they were suspected, hitched up their team and drove away. On May 9, another searching party, while passing Bender's inn, noticed it was deserted. This seemed odd to them. So they investigated the empty house and grounds around it. In certain places, the ground had settled noticeably; and the indentations were about the size of graves. The ground was then dug up and the badly decomposed body of Dr. York was found. His skull had been crushed and throat cut. Before nightfall seven more bodies were exhumed.