1 00:00:01,440 --> 00:00:04,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you Should Know, a production of I 2 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:13,120 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh, 3 00:00:13,119 --> 00:00:15,840 Speaker 1: and there's Chuck and Jerry's here too, So this is 4 00:00:16,079 --> 00:00:22,040 Speaker 1: Stuff you should Know, the Murder Family edition. Yeah, Halloween 5 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:24,759 Speaker 1: right around the corner. I've always liked to think of you, 6 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:29,280 Speaker 1: me and Jerry is a kind of murder family. Uh, 7 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:32,479 Speaker 1: as in you and in Jerry. Right. We always have 8 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:34,839 Speaker 1: to correct that because people think you're talking about you 9 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:39,920 Speaker 1: and your wife. Right, Okay, you me comma you comma 10 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:42,920 Speaker 1: me comma? No, No, I mean me my wife, you, 11 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:45,320 Speaker 1: me and Jerry. I've always thought about it, you know, 12 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:49,160 Speaker 1: I'm kidding. I miss what you said though you thought 13 00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:52,520 Speaker 1: it was. Is what a murder from murder family? Yeah? Sure, 14 00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:57,639 Speaker 1: in the kindest possible way, exactly exactly. Um No, we're 15 00:00:57,680 --> 00:01:00,360 Speaker 1: in a murder family. And after everybody learned about the 16 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:03,160 Speaker 1: Bloody Benders, they'll be like, yeah, Josh and Chuck and 17 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:06,120 Speaker 1: Jerry or no murder family. Um and we wouldn't want 18 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:08,160 Speaker 1: to be either, because it turns out murder families are 19 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:12,120 Speaker 1: not so great. Chuck, right, And can we shout out 20 00:01:12,160 --> 00:01:15,600 Speaker 1: a listener who submitted this topic? Oh yeah, definitely that's 21 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:17,399 Speaker 1: I feel like it's happening more and more like a lot. 22 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:21,000 Speaker 1: As our world gets smaller, our listeners are reminding us 23 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:23,760 Speaker 1: that it is quite large. Uh. And we got this 24 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:28,000 Speaker 1: one from a Kanson that's very appropriate. Is that how 25 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:31,840 Speaker 1: you say it? Kansa? I think it's Kansinian night, Okay, 26 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:37,360 Speaker 1: Kanzinia nighte uh named Star White. And apparently Starr was 27 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:42,720 Speaker 1: traveling UH with the family through Kansas and saw signs 28 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:46,800 Speaker 1: in Montgomery County for the Benders, the Bloody Benders and 29 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:51,840 Speaker 1: things commemorating this and said, I'm a Kanson, a Kansania Nite, 30 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:54,440 Speaker 1: and I had no idea that this was a thing. 31 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:57,680 Speaker 1: I gotta learn more about this, So we're doing one. 32 00:01:58,000 --> 00:01:59,560 Speaker 1: You know, we like to keep it spooky in October 33 00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:02,480 Speaker 1: where we can't sure for sure, and there's nothing spookier 34 00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:07,720 Speaker 1: than a serial killing family. Interestingly, to um this past, 35 00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:11,000 Speaker 1: I think march Um. What I'm taking to be is 36 00:02:11,280 --> 00:02:14,959 Speaker 1: one of the definitive books on the Benders came out. 37 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:18,720 Speaker 1: It's called Hell's half Acre uh, and it is by 38 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:26,520 Speaker 1: an author named named a drum Roll named Susan Joe Nousus. 39 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:28,760 Speaker 1: That's how I'm going with her last name but it 40 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:31,359 Speaker 1: came out in March called Hell's Health Acre, and um, 41 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:33,880 Speaker 1: it does look pretty awesome, so I figured that had 42 00:02:33,919 --> 00:02:36,280 Speaker 1: to do with this, But no, it's just completely off 43 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 1: the cuff from a listener from Kansas. Huh, just driving through. 44 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:42,240 Speaker 1: Great name too, by the way, Star White, what a 45 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:46,760 Speaker 1: great name. It's almost like star wipe. No one, do 46 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:51,320 Speaker 1: you like it? It's your favorite transition that I do 47 00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:53,640 Speaker 1: know what bender actually, but this is I don't think 48 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:57,480 Speaker 1: there's any relation. Yeah, because it's not entirely clear that 49 00:02:57,480 --> 00:03:00,120 Speaker 1: that was even their names too, so we should talk it. 50 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:02,880 Speaker 1: We're talking about a family that lived in Kansas in 51 00:03:02,919 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 1: the eighteen seventies at a time when Kansas was like 52 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 1: the front tier, maybe even maybe even beyond the frontier um. 53 00:03:10,919 --> 00:03:14,120 Speaker 1: The Trail of Tears had happened by this time, so 54 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:17,919 Speaker 1: the o Sage people who had lived there previously have 55 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:21,600 Speaker 1: been forced off their land and moved further west to Oklahoma, 56 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:25,160 Speaker 1: and the federal government said, come anybody, all you criminals, 57 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:28,920 Speaker 1: you unsavory characters, people escaping your past, come and settle 58 00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:32,239 Speaker 1: here in Kansas. It's like Australia but in the center 59 00:03:32,280 --> 00:03:35,160 Speaker 1: of the United States. That's right, Did you do bad 60 00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:38,240 Speaker 1: things back east, right, just pick up your bags and 61 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:41,000 Speaker 1: head west. That's precisely right. And so a lot of 62 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:43,040 Speaker 1: them stopped in Kansas. Again, this was the frontier, but 63 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:45,960 Speaker 1: people were still going west too. So um, as we'll 64 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:48,600 Speaker 1: find out this this family, the Bender family kind of 65 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:51,480 Speaker 1: put up a claim or set down a claim. They 66 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:53,680 Speaker 1: did something with the claim. I'm not not quite up 67 00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:57,840 Speaker 1: on my like, um old prospect or terminology claim something Yeah, 68 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 1: on this road that kind of kept leading west, and 69 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:03,920 Speaker 1: they they set up a tavern in for people to 70 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:06,440 Speaker 1: stop in, which is neither here nor there quite yet, 71 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:08,880 Speaker 1: but I just kind of wanted to foreshadow that there's 72 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:12,200 Speaker 1: going to be a tavern coming in the future. That's right, 73 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:15,600 Speaker 1: And that's probably a generous term for what they set up. Uh. 74 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:17,480 Speaker 1: It was a pretty remote well, I guess, you know, 75 00:04:17,920 --> 00:04:20,480 Speaker 1: not to make too many Kansas jokes, but it was 76 00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:25,760 Speaker 1: a pretty remote part of Kansas, in southeastern Kansas invent Uh. 77 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:28,239 Speaker 1: It was not Cherry Vell yet, but it would eventually 78 00:04:28,279 --> 00:04:33,760 Speaker 1: become Cherry Veil. And at first the two uh gentlemen 79 00:04:33,839 --> 00:04:37,520 Speaker 1: arrived John Bender, Sr. He was around sixty years old. 80 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:41,440 Speaker 1: People called him Paw. He didn't talk a lot when 81 00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:44,080 Speaker 1: he did talk. It was mostly in German. Uh. And 82 00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:46,760 Speaker 1: then he was with a younger guy in his twenties. 83 00:04:47,480 --> 00:04:49,920 Speaker 1: And you know, we're gonna say things like identified as 84 00:04:49,920 --> 00:04:52,200 Speaker 1: his son or you know, may or may not have 85 00:04:52,279 --> 00:04:55,240 Speaker 1: been the daughter. Like this is because of a lot 86 00:04:55,279 --> 00:04:58,360 Speaker 1: of things, partially just you know, a lot of record 87 00:04:58,440 --> 00:05:01,719 Speaker 1: keeping back then wasn't super solid. It, especially when it 88 00:05:01,720 --> 00:05:04,720 Speaker 1: turns out you may be using aliases and he may 89 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:07,520 Speaker 1: be faking that you're a family or you may actually 90 00:05:07,560 --> 00:05:10,760 Speaker 1: be a family. Like no one really knows for sure, uh, 91 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:14,240 Speaker 1: the facts of this, but John Bender Jr. Was with 92 00:05:14,320 --> 00:05:17,480 Speaker 1: him uh and he also occasionally went by an alias. 93 00:05:18,440 --> 00:05:21,320 Speaker 1: Uh put a pin in this one named John Gebhart 94 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:28,400 Speaker 1: Chris get Heart. He's a comedian, he's great. But apparently 95 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:32,360 Speaker 1: John Gebhart or John Bender Jr. Um was a bit 96 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:37,640 Speaker 1: of a comedian's himself. But some reports he was his 97 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:40,880 Speaker 1: own audience and no one else was. So to put 98 00:05:40,960 --> 00:05:44,480 Speaker 1: in another way, he apparently laughed at stuff like inappropriately 99 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:49,200 Speaker 1: like Dr hibbert um and also at times when exactly 100 00:05:49,839 --> 00:05:52,240 Speaker 1: that was a great John Bender Junior impression by the 101 00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:55,839 Speaker 1: r but um at times where people were like this, 102 00:05:55,839 --> 00:05:58,599 Speaker 1: this guy ain't quite right and he also talked a lot, 103 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:01,600 Speaker 1: so he was kind of an odd fixture as well 104 00:06:02,160 --> 00:06:04,800 Speaker 1: as we'll find out the whole family was. Yeah, he 105 00:06:04,839 --> 00:06:08,839 Speaker 1: had a German accent, but did speak fluent English. Uh. 106 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:12,800 Speaker 1: And some people think he may have been intellectually disabled. Um, 107 00:06:12,839 --> 00:06:14,599 Speaker 1: looking at kind of some of the things that happened, 108 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:18,159 Speaker 1: it seems like I don't know about clear, but you know, 109 00:06:18,279 --> 00:06:21,320 Speaker 1: at a time in eighteen seventy, they wouldn't have been 110 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:24,720 Speaker 1: categorizing people as such anyway, you know, no for sure, 111 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:28,160 Speaker 1: but from the articles of the time, That's what I'm 112 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:31,880 Speaker 1: going with from now on. Um, they they they nobody 113 00:06:31,960 --> 00:06:34,640 Speaker 1: said anything even remotely like that. I saw it on 114 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:37,479 Speaker 1: one I think the Crime Reads article, and that was 115 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:40,800 Speaker 1: about it. I just got the impression that was really 116 00:06:41,240 --> 00:06:44,919 Speaker 1: kind of weird and almost like a Jethro clamp It type. 117 00:06:44,920 --> 00:06:48,120 Speaker 1: That's who he reminds me of. Okay. Uh So what 118 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:52,320 Speaker 1: they built on their hundred and sixty acres was uh 119 00:06:52,360 --> 00:06:54,159 Speaker 1: you called it a tavern. I call it just a 120 00:06:54,160 --> 00:06:57,000 Speaker 1: big room kind of like a bunk a bunk house. 121 00:06:57,000 --> 00:06:59,760 Speaker 1: And maybe they called it or Olivia, who helped us 122 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:02,719 Speaker 1: with this, called it a foothouse. But it was sixt 123 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:06,039 Speaker 1: ft wide, twenty four ft long. So what they eventually 124 00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:10,040 Speaker 1: did was they would put up a canvas sheet kind 125 00:07:10,080 --> 00:07:12,760 Speaker 1: of splitting it into They lived in the back and 126 00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:14,720 Speaker 1: then they called you know, they called it an inn, 127 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:17,120 Speaker 1: you called it the tavern. It was really just a 128 00:07:17,240 --> 00:07:20,880 Speaker 1: room with some canned goods and supplies and I think 129 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:23,640 Speaker 1: a couple of beds, sort of like a bunk house. 130 00:07:23,680 --> 00:07:26,560 Speaker 1: It was not fancy at all. No, but I'm guessing 131 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:29,640 Speaker 1: like as you were passing through Kansas back then and 132 00:07:29,680 --> 00:07:36,120 Speaker 1: maybe even today, it was pretty appealing. Do you think, Well, 133 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:37,680 Speaker 1: I mean it was better than sleeping out on the 134 00:07:37,720 --> 00:07:40,000 Speaker 1: open prairie with the bedroll, right, you know, there's a 135 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:43,400 Speaker 1: hot meal. You know, they probably had tobacco, and yeah, 136 00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:45,560 Speaker 1: I mean, it was better than nothing. And I think 137 00:07:45,760 --> 00:07:47,560 Speaker 1: I get the impression. Also. One of the things that 138 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:50,600 Speaker 1: made it better than nothing was um the daughter who 139 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:53,120 Speaker 1: I say, we meet right now. Her name was Kate, 140 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:55,840 Speaker 1: and she showed up after this this tavern, this house 141 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:59,640 Speaker 1: had been built. That's right. The two ladies were sent 142 00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:03,160 Speaker 1: for after everything was done, and it was Ma Bender, 143 00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:07,040 Speaker 1: who everyone just sort of assumed was the wife and 144 00:08:07,080 --> 00:08:10,680 Speaker 1: the the matriarch of the family. She went by Elvira 145 00:08:10,880 --> 00:08:16,480 Speaker 1: sometimes she was maybe in her fifties and let on 146 00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:19,560 Speaker 1: like she didn't speak any if very little, if any 147 00:08:19,560 --> 00:08:22,080 Speaker 1: English at all, but I had like a terrible temper. 148 00:08:22,200 --> 00:08:25,560 Speaker 1: She was widely reputed about from anybody that met her 149 00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:28,440 Speaker 1: that she was just a terrible cuss of a person 150 00:08:28,520 --> 00:08:32,000 Speaker 1: from what I gather. Yeah, in fact, I think she 151 00:08:32,080 --> 00:08:35,040 Speaker 1: may have been the one sort of leading this whole charge. 152 00:08:35,559 --> 00:08:37,680 Speaker 1: I've seen both. I've seen her or I've seen Kate, 153 00:08:37,760 --> 00:08:41,160 Speaker 1: and Kate Kate was the daughter. She was UM in 154 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:44,640 Speaker 1: her twenties. But I think more than anything, Um she 155 00:08:44,920 --> 00:08:49,160 Speaker 1: uh kind of attracted passers by with flyers um advertising 156 00:08:49,160 --> 00:08:53,840 Speaker 1: her mediumship like she was into spiritualism and free love 157 00:08:53,880 --> 00:08:58,080 Speaker 1: apparently too, and who knows what that means. In eighteen 158 00:08:58,120 --> 00:09:01,680 Speaker 1: seventies Kansas, she was shown a little ankle. I don't know, 159 00:09:01,920 --> 00:09:03,720 Speaker 1: like I have no idea what free love means in 160 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:08,240 Speaker 1: that context, but it was unusual at least and got attention. Um. 161 00:09:08,400 --> 00:09:10,760 Speaker 1: Some people thought she may have been the daughter. Other 162 00:09:10,800 --> 00:09:14,120 Speaker 1: people thought that they presented she and John Jr. As 163 00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:17,440 Speaker 1: Um a couple. So it's just sort of one of 164 00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:21,680 Speaker 1: those things. It's it's it's loose out there in eighteen seventies, Kansas. Right. 165 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:24,240 Speaker 1: So one other thing I read Chuck that Levy didn't 166 00:09:24,280 --> 00:09:28,040 Speaker 1: quite hit on, um was that this family, they weren't 167 00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:31,040 Speaker 1: like exactly you know, fading into the woodwork or the 168 00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:33,920 Speaker 1: prairie like. They were well known in their little community, 169 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:36,400 Speaker 1: mainly because they were only like eight or ten other 170 00:09:36,400 --> 00:09:39,840 Speaker 1: settlements around them at the time, but also because I 171 00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:42,079 Speaker 1: think they were the only ones running a tavern, and 172 00:09:42,160 --> 00:09:45,000 Speaker 1: they had an orchard. That will factor in later, but 173 00:09:45,120 --> 00:09:48,680 Speaker 1: apparently their cherries and apples and peaches were like really 174 00:09:48,720 --> 00:09:51,600 Speaker 1: prized out there at the time. So they were part 175 00:09:51,640 --> 00:09:54,040 Speaker 1: of the community, but they were known to be weird. 176 00:09:54,200 --> 00:09:56,720 Speaker 1: In Ma in particular. You just kind of avoided her 177 00:09:56,760 --> 00:10:00,040 Speaker 1: as best as you could. Right. So they have of 178 00:10:00,160 --> 00:10:02,200 Speaker 1: things set up. It's on the edge of the Great 179 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:05,480 Speaker 1: oh Sage Trail, which is, like you mentioned earlier, where 180 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:07,880 Speaker 1: a lot of people continued westward, and it was a 181 00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:10,480 Speaker 1: good place to have a little bunk house that that 182 00:10:10,720 --> 00:10:13,600 Speaker 1: you know, sold a few things. Uh, what's the word, 183 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:18,960 Speaker 1: I'm looking for a general store? No? Um, all these 184 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:24,199 Speaker 1: bargain house rations okay, yeah, selling rations and things like that. 185 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:27,840 Speaker 1: They sell rations at Ali's. What is allis it's like 186 00:10:28,280 --> 00:10:32,360 Speaker 1: a deep discount liquidary. Like if you stole a truck, 187 00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:34,560 Speaker 1: you just drive it over there and they'll buy everything 188 00:10:34,559 --> 00:10:35,959 Speaker 1: and then turn around and sell it. I don't think 189 00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:38,280 Speaker 1: they actually do that, but it's the appearance of that 190 00:10:38,400 --> 00:10:42,760 Speaker 1: kind of thing. Uh. Yeah, we should be clear. I 191 00:10:42,800 --> 00:10:45,520 Speaker 1: think I've never heard of ALI, so I'm I'm innocent 192 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:47,520 Speaker 1: of this. You should go wander around one and you'd 193 00:10:47,559 --> 00:10:50,480 Speaker 1: be like, Okay, I got you. Here's an oriental rug, 194 00:10:50,679 --> 00:10:53,880 Speaker 1: here's um some off brand bleach on the next stile. 195 00:10:53,960 --> 00:10:56,440 Speaker 1: Like it's just just that yeah, oh yeah. It's like 196 00:10:57,800 --> 00:11:02,800 Speaker 1: all over the place, in every strip mall, in every city, 197 00:11:02,840 --> 00:11:06,040 Speaker 1: in every in every country in the world. It may 198 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:08,000 Speaker 1: be one of those things that's so ubiquitous. I've just 199 00:11:08,040 --> 00:11:11,800 Speaker 1: never noticed it right under my nose. All right. So 200 00:11:11,800 --> 00:11:13,720 Speaker 1: they set up in Allies right there on the great 201 00:11:13,720 --> 00:11:17,120 Speaker 1: out stage trail, and maybe this is a good place 202 00:11:17,160 --> 00:11:20,120 Speaker 1: to take our first break. Oh I wasn't expecting that. 203 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:53,600 Speaker 1: Let me see. Okay, that sounds good, okay, chuck so um. 204 00:11:53,640 --> 00:11:56,839 Speaker 1: One of the things that Um made the Benders made 205 00:11:56,920 --> 00:11:59,160 Speaker 1: us call the Benders and murder families that they started 206 00:11:59,240 --> 00:12:03,040 Speaker 1: murdering people pretty shortly after they set up this homestead 207 00:12:03,440 --> 00:12:06,320 Speaker 1: along the O s Age Trail. And one of the 208 00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:09,640 Speaker 1: things about Kansas at the time was it was really 209 00:12:10,200 --> 00:12:14,000 Speaker 1: really violent. Um. Not just in the wars against the 210 00:12:14,080 --> 00:12:18,680 Speaker 1: Native Americans there. UM, there were also um pro slavery 211 00:12:18,679 --> 00:12:24,480 Speaker 1: and anti slavery factions that committed atrocities against one another. Um. 212 00:12:24,520 --> 00:12:27,520 Speaker 1: The Civil War by bread kind of broke out thanks 213 00:12:27,559 --> 00:12:29,920 Speaker 1: to Kansas. I'm struggling which kind of state it was 214 00:12:29,960 --> 00:12:32,840 Speaker 1: going to be. UM. So it was a really violent place. 215 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:35,760 Speaker 1: And it was with that kind of violent backdrop that 216 00:12:36,280 --> 00:12:40,120 Speaker 1: a family could just kill a bunch of travelers with 217 00:12:40,120 --> 00:12:42,800 Speaker 1: without anyone really taking notice. Because it was also just 218 00:12:42,840 --> 00:12:45,560 Speaker 1: the kind of place where people just went missing. It 219 00:12:45,679 --> 00:12:48,520 Speaker 1: just happened. It was a really dangerous place to travel. 220 00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:51,680 Speaker 1: So when it happened, it didn't exactly like set off 221 00:12:51,760 --> 00:12:56,040 Speaker 1: the media and search parties didn't usually come out for people. Yeah, 222 00:12:56,080 --> 00:13:00,800 Speaker 1: absolute um. However, when they start turning up in regular 223 00:13:00,920 --> 00:13:03,960 Speaker 1: order around town, then you've got a problem. And that's 224 00:13:03,960 --> 00:13:06,760 Speaker 1: what happened. Uh. In May of eight seventy one, the 225 00:13:06,800 --> 00:13:12,199 Speaker 1: body of a man was found in local Drum Creek. UH. 226 00:13:12,240 --> 00:13:16,199 Speaker 1: This is southeast of the Benders House. And this is 227 00:13:16,320 --> 00:13:19,080 Speaker 1: very key here, he had his he had been brained, 228 00:13:19,120 --> 00:13:22,400 Speaker 1: he had his skull bashed in and had his throat cut, which, 229 00:13:22,440 --> 00:13:26,120 Speaker 1: as you will see, becomes the recurring m O of 230 00:13:26,160 --> 00:13:30,520 Speaker 1: this family. Yep uh. Two more men were found shortly after, 231 00:13:30,679 --> 00:13:34,199 Speaker 1: I think a few months later. A few months after that, um, 232 00:13:34,360 --> 00:13:37,319 Speaker 1: another body was found all in the creek and apparently 233 00:13:37,360 --> 00:13:41,080 Speaker 1: they all um had that same kind of a mortal 234 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:44,800 Speaker 1: wound or that combination of injuries. And one of the 235 00:13:44,840 --> 00:13:48,560 Speaker 1: bodies was identified as a man named William Jones, and 236 00:13:48,840 --> 00:13:51,040 Speaker 1: he had been carrying known to have been carrying about 237 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:54,200 Speaker 1: two fifty dollars, which at the time was like a 238 00:13:54,280 --> 00:13:58,760 Speaker 1: lot of money to today, close to it, okay, And 239 00:13:58,800 --> 00:14:01,239 Speaker 1: he was going to pay off his mortgage for his homestead, 240 00:14:01,280 --> 00:14:03,600 Speaker 1: which is something people did at that time too. It's 241 00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:06,040 Speaker 1: another thing that made it dangerous. A lot of people 242 00:14:06,040 --> 00:14:08,000 Speaker 1: were walking around with a lot of cash because they 243 00:14:08,040 --> 00:14:11,320 Speaker 1: were going to buy land, pay off mortgages, do god 244 00:14:11,400 --> 00:14:14,360 Speaker 1: knows what, and there weren't banks, so they were traveling 245 00:14:14,400 --> 00:14:17,640 Speaker 1: with cash. And this guy was exactly that. And there 246 00:14:17,679 --> 00:14:19,800 Speaker 1: was a farmer whose land he was found on that 247 00:14:19,880 --> 00:14:22,640 Speaker 1: was initially accused, but they were like, I don't think 248 00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:24,760 Speaker 1: it was him, so he got off, but I'm sure 249 00:14:24,800 --> 00:14:28,040 Speaker 1: he was like wait what what No, it wasn't me. Yeah. 250 00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:29,760 Speaker 1: And the way he got off too, was kind of 251 00:14:29,760 --> 00:14:34,600 Speaker 1: frustrating as a uh like a crime enthusiast reader, because 252 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:38,160 Speaker 1: they investigated it and they found that, uh, the wagon 253 00:14:38,200 --> 00:14:41,880 Speaker 1: that dropped him had a very distinctive track that one 254 00:14:41,920 --> 00:14:45,160 Speaker 1: of the back wheels was off center, and I kept 255 00:14:45,200 --> 00:14:49,080 Speaker 1: waiting for that to come back as like, remember that wagon, 256 00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:53,360 Speaker 1: that's what eventually led to the killers. But spoiler alert, 257 00:14:53,440 --> 00:14:56,480 Speaker 1: that does not happen. So don't put a pin in it. 258 00:14:56,560 --> 00:14:58,680 Speaker 1: Take the pin out of that, Yeah, just take throw 259 00:14:58,720 --> 00:15:03,400 Speaker 1: that pin away, break into so. Um. The thing about 260 00:15:03,800 --> 00:15:05,760 Speaker 1: I think one of the reasons why people started getting 261 00:15:05,760 --> 00:15:08,120 Speaker 1: hot under the collar about these murders too, is that 262 00:15:08,200 --> 00:15:11,000 Speaker 1: this area got a really bad reputation really fast. Like 263 00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:13,880 Speaker 1: it was like you avoid the spot as best you can, 264 00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:16,520 Speaker 1: like maybe go out of your way to avoid this 265 00:15:16,640 --> 00:15:19,920 Speaker 1: area on the O Sage Trail because people just wind 266 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:23,560 Speaker 1: up missing there. Um. And that kind of got people 267 00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:28,000 Speaker 1: aware of like the whole, the whole problem that the 268 00:15:28,040 --> 00:15:30,080 Speaker 1: area was facing, but they didn't know who it was, 269 00:15:30,800 --> 00:15:33,600 Speaker 1: and they certainly hadn't centered on the benders. The benders 270 00:15:33,640 --> 00:15:37,000 Speaker 1: just had a reputation as being odd and um, possibly 271 00:15:37,040 --> 00:15:42,960 Speaker 1: a little um maybe violently unusual, but not murderers by 272 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:46,480 Speaker 1: any stretch. They just weren't suspected for a really long time. 273 00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:53,800 Speaker 1: Violently unusual. Yeah, what a reputation. Yeah, that's pretty serious. Uh. 274 00:15:53,840 --> 00:15:56,000 Speaker 1: Here's another story too that you do need to get 275 00:15:56,040 --> 00:15:58,000 Speaker 1: that pin out put it back together, that you Josh 276 00:15:58,040 --> 00:16:00,760 Speaker 1: told you to break in and put a pin in 277 00:16:00,800 --> 00:16:06,160 Speaker 1: this story because this was chronologically speaking, February seventy three, 278 00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:10,600 Speaker 1: a woman who didn't really have any money apparently stopped 279 00:16:10,640 --> 00:16:13,680 Speaker 1: at the home, asked to rest, asked for some food, 280 00:16:14,520 --> 00:16:17,720 Speaker 1: fell asleep on a bed in the back, and then 281 00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:22,080 Speaker 1: when she woke up there was mob bender and she 282 00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:26,680 Speaker 1: pointed to a table covered in pistols and knives and said, 283 00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:33,120 Speaker 1: there your suppers ready. So this lady somehow apparently manages 284 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:37,560 Speaker 1: to stay composed and not like react with alarm after 285 00:16:37,800 --> 00:16:41,600 Speaker 1: like waiting up fiddle, yeah exactly, and said I just 286 00:16:41,640 --> 00:16:44,760 Speaker 1: need to step outside for a minute to to do something. 287 00:16:44,800 --> 00:16:48,080 Speaker 1: Just apparently made a private excuse, is what the Kansas 288 00:16:48,120 --> 00:16:52,760 Speaker 1: City Time said, and um and ran and took off 289 00:16:52,840 --> 00:16:56,120 Speaker 1: running barefoot. Basically, you know, in her sleeping clothes, ran 290 00:16:56,160 --> 00:16:59,440 Speaker 1: for a couple of miles to find help. And it's 291 00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:01,520 Speaker 1: hard to parse together what this sentence from the Times 292 00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:04,080 Speaker 1: even means, but I'm taking it to mean that it didn't. 293 00:17:04,119 --> 00:17:07,439 Speaker 1: Really it still didn't set off alarm bells for this family. 294 00:17:07,520 --> 00:17:09,680 Speaker 1: It didn't. And that, by the way, is a classic 295 00:17:09,760 --> 00:17:15,239 Speaker 1: example of being violently unusual. Okay, you know they were 296 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:17,920 Speaker 1: just like, if you're violently unusual, you have the kind 297 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:20,960 Speaker 1: of house that people run two miles away from in 298 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:24,400 Speaker 1: their bare feet wee, where guns and knives are presented 299 00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:27,719 Speaker 1: his supper exactly right. So this is just kind of 300 00:17:27,760 --> 00:17:30,400 Speaker 1: going along. The benders are homing along do and there 301 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:33,080 Speaker 1: murdering thing. People don't really suspect them, but the area's 302 00:17:33,080 --> 00:17:37,840 Speaker 1: got a bad reputation. But there was a series of murders, 303 00:17:37,880 --> 00:17:41,400 Speaker 1: actually a combo one two punch of murders that finally 304 00:17:41,480 --> 00:17:45,240 Speaker 1: led to their discovery as a murder family. And the 305 00:17:45,280 --> 00:17:48,240 Speaker 1: first thing started with a guy named George Newton long Core, 306 00:17:48,840 --> 00:17:52,520 Speaker 1: who um left Independence, Kansas, which was just to the 307 00:17:52,560 --> 00:17:56,159 Speaker 1: west of Cherry Veil along the O Sage Trail, and 308 00:17:56,200 --> 00:17:58,560 Speaker 1: he was on his way to Iowa, so we would 309 00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:01,639 Speaker 1: have passed through Cherry veil Um along with his eighteen 310 00:18:01,680 --> 00:18:05,439 Speaker 1: month old daughter, mary Anne, and he never made it 311 00:18:05,480 --> 00:18:08,399 Speaker 1: to Iowa. And that caught the attention another man, a 312 00:18:08,400 --> 00:18:12,000 Speaker 1: physician named William York, who was his neighbor and was 313 00:18:12,040 --> 00:18:15,439 Speaker 1: concerned enough that he started traveling around inquiring about him 314 00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:17,080 Speaker 1: to see if he could figure out what happened to 315 00:18:17,119 --> 00:18:20,760 Speaker 1: George and his daughter mary Anne. Yeah. Good neighbor, Yeah, 316 00:18:20,880 --> 00:18:23,159 Speaker 1: really good neighbor, like to do such a thing to 317 00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:27,840 Speaker 1: take this trip. So starts investigating, finds out that the 318 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:32,359 Speaker 1: the horse and wagon team was abandoned near Fort Scott, 319 00:18:32,480 --> 00:18:36,560 Speaker 1: Kansas and in the spring. Um, I mean, I think 320 00:18:36,560 --> 00:18:38,760 Speaker 1: that's what led him to go out there. So he's 321 00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:41,240 Speaker 1: out there in the spring, he gets to Fort Scott, 322 00:18:41,840 --> 00:18:44,240 Speaker 1: all that stuff is still there. Basically all other stuff 323 00:18:44,280 --> 00:18:46,960 Speaker 1: had been abandoned. They were nowhere to be found. So 324 00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:49,639 Speaker 1: he's like, something is going on. I need to go 325 00:18:49,680 --> 00:18:54,280 Speaker 1: back to Independence. And then he disappears. Yeah, and that 326 00:18:54,480 --> 00:18:56,680 Speaker 1: really caught the attention of people because it turned out 327 00:18:56,880 --> 00:18:59,800 Speaker 1: Dr William York And if I said Edward the first time, 328 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:02,119 Speaker 1: he's forgive me. His name was William and he was 329 00:19:02,160 --> 00:19:04,520 Speaker 1: a doctor, and he was a York and there were 330 00:19:04,520 --> 00:19:06,480 Speaker 1: two other Yorks. He had a brother named Edward, who 331 00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:08,560 Speaker 1: was neither here nor there, but he had a really 332 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:12,440 Speaker 1: important brother named Alexander York, who was a colonel from 333 00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:15,399 Speaker 1: the Civil War and also a Kansas senator. So they 334 00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:18,679 Speaker 1: had murdered the brother of a Kansas senator who was 335 00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:21,119 Speaker 1: known to be out looking around the area of Cherry 336 00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:24,280 Speaker 1: Vale for somebody else who had gone missing. And that 337 00:19:24,359 --> 00:19:28,240 Speaker 1: really got people's antenta up, Yeah, big time, enough to 338 00:19:28,240 --> 00:19:32,440 Speaker 1: where they got a search party. Colonel Alexander I think 339 00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:36,479 Speaker 1: about seventy five men set off and they were, you know, 340 00:19:36,560 --> 00:19:40,360 Speaker 1: they were scouring around. They were, uh, they basically kind 341 00:19:40,359 --> 00:19:42,440 Speaker 1: of figured out at one point that they definitely went 342 00:19:42,480 --> 00:19:44,920 Speaker 1: by the Bender's house. So let's go by and talk 343 00:19:44,960 --> 00:19:47,720 Speaker 1: to these people, see what's going on. When they do 344 00:19:47,840 --> 00:19:52,080 Speaker 1: this mob Bender um, you know, claims to not speak English, 345 00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:55,720 Speaker 1: which seems like her Her main jam, her big joke 346 00:19:55,880 --> 00:19:59,439 Speaker 1: besides here's her supper of guns and knives, was I 347 00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:03,439 Speaker 1: also don't speak English. Uh, Kate Young Kate says, I 348 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:07,560 Speaker 1: don't know anything about this guy, and then John Jr. Said, Hey, listen, 349 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:09,840 Speaker 1: I was shot at when I was out there at 350 00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:12,280 Speaker 1: Drum Creek where all these like bodies have been found, 351 00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:15,600 Speaker 1: and I can take you out there and like maybe 352 00:20:15,680 --> 00:20:19,040 Speaker 1: the people that shot at me killed your friends as well. Yeah, 353 00:20:19,119 --> 00:20:22,720 Speaker 1: and again, just imagine jeth throw Clampitt saying this and 354 00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:25,480 Speaker 1: taking people out to look at a place where he 355 00:20:25,520 --> 00:20:28,280 Speaker 1: claims to have been shot at. Right. I just I 356 00:20:28,320 --> 00:20:33,240 Speaker 1: love that bit so um so. But he's also just cookie, 357 00:20:33,280 --> 00:20:37,000 Speaker 1: you know, Um, did you watch The Beverly hill Billies? 358 00:20:37,440 --> 00:20:41,240 Speaker 1: I did, like a lot. Uh, yeah, yeah, I watched 359 00:20:41,240 --> 00:20:43,720 Speaker 1: it a lot. So do you remember the time or 360 00:20:43,760 --> 00:20:46,040 Speaker 1: the period? I guess it was a phase where Jethrow 361 00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:50,720 Speaker 1: ended up becoming like a movie producer in Hollywood. Yeah, 362 00:20:51,280 --> 00:20:52,840 Speaker 1: it was got a little weird later in that show, 363 00:20:52,920 --> 00:20:55,639 Speaker 1: it really didn't get weird. So it's not clear whether 364 00:20:55,760 --> 00:20:59,760 Speaker 1: this is that Hollywood producer of Jethrow or the original 365 00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:04,320 Speaker 1: uh mountaineer son of Jethro. Either way, it works pretty good. 366 00:21:04,520 --> 00:21:07,240 Speaker 1: But he takes Alexander and the search party out there. 367 00:21:07,520 --> 00:21:10,080 Speaker 1: I guess he gave enough of an explanation and was, 368 00:21:10,359 --> 00:21:12,800 Speaker 1: you know, pointing out different spots well enough that they're 369 00:21:12,840 --> 00:21:16,440 Speaker 1: like either they believed him or they just didn't really care, 370 00:21:16,480 --> 00:21:20,120 Speaker 1: and they kind of headed on Basically, Yeah, I mean 371 00:21:20,240 --> 00:21:22,359 Speaker 1: he showed bullet holes in a tree, or not holes 372 00:21:22,359 --> 00:21:25,960 Speaker 1: but bullet markings, uh, which you know Kansas in the 373 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:28,120 Speaker 1: eighteen seventies, about half the tree said bullets in him. 374 00:21:28,960 --> 00:21:31,359 Speaker 1: So that doesn't prove anything, but like you said, it 375 00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:34,840 Speaker 1: was enough at least sniff them slightly off the case, 376 00:21:36,160 --> 00:21:38,520 Speaker 1: at least temporarily. Um. But they came back a few 377 00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:42,440 Speaker 1: days later. Said, listen, we heard about this lady over 378 00:21:42,480 --> 00:21:46,080 Speaker 1: the past few days who came here. And I don't 379 00:21:46,119 --> 00:21:51,000 Speaker 1: want to really start anything, but she said that you said, 380 00:21:51,040 --> 00:21:53,320 Speaker 1: here's your supper, and it was guns and n eyes. 381 00:21:53,960 --> 00:21:57,880 Speaker 1: There's something about a pistol supper or something like That's 382 00:21:57,920 --> 00:22:01,760 Speaker 1: that's weird. She ran away barefoot for two miles and 383 00:22:01,800 --> 00:22:03,480 Speaker 1: no one made a big deal out of it. But 384 00:22:03,640 --> 00:22:06,040 Speaker 1: now we kind of want to know. This is where 385 00:22:06,080 --> 00:22:10,080 Speaker 1: mob Bender all of a sudden starts speaking English. Apparently 386 00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:13,000 Speaker 1: the quote is she flew into a violent patch and 387 00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:15,560 Speaker 1: and went off saying, you know that that lady was 388 00:22:15,560 --> 00:22:19,840 Speaker 1: a witch and she has uh you know, cursed Kate's 389 00:22:19,880 --> 00:22:23,359 Speaker 1: coffee and that she was gonna drink and if she 390 00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:25,480 Speaker 1: ever comes back here, I'm gonna kill her. We got 391 00:22:25,480 --> 00:22:27,159 Speaker 1: her out of here. She was a witch. Yeah, she 392 00:22:27,280 --> 00:22:30,880 Speaker 1: converted Kate's coffee into that mushroom coffee, and now Kate 393 00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:35,359 Speaker 1: refuses to drink it. What's mushroom coffee? It's exactly what 394 00:22:35,440 --> 00:22:39,960 Speaker 1: it sounds like. Don't actually have coffee. Oh, it's made 395 00:22:39,960 --> 00:22:43,720 Speaker 1: out of mushrooms. Yeah, uh yeah, you should try it sometime, 396 00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:46,080 Speaker 1: just to say you tried it. Now. That's what on 397 00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:49,560 Speaker 1: those survival shows. They get like roots and twigs and 398 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:53,440 Speaker 1: boil that stuff down. They're like, here's my morning coffee. 399 00:22:53,600 --> 00:22:57,600 Speaker 1: Have fun with that. So um so they so again 400 00:22:57,840 --> 00:22:59,880 Speaker 1: still like they were kind of like, Okay, this family's 401 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:02,920 Speaker 1: really weird, but we don't really have anything on them. 402 00:23:02,960 --> 00:23:05,919 Speaker 1: But it was enough that Um Alexander Yorke kind of 403 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:11,200 Speaker 1: stuck around town and they held a meeting um with 404 00:23:11,320 --> 00:23:14,720 Speaker 1: for basically the whole town that Pa and John Jr. 405 00:23:14,840 --> 00:23:17,440 Speaker 1: Even attended, and they said, Hey, this place has a 406 00:23:17,440 --> 00:23:20,480 Speaker 1: bad reputation. Something's going on. These two people at the 407 00:23:20,560 --> 00:23:23,080 Speaker 1: very least have been have turned up missing. We need 408 00:23:23,119 --> 00:23:29,000 Speaker 1: to just search everyone's homestead. And apparently very brassily, uh, 409 00:23:29,280 --> 00:23:32,000 Speaker 1: at least one neighbor said, I've got nothing to hide, 410 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:35,040 Speaker 1: search my homestead, and Pa said the same thing. He said, 411 00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:37,959 Speaker 1: I don't either. You guys search my homestead, and so 412 00:23:38,119 --> 00:23:40,879 Speaker 1: I guess they kind of did a slow motion search, 413 00:23:40,960 --> 00:23:43,760 Speaker 1: because it was at least a week I saw, if 414 00:23:43,800 --> 00:23:45,840 Speaker 1: not a couple of weeks before they finally made it 415 00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:49,199 Speaker 1: out to search the Benders place. And when they showed up, 416 00:23:49,240 --> 00:23:52,440 Speaker 1: they realized very quickly that the Benders weren't there and 417 00:23:52,560 --> 00:23:56,359 Speaker 1: probably hadn't been there since the night of that meeting. Yeah, 418 00:23:56,440 --> 00:23:58,439 Speaker 1: when they realized, they told people to come and search 419 00:23:58,480 --> 00:24:02,960 Speaker 1: their house. You said, my favorite part about Kid's jam 420 00:24:03,040 --> 00:24:05,000 Speaker 1: is that they asked her to do the seance to 421 00:24:05,080 --> 00:24:07,480 Speaker 1: like give some more information, like people if you're so 422 00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:10,240 Speaker 1: good at that, And she said, now, it's like it's 423 00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:12,920 Speaker 1: it's daytime. There's too many people around, Like have you 424 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:15,680 Speaker 1: ever seen the seance? She's like, why don't you come 425 00:24:15,680 --> 00:24:17,760 Speaker 1: back tomorrow night, just the two of you and we'll 426 00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:20,200 Speaker 1: do one. And they were like, no, thank you, right, 427 00:24:21,119 --> 00:24:22,880 Speaker 1: I think I'll take the zero in that one. Yeah, 428 00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:26,600 Speaker 1: that's what I'm saying, doctor, Colonel. No. Colonel Alexander York 429 00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:31,600 Speaker 1: was a sharp dude, basically, Yeah, but the townspeople weren't 430 00:24:31,640 --> 00:24:33,760 Speaker 1: sharp enough to go. I don't know if they were 431 00:24:33,760 --> 00:24:36,040 Speaker 1: searching other places. I know there was a weather issue, 432 00:24:36,840 --> 00:24:38,920 Speaker 1: but like you said, by the time they got there, 433 00:24:38,960 --> 00:24:43,439 Speaker 1: they were Gonzo's um. They left there, they took a 434 00:24:43,480 --> 00:24:46,360 Speaker 1: train because they found their horse and wagon and even 435 00:24:46,400 --> 00:24:50,680 Speaker 1: their dog just on a public street near the train station. Uh. 436 00:24:50,720 --> 00:24:52,760 Speaker 1: And they got the heck out of Dodge, well not 437 00:24:52,800 --> 00:24:55,600 Speaker 1: out of Dodge, out of what would become Cherry Veil, 438 00:24:55,880 --> 00:24:58,960 Speaker 1: very close, very close. So the volunteers were like, well, 439 00:24:59,000 --> 00:25:00,800 Speaker 1: I guess since they left, we and just go ahead 440 00:25:00,840 --> 00:25:04,080 Speaker 1: and go on in. And apparently they found very quickly 441 00:25:04,119 --> 00:25:06,320 Speaker 1: that there was a trap door in the floor. And 442 00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:09,199 Speaker 1: when they opened the trap door I guess a lot 443 00:25:09,280 --> 00:25:14,000 Speaker 1: of them gagged because it smelled like decaying human remains. 444 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:17,000 Speaker 1: And even though they looked in there and there weren't 445 00:25:17,040 --> 00:25:20,560 Speaker 1: actual bodies, there was so much blood and gore in 446 00:25:20,640 --> 00:25:23,879 Speaker 1: this cellar rotting that it was enough to make a 447 00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:28,159 Speaker 1: person gag even without a full body decomposing there. I 448 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:31,800 Speaker 1: think it's a great place for our second break. Okay, great, 449 00:25:31,840 --> 00:25:34,960 Speaker 1: the height of suspense. Let's do it. We'll be back 450 00:25:34,960 --> 00:25:37,119 Speaker 1: and talk about what was making that smell right after this, 451 00:25:53,119 --> 00:26:08,520 Speaker 1: all right, So they have a stone cellar under the 452 00:26:08,520 --> 00:26:12,600 Speaker 1: house covered in blood and stinks like dead bodies, even 453 00:26:12,600 --> 00:26:15,720 Speaker 1: though there's no dead bodies. And we said we were 454 00:26:15,720 --> 00:26:17,840 Speaker 1: going to get to the bottom of the smell. The 455 00:26:17,880 --> 00:26:20,679 Speaker 1: bottom of it is, Uh, there were dead bodies in 456 00:26:20,760 --> 00:26:24,200 Speaker 1: there previously. Yeah. Yeah, So they had this pretty easy. 457 00:26:24,440 --> 00:26:27,000 Speaker 1: They had the um, the trap set up, the trap 458 00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:30,080 Speaker 1: door set up, so it led to a hole in 459 00:26:30,119 --> 00:26:32,200 Speaker 1: the cellar, and then there was a like a way 460 00:26:32,320 --> 00:26:36,280 Speaker 1: outer I guess, a way in from the foundation, and 461 00:26:36,359 --> 00:26:39,200 Speaker 1: they would kill people, put them in the trap door 462 00:26:39,600 --> 00:26:41,560 Speaker 1: through the trap door to the cellar, and then retrieved 463 00:26:41,600 --> 00:26:45,080 Speaker 1: them at night when they weren't prying eyes around. Yeah. 464 00:26:45,320 --> 00:26:49,359 Speaker 1: Pretty good system they had going. Uh. They started searching around. 465 00:26:49,359 --> 00:26:53,080 Speaker 1: They did eventually find bodies. Uh. They found William York's 466 00:26:53,119 --> 00:26:57,639 Speaker 1: body buried in the orchard. They found Lanker's body buried 467 00:26:58,240 --> 00:27:01,520 Speaker 1: along with young mary Anne who uh the two gentlemen 468 00:27:01,560 --> 00:27:03,479 Speaker 1: had the head wounds in the in the throat wounds. 469 00:27:03,560 --> 00:27:09,720 Speaker 1: Mary Anne, I've seen variously was either suffocated or suffocated 470 00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:14,879 Speaker 1: from being buried alive but not brained in throat slit 471 00:27:15,080 --> 00:27:20,200 Speaker 1: at least tragic either way, of course, but very very 472 00:27:20,240 --> 00:27:22,920 Speaker 1: sad case. Uh. Eventually they would go on to find 473 00:27:22,920 --> 00:27:26,920 Speaker 1: about a dozen bodies and were eventually implicated in as 474 00:27:26,920 --> 00:27:31,160 Speaker 1: many as twenty one murders. Yeah, Um they found it. Yeah, 475 00:27:31,640 --> 00:27:35,720 Speaker 1: it saw eleven I think, including um Mary Anne. Um. 476 00:27:35,760 --> 00:27:38,120 Speaker 1: A bunch of them were in the orchard. They looked 477 00:27:38,160 --> 00:27:40,480 Speaker 1: around the property and realized that there were a bunch 478 00:27:40,480 --> 00:27:43,119 Speaker 1: of depressions in the orchard. And they're like, I wonder 479 00:27:43,119 --> 00:27:46,040 Speaker 1: if those are graves, and Um, they turned up people 480 00:27:46,080 --> 00:27:48,439 Speaker 1: in the graves. They found somebody in the well, and 481 00:27:48,480 --> 00:27:50,240 Speaker 1: then yeah, when you add them together with all the 482 00:27:50,240 --> 00:27:52,439 Speaker 1: people dumped in Drum Creek, I guess it comes to 483 00:27:52,480 --> 00:27:56,440 Speaker 1: about one. And they developed this theory of what had happened, 484 00:27:56,440 --> 00:27:59,919 Speaker 1: in part based on some people who had narrowly escaped 485 00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:03,080 Speaker 1: with their lives and hadn't realized it until after the 486 00:28:03,119 --> 00:28:07,959 Speaker 1: benders um became national news. But that that curtain that 487 00:28:08,000 --> 00:28:13,840 Speaker 1: they had dividing the tavern, the olive's bargain bin from 488 00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:18,719 Speaker 1: the rest of the house, Um was right behind the 489 00:28:18,760 --> 00:28:21,840 Speaker 1: seat where they would have travelers and guests sit when 490 00:28:21,840 --> 00:28:25,680 Speaker 1: they were eating a meal, right, Yeah, And they would 491 00:28:25,760 --> 00:28:28,040 Speaker 1: have them sit there and you know, from the other 492 00:28:28,119 --> 00:28:31,440 Speaker 1: side it would you know, they would be silhouetted, silhouetted 493 00:28:31,480 --> 00:28:33,680 Speaker 1: by the candle light so they could see clearly where 494 00:28:33,720 --> 00:28:38,120 Speaker 1: they were, and then Paw or John Jr. Would either 495 00:28:38,280 --> 00:28:40,240 Speaker 1: use like the butt of an axe or a hammer 496 00:28:40,640 --> 00:28:43,520 Speaker 1: to brain them. Uh. They would put them in the 497 00:28:43,560 --> 00:28:47,880 Speaker 1: cellar and rob them and then slit their throat. And uh. 498 00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:51,640 Speaker 1: That's how it was sort of a I don't know 499 00:28:53,040 --> 00:28:54,760 Speaker 1: the fact, like, all right, let's go ahead and tell 500 00:28:54,800 --> 00:28:57,560 Speaker 1: the stories about the other guys. Because after this came out, 501 00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:00,240 Speaker 1: people started coming forward, like you said. A guy named 502 00:29:00,280 --> 00:29:02,280 Speaker 1: Mr Wetzel said, hey, wait a minute. They tried to 503 00:29:02,320 --> 00:29:04,400 Speaker 1: get me to sit right by that curtain and I 504 00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:07,240 Speaker 1: wouldn't sit by the curtain, and mob Bender got really 505 00:29:07,280 --> 00:29:09,640 Speaker 1: mad about that, and so we got the heck out 506 00:29:09,640 --> 00:29:13,120 Speaker 1: of there. Uh. And then another guy named William Pickering said, Yeah, 507 00:29:13,240 --> 00:29:15,280 Speaker 1: I didn't want to sit by that curtain because it 508 00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:19,440 Speaker 1: was dirty and gross, and I took a different seat 509 00:29:19,520 --> 00:29:21,440 Speaker 1: and they got in a big fight and Kate came 510 00:29:21,480 --> 00:29:24,440 Speaker 1: at me with a knife. So I don't know why 511 00:29:24,440 --> 00:29:27,680 Speaker 1: they just didn't come up behind the membrane them like 512 00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:30,400 Speaker 1: the Maybe they felt the curtain offered some sort of cover. 513 00:29:31,080 --> 00:29:35,160 Speaker 1: It just seems very like stubborn, like they had to 514 00:29:35,200 --> 00:29:38,120 Speaker 1: follow a procedure or else the person. Yeah, you have 515 00:29:38,200 --> 00:29:40,360 Speaker 1: to sit there. I'm like, well, you can't murder a 516 00:29:40,400 --> 00:29:43,360 Speaker 1: guy in another chair. Well, I I don't. Yeah, I 517 00:29:43,360 --> 00:29:44,880 Speaker 1: don't think it would have been as easy to come 518 00:29:44,920 --> 00:29:47,200 Speaker 1: up behind him from the from the curtain, you know 519 00:29:47,240 --> 00:29:51,160 Speaker 1: what I'm saying. Maybe it sounds a little I mean, 520 00:29:51,200 --> 00:29:52,680 Speaker 1: I guess they got away with it for a little while, 521 00:29:52,760 --> 00:29:57,000 Speaker 1: so but I don't know, it sounds a little uh amateurish, sure, 522 00:29:57,200 --> 00:29:59,840 Speaker 1: or they were such professionals they just stuck to the script. 523 00:30:00,040 --> 00:30:03,200 Speaker 1: If the scriptivated, they didn't take chances. And there's there's 524 00:30:03,200 --> 00:30:05,800 Speaker 1: actually a good suggestion of why they didn't take chances, 525 00:30:05,840 --> 00:30:09,280 Speaker 1: because there were um later discovered in the house bullet 526 00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:12,520 Speaker 1: holes um in the walls and in the door frames. 527 00:30:12,880 --> 00:30:15,080 Speaker 1: And that was taken to be from people who had 528 00:30:15,080 --> 00:30:18,600 Speaker 1: tried to fight back when they realized what was going on. Um. 529 00:30:18,640 --> 00:30:21,840 Speaker 1: But I guess they had ultimately been unsuccessful, because nobody 530 00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:24,760 Speaker 1: escaped that house saying they had shot at everyone because 531 00:30:24,760 --> 00:30:27,080 Speaker 1: they tried to brain them, you know. Or maybe it's 532 00:30:27,120 --> 00:30:33,360 Speaker 1: just supper. Yes, so pistol pistol suffer, You're right, who knows? Uh? 533 00:30:33,480 --> 00:30:37,480 Speaker 1: So the story gets out becomes you know, for the 534 00:30:37,520 --> 00:30:41,680 Speaker 1: eighteen seventies becomes a pretty big media storm whatever that 535 00:30:41,720 --> 00:30:45,480 Speaker 1: looked like back then, and people, you know, it became 536 00:30:45,560 --> 00:30:48,240 Speaker 1: like a bit of a tourist stop. Like people. It 537 00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:50,280 Speaker 1: sounds like people essentially showed up there and kind of 538 00:30:50,280 --> 00:30:53,400 Speaker 1: looted the place. Over time, we're just kind of, you know, 539 00:30:53,640 --> 00:30:57,120 Speaker 1: breaking up pieces of the seller and breaking up the 540 00:30:57,160 --> 00:31:00,880 Speaker 1: bed frame and kind of just taking whatever they wanted with. Yeah, 541 00:31:00,920 --> 00:31:02,840 Speaker 1: And one of the reasons it became such a media 542 00:31:02,880 --> 00:31:06,360 Speaker 1: frenzy is they were the first serial killers in America 543 00:31:06,560 --> 00:31:08,680 Speaker 1: that America ever produced, at least as far as the 544 00:31:08,680 --> 00:31:12,840 Speaker 1: media could tell um. A decade later, Austin would have 545 00:31:12,880 --> 00:31:15,520 Speaker 1: what's frequently referred to as the first serial killer in 546 00:31:15,560 --> 00:31:21,040 Speaker 1: America with the Servant Girl Annihilator, which is I don't 547 00:31:21,040 --> 00:31:24,240 Speaker 1: even know if I want to do a podcast on that. No, 548 00:31:24,400 --> 00:31:27,200 Speaker 1: I don't know that name alone. It's like, that's all right, 549 00:31:27,720 --> 00:31:30,160 Speaker 1: that stopped me cold. I mean, this was ten years 550 00:31:30,160 --> 00:31:33,040 Speaker 1: before Jack the Ripper even right exactly in H. H. Holmes, 551 00:31:33,080 --> 00:31:36,000 Speaker 1: who's also often referred to as America's first serial killer, 552 00:31:36,080 --> 00:31:40,200 Speaker 1: he wasn't until the um eighteen thirties or eighteen nineties, 553 00:31:40,240 --> 00:31:42,320 Speaker 1: So he was like a good twenty years on, So 554 00:31:42,600 --> 00:31:45,200 Speaker 1: it was a big deal. So not only do we 555 00:31:45,240 --> 00:31:48,320 Speaker 1: have America's first serial killer, we had America's first dark 556 00:31:48,360 --> 00:31:51,000 Speaker 1: tourists show up at their house and take everything they 557 00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:53,920 Speaker 1: possibly could as a memento. But one of the things 558 00:31:53,920 --> 00:31:56,560 Speaker 1: that happened about this being such a huge media sensation 559 00:31:57,040 --> 00:32:02,200 Speaker 1: is that, like the country was following this and everyone 560 00:32:02,360 --> 00:32:05,680 Speaker 1: was basically looking for the vendors because don't forget, they vanished. 561 00:32:05,960 --> 00:32:08,360 Speaker 1: No one knew which way they went. All they knew 562 00:32:08,440 --> 00:32:10,960 Speaker 1: was that somewhere not too far off, they'd ridden their 563 00:32:10,960 --> 00:32:14,840 Speaker 1: wagon to that train station, and the train ticket person 564 00:32:14,920 --> 00:32:18,080 Speaker 1: and said, yeah, those four people definitely bought tickets, but 565 00:32:18,160 --> 00:32:21,360 Speaker 1: I can't tell you where. Yeah exactly, they said, you 566 00:32:21,360 --> 00:32:27,200 Speaker 1: can tell us. I'm a doctor. Uh. They did arrest 567 00:32:27,280 --> 00:32:31,400 Speaker 1: twelve men. Um, this sounds a little bit like, hey, 568 00:32:31,440 --> 00:32:34,160 Speaker 1: we've got to kind of do something. So they arrest 569 00:32:34,240 --> 00:32:38,560 Speaker 1: these guys who they alleged maybe were involved as far 570 00:32:38,600 --> 00:32:41,800 Speaker 1: as receiving stolen goods, because they never really found a 571 00:32:41,840 --> 00:32:44,479 Speaker 1: super clear motive. I mean, it seems like a lot 572 00:32:44,600 --> 00:32:46,920 Speaker 1: of them may have had like traveling money, or like 573 00:32:46,960 --> 00:32:49,400 Speaker 1: the guy who had the two fifty bucks, which was 574 00:32:49,440 --> 00:32:52,880 Speaker 1: a lot of money at the time, um, but it 575 00:32:53,000 --> 00:32:56,200 Speaker 1: was never liked percent established, like their motive was just 576 00:32:56,280 --> 00:32:59,280 Speaker 1: to rob people. But they implicated these twelve guys, those 577 00:32:59,320 --> 00:33:02,640 Speaker 1: guys who may have up them move uh stolen items 578 00:33:02,680 --> 00:33:06,000 Speaker 1: and money and stuff like that. And apparently one of 579 00:33:06,040 --> 00:33:10,560 Speaker 1: the guys was a member of a vigilante committee who 580 00:33:10,600 --> 00:33:12,880 Speaker 1: tried to get on to help lead the investigation with 581 00:33:12,960 --> 00:33:17,640 Speaker 1: Colonel York. But I was denied and rejected, and I 582 00:33:17,680 --> 00:33:20,280 Speaker 1: think that kind of hurt his feelings. And I think 583 00:33:20,320 --> 00:33:22,520 Speaker 1: what it came down to was these guys, they were 584 00:33:22,520 --> 00:33:26,200 Speaker 1: known as the regulators, these vigilantees. They were throat cutters. 585 00:33:26,200 --> 00:33:28,800 Speaker 1: They would cut people's throat instead of like bringing them 586 00:33:28,840 --> 00:33:31,320 Speaker 1: back to face trial. And then they just sort of 587 00:33:31,320 --> 00:33:34,400 Speaker 1: tied it to these people because of the throat cutting. Yeah, 588 00:33:34,440 --> 00:33:36,400 Speaker 1: and a lot of pretty innocent a lot of well 589 00:33:36,480 --> 00:33:38,560 Speaker 1: a lot of innocent people died as a result. So 590 00:33:38,600 --> 00:33:41,040 Speaker 1: these people were bad dudes. But I saw that it 591 00:33:41,080 --> 00:33:43,360 Speaker 1: was more than just the throat cutting, that there was 592 00:33:43,400 --> 00:33:46,720 Speaker 1: a way that they would particularly leave bodies like you. 593 00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:49,400 Speaker 1: They would put the right hand against the right breast 594 00:33:49,800 --> 00:33:53,280 Speaker 1: and the left hand down like just by their side, 595 00:33:53,560 --> 00:33:56,760 Speaker 1: like a pledge of allegiance. Almost but you're you're like 596 00:33:56,840 --> 00:33:59,200 Speaker 1: as if you don't know which side of your chest 597 00:33:59,240 --> 00:34:01,040 Speaker 1: to put your hand in, you you've got it wrong, 598 00:34:01,240 --> 00:34:04,720 Speaker 1: kind of like that. And apparently they found a lot 599 00:34:04,760 --> 00:34:08,759 Speaker 1: of the bodies in the orchard, um at the at 600 00:34:08,760 --> 00:34:12,480 Speaker 1: the Bender's place, posed like this basically almost like this 601 00:34:12,560 --> 00:34:14,640 Speaker 1: was this is the sign, like this is what this 602 00:34:14,719 --> 00:34:17,160 Speaker 1: gang did. So I don't think they were like in 603 00:34:17,280 --> 00:34:20,759 Speaker 1: the gang, but it's possible that gang of vigilantes were 604 00:34:20,840 --> 00:34:22,839 Speaker 1: fencing this stuff for them, and that they were at 605 00:34:22,880 --> 00:34:28,960 Speaker 1: least tangentially related. You know, sure, it's possible. Um, when 606 00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:32,080 Speaker 1: it comes down to who these people really were, we're 607 00:34:32,080 --> 00:34:35,839 Speaker 1: not exactly sure. There's been a lot of modern investigation 608 00:34:36,000 --> 00:34:39,279 Speaker 1: about who they were, and they think that Ma was 609 00:34:39,719 --> 00:34:44,720 Speaker 1: a woman named Almira meek Um and was from upstate 610 00:34:44,800 --> 00:34:50,000 Speaker 1: New York near the Adirondack Mountains, so not German at all. Um. 611 00:34:50,040 --> 00:34:54,400 Speaker 1: There were some pretty sketchy accounts, not super well researched, 612 00:34:54,400 --> 00:34:57,480 Speaker 1: that said she had been married before and that her 613 00:34:57,520 --> 00:35:01,560 Speaker 1: husband's had all met violent deaths from head wounds. So, 614 00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:04,080 Speaker 1: you know, I don't know if that's just the Internet 615 00:35:04,160 --> 00:35:07,560 Speaker 1: running with something or if that's true. Apparently, out of 616 00:35:07,719 --> 00:35:12,520 Speaker 1: all of the four, the um Ma and Kate seemed 617 00:35:12,560 --> 00:35:15,480 Speaker 1: to have actually been related, although I don't know how. 618 00:35:16,160 --> 00:35:21,399 Speaker 1: I didn't see how did you like how they were related? No? No, no, 619 00:35:21,560 --> 00:35:23,160 Speaker 1: like they were supposed to be mother and daughter. But 620 00:35:23,239 --> 00:35:25,560 Speaker 1: how did how did that ever get turned up? Like? 621 00:35:25,600 --> 00:35:28,280 Speaker 1: Where where was that? How was that ever defined? Or 622 00:35:28,320 --> 00:35:32,040 Speaker 1: I think just people doing like modern research on lineage 623 00:35:32,040 --> 00:35:34,960 Speaker 1: and stuff like that, because they think they turned up 624 00:35:34,960 --> 00:35:37,880 Speaker 1: her original name to that Ma was married to a 625 00:35:37,880 --> 00:35:42,480 Speaker 1: man named Griffith, and that Kate was really Eliza Griffith. Uh. 626 00:35:42,840 --> 00:35:48,120 Speaker 1: John Sr. Apparently was John flicking Er uh and was 627 00:35:48,320 --> 00:35:52,160 Speaker 1: either from Germany or the Netherlands. And then John Jr. 628 00:35:52,640 --> 00:35:56,000 Speaker 1: Apparently his real name was the alias that he was using. 629 00:35:56,000 --> 00:35:58,360 Speaker 1: That I said to put up in John Gerhard and 630 00:35:58,400 --> 00:36:00,640 Speaker 1: now you can take that pin out, break in half 631 00:36:00,640 --> 00:36:03,719 Speaker 1: and throw it away. So if he was using his 632 00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:07,239 Speaker 1: real name as an alias, then I'm not sure what 633 00:36:07,320 --> 00:36:10,000 Speaker 1: was going on with John Jr. No, No, he was 634 00:36:10,080 --> 00:36:14,319 Speaker 1: a jet throw type, don't forget so. Um. The there 635 00:36:14,360 --> 00:36:16,320 Speaker 1: were people who were like, oh, we've seen the vendors. 636 00:36:16,320 --> 00:36:18,000 Speaker 1: Who saw the vendors here, they went this way, they 637 00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:20,759 Speaker 1: went that away. Um. For years and years and years 638 00:36:20,800 --> 00:36:24,200 Speaker 1: it was um like like people would would report on 639 00:36:24,239 --> 00:36:27,960 Speaker 1: their whereabouts, and it's uncleared to this day whether people 640 00:36:28,160 --> 00:36:32,040 Speaker 1: did or didn't know where they went. UM. I saw 641 00:36:32,120 --> 00:36:35,480 Speaker 1: there was one like kind of article I guess from 642 00:36:35,520 --> 00:36:38,600 Speaker 1: the time that was basically like, yeah, everybody knows where 643 00:36:38,640 --> 00:36:41,480 Speaker 1: they are and there's just nothing anyone can do. They 644 00:36:41,480 --> 00:36:43,840 Speaker 1: made it to another state and everybody just kind of 645 00:36:43,920 --> 00:36:47,600 Speaker 1: leaves everybody else alone out there. Other people have always 646 00:36:47,640 --> 00:36:49,879 Speaker 1: reported like, no, they have no idea where they went. 647 00:36:49,880 --> 00:36:51,880 Speaker 1: They just kind of vanished in the thin air. And 648 00:36:51,920 --> 00:36:55,040 Speaker 1: then there were reports that were usually incorrect, that they've 649 00:36:55,040 --> 00:36:58,799 Speaker 1: either been captured or that they've been killed um or. 650 00:36:58,880 --> 00:37:02,560 Speaker 1: There was one report that Pod died by suicide in 651 00:37:02,640 --> 00:37:08,440 Speaker 1: Lake Michigan in right Another one said John Jr. And 652 00:37:08,640 --> 00:37:13,440 Speaker 1: Kate went to uh New Mexico like sort of Texas 653 00:37:13,440 --> 00:37:17,600 Speaker 1: New Mexico border and John died of a stroke. Uh. 654 00:37:17,640 --> 00:37:20,720 Speaker 1: Some people said that vigilantes got them and they burned 655 00:37:20,840 --> 00:37:25,040 Speaker 1: Kate alive and shot and killed the other ones buried 656 00:37:25,120 --> 00:37:28,160 Speaker 1: him in the prairies, but no one ever claimed the 657 00:37:28,200 --> 00:37:31,719 Speaker 1: pretty substantial reward, you know, close to seventy grand today, 658 00:37:32,120 --> 00:37:35,800 Speaker 1: So it seems like none of these stories were probably true, 659 00:37:35,920 --> 00:37:38,520 Speaker 1: or maybe who knows, maybe one of them was. There's 660 00:37:38,520 --> 00:37:41,520 Speaker 1: just no way to know. So, Um, Laura Ingalls Wilder 661 00:37:41,600 --> 00:37:44,960 Speaker 1: actually had a family story that I read that her 662 00:37:45,040 --> 00:37:47,920 Speaker 1: daughter basically said, hey, you should weave this into our 663 00:37:47,960 --> 00:37:51,800 Speaker 1: family story. So it's almost certainly not true that. Um. 664 00:37:51,840 --> 00:37:55,360 Speaker 1: She and her family, on their way to homestead passed 665 00:37:55,360 --> 00:37:58,680 Speaker 1: by the Bender's tavern, but they didn't have enough money 666 00:37:58,719 --> 00:38:01,080 Speaker 1: to go in for food or to stay there. But 667 00:38:01,239 --> 00:38:03,719 Speaker 1: they settled in a close enough area that after the 668 00:38:03,760 --> 00:38:07,120 Speaker 1: Benders were found out, Um, her father, there was a 669 00:38:07,200 --> 00:38:09,480 Speaker 1: knock on her family's door and her father was summoned 670 00:38:09,520 --> 00:38:12,240 Speaker 1: outside with his gun, and he didn't come back until morning. 671 00:38:12,719 --> 00:38:15,240 Speaker 1: But at any time you ever asked him about the Benders, 672 00:38:15,239 --> 00:38:19,800 Speaker 1: he would say, there they'll never be found again. Um. Again, 673 00:38:19,840 --> 00:38:21,719 Speaker 1: this isn't true. And one of the other things that 674 00:38:21,800 --> 00:38:26,320 Speaker 1: really undermines the vigilante theories again, seventy thousand and today's 675 00:38:26,400 --> 00:38:29,960 Speaker 1: dollars was offered as a reward. Somebody from that group 676 00:38:29,960 --> 00:38:32,600 Speaker 1: of vigilantes would have stepped up and taken it, or 677 00:38:33,239 --> 00:38:35,920 Speaker 1: even if they didn't, how could a group of vigilantes 678 00:38:36,040 --> 00:38:38,680 Speaker 1: keep that secret for all that time that it's still 679 00:38:38,719 --> 00:38:41,319 Speaker 1: to this day never came up, because that would be 680 00:38:41,360 --> 00:38:43,959 Speaker 1: something to boast about that you were among the group 681 00:38:43,960 --> 00:38:47,040 Speaker 1: of vigilantes that caught and killed the bloody benders. You know. 682 00:38:48,200 --> 00:38:51,719 Speaker 1: So I think the vigilante thing is get a book 683 00:38:51,760 --> 00:38:55,720 Speaker 1: deal at the very least for sure. Uh. These days, 684 00:38:55,960 --> 00:38:57,759 Speaker 1: I think it's the kind of thing where a lot 685 00:38:57,800 --> 00:39:02,719 Speaker 1: of Kansas Indian nights know about it. Um. You know 686 00:39:02,880 --> 00:39:06,680 Speaker 1: that there they celebrated bender Days for a while. Uh. 687 00:39:06,719 --> 00:39:09,160 Speaker 1: They had a replica at Cherry Vale at one point 688 00:39:09,160 --> 00:39:13,399 Speaker 1: of the Bendor House. UM. More recently. Uh. In fact, 689 00:39:13,400 --> 00:39:16,720 Speaker 1: just a couple of years ago, a gentleman named Bob Miller, 690 00:39:16,760 --> 00:39:20,600 Speaker 1: who was as a financial advisor from Independence and a 691 00:39:20,719 --> 00:39:24,440 Speaker 1: historian and who knows maybe a bit of a murder junkie, 692 00:39:24,440 --> 00:39:28,040 Speaker 1: bought the land uh and basically said, like, Hey, the 693 00:39:28,080 --> 00:39:31,680 Speaker 1: people that own this land never did anything with it. 694 00:39:31,680 --> 00:39:35,280 Speaker 1: They never searched for the location of the murder sites 695 00:39:35,360 --> 00:39:37,440 Speaker 1: or the house, and and I want to do that. 696 00:39:37,480 --> 00:39:41,399 Speaker 1: I want to like have like professional expert investigations done 697 00:39:41,400 --> 00:39:45,120 Speaker 1: on the property. Uh. I don't know if he plans 698 00:39:45,160 --> 00:39:49,239 Speaker 1: to like put up like a Lizzie boarding house or something, um, 699 00:39:49,280 --> 00:39:50,799 Speaker 1: but he wants to get to the bottom of what 700 00:39:50,880 --> 00:39:53,399 Speaker 1: he can at least, right. Yeah, he's good. He's said 701 00:39:53,400 --> 00:39:56,479 Speaker 1: he's gonna try to get with UK or K state. 702 00:39:56,480 --> 00:39:59,160 Speaker 1: I don't remember which one to do, like ground penetrating surveys, 703 00:39:59,200 --> 00:40:00,839 Speaker 1: but I don't know what is send game as either. 704 00:40:00,880 --> 00:40:02,680 Speaker 1: But it's pretty neat that he bought it. And one 705 00:40:02,719 --> 00:40:05,000 Speaker 1: of the reasons why he's feeling good about finding something 706 00:40:05,080 --> 00:40:08,040 Speaker 1: is there. The family that he bought it from own 707 00:40:08,120 --> 00:40:11,080 Speaker 1: the land for like the last sixty five previous years, 708 00:40:11,600 --> 00:40:15,160 Speaker 1: and they showed zero interests whatsoever in finding the actual 709 00:40:15,239 --> 00:40:17,600 Speaker 1: site and they just turned it all into crop lands. 710 00:40:17,640 --> 00:40:20,920 Speaker 1: So there's a good chance that there's something like the foundation, 711 00:40:21,040 --> 00:40:24,120 Speaker 1: maybe even that gas reseller, the well that the one 712 00:40:24,120 --> 00:40:26,359 Speaker 1: guy was found in remnants of the orchard. Who knows 713 00:40:26,400 --> 00:40:29,640 Speaker 1: there there could be plenty of stuff left there. Um, 714 00:40:29,680 --> 00:40:33,160 Speaker 1: I don't know if they're gonna I believe they exhumed 715 00:40:33,200 --> 00:40:34,880 Speaker 1: all of the bodies that they found, but that's not 716 00:40:34,960 --> 00:40:39,440 Speaker 1: to say that they found everybody. You know, Yeah, absolutely, Um. 717 00:40:39,480 --> 00:40:44,400 Speaker 1: There was a movie made called Bender that does not 718 00:40:44,440 --> 00:40:48,800 Speaker 1: look great. Did you see the trailer? I know I didn't, 719 00:40:48,840 --> 00:40:51,880 Speaker 1: I just saw. Olivia quoted a user from IMDb that 720 00:40:51,960 --> 00:40:54,560 Speaker 1: said it had some of the worst acting I've ever seen. 721 00:40:55,360 --> 00:41:00,320 Speaker 1: What was the trailer like, uh not? I mean, it 722 00:41:00,360 --> 00:41:02,279 Speaker 1: didn't look great. I read some other reviews that said 723 00:41:02,280 --> 00:41:07,440 Speaker 1: it was okay, but it wasn't like, uh, super murdery 724 00:41:07,520 --> 00:41:10,600 Speaker 1: or super scary, so it kind of fell too much 725 00:41:10,640 --> 00:41:14,319 Speaker 1: toward like historical drama. They talked a lot about like 726 00:41:14,520 --> 00:41:19,680 Speaker 1: raising and harvesting green. Maybe I don't know, but um, 727 00:41:19,719 --> 00:41:22,480 Speaker 1: there was a thing that uh in Red Dead Redemption 728 00:41:22,520 --> 00:41:24,520 Speaker 1: too that it is funny because I kind of forgot 729 00:41:24,560 --> 00:41:27,000 Speaker 1: about this. I played that game a couple of years ago, 730 00:41:27,360 --> 00:41:32,480 Speaker 1: and um, there's a pig farm where your character shows 731 00:41:32,600 --> 00:41:36,720 Speaker 1: up and there's a creepy old lady and a creepy 732 00:41:36,760 --> 00:41:39,160 Speaker 1: old man and they're like trying to get you to 733 00:41:39,200 --> 00:41:43,480 Speaker 1: stay for dinner. And apparently it's modeled after this, and 734 00:41:43,560 --> 00:41:44,960 Speaker 1: you don't really know, and you know, when you're in 735 00:41:44,960 --> 00:41:48,200 Speaker 1: those games, you don't know quite what to do, Like 736 00:41:48,719 --> 00:41:50,120 Speaker 1: I feel like I should leave. It's kind of like 737 00:41:50,160 --> 00:41:54,480 Speaker 1: real life. But they offer you libations, and you need libations. 738 00:41:55,040 --> 00:41:57,960 Speaker 1: So if you just don't, all right, if you if 739 00:41:57,960 --> 00:41:59,279 Speaker 1: you want to play this game and you haven't, it's 740 00:41:59,280 --> 00:42:01,880 Speaker 1: pretty old, don't listen to this part but if you 741 00:42:01,920 --> 00:42:04,920 Speaker 1: don't care like most people, uh, don't drink the drink, 742 00:42:05,080 --> 00:42:07,440 Speaker 1: because as soon as you drink the drink, the screen 743 00:42:07,480 --> 00:42:10,960 Speaker 1: goes woozy and you wake up the next day. And 744 00:42:11,080 --> 00:42:13,799 Speaker 1: I'm not sure that good things happened overnight. Okay, but 745 00:42:13,920 --> 00:42:17,239 Speaker 1: you're not dead. Huh, you're not dead. That's not very 746 00:42:17,280 --> 00:42:20,759 Speaker 1: bend Ery, now, it's not. I think they were inspired 747 00:42:20,800 --> 00:42:24,920 Speaker 1: by the Benders a little bit, but I don't know supposedly. Also, um, 748 00:42:24,920 --> 00:42:27,760 Speaker 1: i've never read American Gods, the Neil game and book. 749 00:42:27,760 --> 00:42:30,160 Speaker 1: Have you? Have you read any of his stuff? Never have. 750 00:42:30,400 --> 00:42:32,600 Speaker 1: I've read some of the short stories and they're amazing, 751 00:42:32,680 --> 00:42:34,960 Speaker 1: so I'm surprised I've never read his novels. But in 752 00:42:35,040 --> 00:42:38,800 Speaker 1: American Gods, um, one of the characters is a Slavic 753 00:42:38,880 --> 00:42:44,280 Speaker 1: god named Zernborg, so I'm going with And every time 754 00:42:44,320 --> 00:42:48,640 Speaker 1: the Benders killed somebody, he gained strength from their sacrifice, 755 00:42:48,760 --> 00:42:50,879 Speaker 1: which is a pretty neat little take on the whole thing, 756 00:42:50,920 --> 00:42:53,520 Speaker 1: you know, because we're so like we have the blinders 757 00:42:53,520 --> 00:42:55,479 Speaker 1: on here on Earth, we don't even realize this murder 758 00:42:55,560 --> 00:42:58,400 Speaker 1: family is actually contributing to the well being of a 759 00:42:58,440 --> 00:43:01,440 Speaker 1: Slavic god. I thought you were gonna say whenever they 760 00:43:01,520 --> 00:43:05,719 Speaker 1: killed someone, they would yell zoomberg. Right, Well they did 761 00:43:05,760 --> 00:43:09,040 Speaker 1: that too, but um, that was never captured in the 762 00:43:09,200 --> 00:43:11,839 Speaker 1: articles from the time, Chuck. Which, by the way, if 763 00:43:11,880 --> 00:43:14,200 Speaker 1: you're like I need to know more about the bloody Benders, 764 00:43:14,200 --> 00:43:16,960 Speaker 1: and I will not have it filtered through history. I 765 00:43:17,000 --> 00:43:20,560 Speaker 1: need the original stuff. There's a website called genealogy Trails 766 00:43:20,600 --> 00:43:23,280 Speaker 1: dot com and if you search that and Bender Family 767 00:43:23,320 --> 00:43:25,440 Speaker 1: and your favorite search engine, it will bring up the 768 00:43:25,480 --> 00:43:29,360 Speaker 1: crime related news articles from the time about the Bender family. 769 00:43:29,600 --> 00:43:32,360 Speaker 1: And it's awesome because it has a bunch of other details. 770 00:43:32,520 --> 00:43:35,239 Speaker 1: But also it's got like the old timey nineteenth century, 771 00:43:35,280 --> 00:43:39,359 Speaker 1: you know, crime reporting to It's just worth reading, for sure. 772 00:43:39,640 --> 00:43:42,080 Speaker 1: It's always fun. Do you anything else about the Benders? 773 00:43:43,080 --> 00:43:46,920 Speaker 1: Nothing else? Well, let's say about the Benders for now, everybody. 774 00:43:47,480 --> 00:43:50,279 Speaker 1: And since Chuck said nothing else, that means it's time 775 00:43:50,320 --> 00:43:55,680 Speaker 1: for a listener. Man. Hey, guys, stumbled across you in 776 00:43:55,680 --> 00:44:00,200 Speaker 1: the summer when I was employed as a USPS role 777 00:44:00,440 --> 00:44:07,160 Speaker 1: carrier associate. Uh not a rural juror wait wait, no, 778 00:44:07,400 --> 00:44:09,400 Speaker 1: I need to know what was that. I can't remember 779 00:44:09,440 --> 00:44:13,880 Speaker 1: what this is from thirty Rock. I still can't place it, 780 00:44:13,920 --> 00:44:17,120 Speaker 1: but I'll think about it and I'll say eureka later. Okay, Well, 781 00:44:17,160 --> 00:44:19,399 Speaker 1: what's funny is after we talked a little bit about 782 00:44:19,440 --> 00:44:23,160 Speaker 1: thirty Rock on our Sitcoms episode and Emily went out 783 00:44:23,200 --> 00:44:25,680 Speaker 1: of town for a week and I barreled through season 784 00:44:25,719 --> 00:44:28,719 Speaker 1: one of thirty Rock while she was gone, and it 785 00:44:28,800 --> 00:44:32,120 Speaker 1: was so good. Yeah, it was really do it again. 786 00:44:32,640 --> 00:44:37,479 Speaker 1: What a show. God, Alec Baldwin and Tracy Morgan. Yeah, 787 00:44:37,520 --> 00:44:41,360 Speaker 1: and don't forget Liz Lemon. She was great, but uh boy, 788 00:44:41,600 --> 00:44:43,919 Speaker 1: Baldwin and Tracy Morgan just slay me on the show. 789 00:44:43,920 --> 00:44:45,759 Speaker 1: I mean everyone on that show was really funny. Yeah. 790 00:44:45,800 --> 00:44:51,160 Speaker 1: Tracy Morgan's best quote was somebody offered him cash whose 791 00:44:51,200 --> 00:44:52,960 Speaker 1: and he said, I'm glad you said that because I 792 00:44:52,960 --> 00:44:57,040 Speaker 1: thought it was a bowl of baby penises. His other 793 00:44:57,200 --> 00:44:59,879 Speaker 1: a good one that I got was he's talking about 794 00:44:59,880 --> 00:45:01,960 Speaker 1: how they go together like peanut butter, and he said, 795 00:45:02,560 --> 00:45:08,359 Speaker 1: or like chicken and the chicken container. That's pretty good. 796 00:45:08,960 --> 00:45:13,920 Speaker 1: So Rural Juror though, was the movie that Jane Krakowski 797 00:45:14,640 --> 00:45:16,799 Speaker 1: was in, and the joke is she goes ru Dur 798 00:45:17,160 --> 00:45:18,840 Speaker 1: and like no one knows what the title of the 799 00:45:18,880 --> 00:45:21,799 Speaker 1: movie he is, but it had gone so long they 800 00:45:21,840 --> 00:45:24,560 Speaker 1: couldn't really ask her what the name of the movie was. 801 00:45:25,440 --> 00:45:27,760 Speaker 1: I mean, I'm gonna keep watching it. She's so funny too, however, 802 00:45:28,640 --> 00:45:32,600 Speaker 1: all right back to the email. I've heard a podcast before, 803 00:45:32,920 --> 00:45:35,080 Speaker 1: but never gave a much thought until a friend insisted. 804 00:45:35,239 --> 00:45:37,160 Speaker 1: I started to listen to some and they got to 805 00:45:37,160 --> 00:45:38,719 Speaker 1: the point of Stuff you Should Know, where I talked 806 00:45:38,719 --> 00:45:42,239 Speaker 1: to some much about y'all. My husband finally came and said, 807 00:45:42,800 --> 00:45:45,080 Speaker 1: who the Hecker, Josh and Chuck, and when you're going 808 00:45:45,120 --> 00:45:48,759 Speaker 1: to introduce me to your new friends? But now the 809 00:45:48,800 --> 00:45:52,239 Speaker 1: show was our go to for family road trips. One 810 00:45:52,280 --> 00:45:53,640 Speaker 1: neat thing I wanted to write about, though, was my 811 00:45:53,719 --> 00:45:56,200 Speaker 1: last dental appointment in February. I decided to bring along 812 00:45:56,239 --> 00:45:58,920 Speaker 1: earbuds so I could listen to y'all while getting some 813 00:45:58,960 --> 00:46:02,080 Speaker 1: feelings done. Asked a dentist and the assistant if it 814 00:46:02,120 --> 00:46:04,960 Speaker 1: would be okay to listen to the podcast while they work, 815 00:46:05,000 --> 00:46:07,200 Speaker 1: and the dentist said it was okay, but asked me 816 00:46:07,239 --> 00:46:09,560 Speaker 1: what I was gonna listen to first. I told her 817 00:46:09,880 --> 00:46:11,799 Speaker 1: it was Stuff you Should Know and how much I 818 00:46:11,880 --> 00:46:14,040 Speaker 1: enjoyed it. And I was listening to the chow Chilla 819 00:46:14,520 --> 00:46:18,600 Speaker 1: Bus kidnapping episode. My dentist lit up and told me 820 00:46:18,680 --> 00:46:21,879 Speaker 1: how awesome that episode was. Her assistant had never heard 821 00:46:21,880 --> 00:46:25,160 Speaker 1: of the show, but the dentist was happily talking about 822 00:46:25,200 --> 00:46:29,400 Speaker 1: your show, Uh so much that my entire visit I 823 00:46:29,440 --> 00:46:31,840 Speaker 1: didn't get to listen to the episode because I was 824 00:46:32,239 --> 00:46:34,520 Speaker 1: half chatting to my dentist about stuff. You should know. 825 00:46:34,800 --> 00:46:37,880 Speaker 1: That's awesome. Thank you for saving me while I was 826 00:46:37,920 --> 00:46:40,760 Speaker 1: delivering people's mail, and for keeping company during my commutes 827 00:46:41,360 --> 00:46:45,880 Speaker 1: with love from the Land of ten Thousand Lakes. That 828 00:46:46,000 --> 00:46:51,520 Speaker 1: is Tanya Vanderpool from Texas. Ten dousan mikes, Texas has 829 00:46:51,560 --> 00:46:58,000 Speaker 1: like two lates. What is that Minnesota, Minnesota? Yeah, right, 830 00:46:58,120 --> 00:47:03,400 Speaker 1: thousand Lakes. Yeah, it's gotta be Michigan. No, Minnesota. Yeah, 831 00:47:03,440 --> 00:47:06,279 Speaker 1: it's Minnesota for sure. She really didn't say, you're not 832 00:47:06,360 --> 00:47:09,280 Speaker 1: toying with me. I don't know. I mean, I'm saying 833 00:47:09,640 --> 00:47:11,840 Speaker 1: I'm not toying with you, but I'm also on the 834 00:47:11,920 --> 00:47:14,560 Speaker 1: verge of saying so many things that are wrong about 835 00:47:14,680 --> 00:47:18,239 Speaker 1: lakes and states that I'm just stopping. That's fine, that's fine, 836 00:47:18,239 --> 00:47:21,919 Speaker 1: but can you imagine the audacity of just signing off 837 00:47:22,040 --> 00:47:24,280 Speaker 1: with the Land of ten Thousand Lakes? And not putting 838 00:47:24,320 --> 00:47:27,960 Speaker 1: in parentheses. What state you're talking about? I mean, I 839 00:47:28,120 --> 00:47:31,920 Speaker 1: like all my emails, Chuck of the Peach State. Okay, 840 00:47:31,960 --> 00:47:37,040 Speaker 1: well that is pretty audacious, Chuck, it's violently unusual. Um, 841 00:47:37,320 --> 00:47:43,360 Speaker 1: what was the person's name again? Minnesota? You're in fine 842 00:47:43,400 --> 00:47:46,120 Speaker 1: form today, aren't you. You're being playful. I'm kidding. It 843 00:47:46,160 --> 00:47:49,800 Speaker 1: was Tanya Vanderpool. Okay, thanks a lot, Tanya. We appreciate that, 844 00:47:49,840 --> 00:47:51,880 Speaker 1: and we're glad we can keep your company and that 845 00:47:51,960 --> 00:47:55,239 Speaker 1: we made your dentist's appointment so special. If you want 846 00:47:55,280 --> 00:47:57,520 Speaker 1: to get in touch with us like Tanya did and 847 00:47:57,520 --> 00:48:00,600 Speaker 1: tell us about your dental visits, why not, You can 848 00:48:00,640 --> 00:48:03,080 Speaker 1: send it in an email to stuff podcast at i 849 00:48:03,280 --> 00:48:08,880 Speaker 1: heart radio dot com. Stuff you Should Know is a 850 00:48:08,920 --> 00:48:12,280 Speaker 1: production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts my heart Radio, 851 00:48:12,520 --> 00:48:15,520 Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 852 00:48:15,560 --> 00:48:19,840 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows. H