Marker Name: The Bloody Benders
Marker Type: Rest Area
Marker text:
Near here are the Bender Mounds, named for the infamous Bender family--John, his wife, son, and daughter Kate--who settled here in 1871. Kate soon gained notoriety as a self-proclaimed healer and spiritualist. Secretly, the four made a living through murder and robbery.
Located on a main road, the Benders sold meals and supplies to travelers. Their murders were carried out by use of a canvas curtain that divided the house into two rooms. When a traveler was seated at the table, his head was outlined against the curtain. The victim was then dispatched from behind with a hammer, the body was dropped into a basement pit, later to be buried in an orchard.
As more and more travelers disappeared, suspicion began to center on the Benders. They disappeared in the spring of 1873, shortly before inquisitive neighbors discovered the victims' bodies. The Benders are believed to have killed about a dozen people, including one child.
Although stories abound, the ultimate fate of the murderous Bender family is uncertain. Some say that they escaped, others that they were executed by a vengeful posse. Their story is unresolved and remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of the old west.
Erected by the Kansas State Historical Society and Kansas Department of Transportation
Marker Location: Labette
Official Marker Number: 54
Name of agency setting marker: Other (Please identify in marker text)
Year Marker Placed: Not listed
Marker Web Address: Not listed
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