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Bloody Benders: Kate Bender
1972. First Edition Thus. 176 pages. Paperback book with pictorial cover. Pages and binding are presentable with no major defects. Minor issues present such as mild cracking, inscriptions, inserts, light foxing, tanning and thumb marking. Overall a good condition item. Paper cover has mild edge-wear with light rubbing and creasing. Some light marking and tanning.
176 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1971
46 people want to read
About the author
Robert H. Adleman
10 books1 followerA photographer and tail gunner in World War II, Adleman was a businessman and a historian who began a collaboration with U.S. Army Colonel George Walton to write books about World War II, the most successful of which was 1966's The Devil's Brigade. A story about the 1st Special Service Force nicknamed the "Devil's Brigade", the book would be turned into a motion picture of the same name.
After selling the movie rights, Adleman and his wife moved from Philadelphia to Malibu, California. They remained there for a number of years until they acquired a large ranch property in Oregon. At which point they opened the restaurant The Bella Union, featuring the "peach baboo", a cocktail named after their grandson's childhood treat. The Bella Union remains successful in Jacksonville, Oregon to this day. Adleman died in 1995. His wife and two daughters scattered his ashes on the ocean at the beach in Malibu.
-Wikipedia
After selling the movie rights, Adleman and his wife moved from Philadelphia to Malibu, California. They remained there for a number of years until they acquired a large ranch property in Oregon. At which point they opened the restaurant The Bella Union, featuring the "peach baboo", a cocktail named after their grandson's childhood treat. The Bella Union remains successful in Jacksonville, Oregon to this day. Adleman died in 1995. His wife and two daughters scattered his ashes on the ocean at the beach in Malibu.
-Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 1, 2022
Originally published in 1970. America's first serial killer family. This is a novel based on a true story of a Dutch-German family of four: John & Elvira Bender, their son, John Jr., and their beautiful daughter, Kate Bender, who claimed to be 16 years old, but now believed to have been around 25 years old, and was the ring-leader of the murders committed. The story is narrated by fictitious character 19-year-old Bradley Fisher, just one of the many young men in the area who fell in love with Kate Bender.
The Bender's arrived in Southeast Kansas in 1870 to claim free land issued out by the government. They strategically built a home turned into the Bender Inn, six miles north and two miles east of Cherryvale and about twelve miles west of Parsons, along the old Osage trail, now a highway that runs from Osage to Independence, Kansas, selling groceries to travelers, and murdering a number of them. Their “inn” was a one room cabin that they divided in half by a wall of fabric. A table and bench were placed right up against that fabric where the travelling guest would be invited to sit and eat. As Kate distracted the guest with her charms, her father would be behind the curtain with some kind of hammer and waylay them behind the head, sometimes killing them on the spot. If not, then they would be dropped into a cellar door underneath the table where Mr. Bender would slice open their necks.
After a 3-year killing spree, the Benders disappeared the morning before the posse showed up to investigate this family, who they now believed had something to do with all the disappearances in the area. They noticed unsettled earth where it appeared to be graves. At least 11 victims were found buried on the property, two females and nine males. One was an 11-year-old little girl who had been thrown in the grave along with her dead father and buried alive. She was found with her hand still grasping her father’s wrist.
It seemed every local was there that day the Benders disappeared, and everyone wanted a piece of souvenir. A woman watching bent over and cut some of the little girl's curls from her hair and wove into a memorial wreath (photo, p. 25). By evening that first day, not even the house was standing. The only thing left was the hole in the ground where they threw the body after hitting them in the back of the head with some sort of hammer.
The last chapter explains specifically which parts of the story is true and which are fictitious, and which parts of the story have never been positively proven. I believe the author ended it pretty good, considering there is no way to positively prove the fate of the Benders. He used newspaper articles, interviews of the times, and other unpublished records to write up as true a story of the events that took place as possible. Personally, I believe the town posse found and killed them and split the $7,000 among them to keep quiet. There are a lot of myths and legends surrounding the Bender story. It would be impossible to ever discover the full truth of it all.
The Bender Museum is located in Cherryvale, Kansas, where the wreath is still hanging, along with the numerous axes and hammers and knives that were used to kill their victims, and a few of their household items left behind. Google "The Bender Museum" and loads of pictures of this event will pop up.
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FAMILY CONNECTION:
My husband's great-grandfather Stephen's passed through the Bender Inn back in the day, headed to Independence, Kansas, with a wagon load of something. He even sat at that table and ate a meal. And although he had money in his pocket, they didn't see fit to kill him.
----------
MOVIE:
Bender Drama Thriller History Movie (2016)...watch free here on YouTube (1 hr 20 min)... not quite Hollywood material. The little boy who plays Kate's brother is way too young in the movie. He would actually rape her right after her father finished with her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jo6kI...
The Bender's arrived in Southeast Kansas in 1870 to claim free land issued out by the government. They strategically built a home turned into the Bender Inn, six miles north and two miles east of Cherryvale and about twelve miles west of Parsons, along the old Osage trail, now a highway that runs from Osage to Independence, Kansas, selling groceries to travelers, and murdering a number of them. Their “inn” was a one room cabin that they divided in half by a wall of fabric. A table and bench were placed right up against that fabric where the travelling guest would be invited to sit and eat. As Kate distracted the guest with her charms, her father would be behind the curtain with some kind of hammer and waylay them behind the head, sometimes killing them on the spot. If not, then they would be dropped into a cellar door underneath the table where Mr. Bender would slice open their necks.
After a 3-year killing spree, the Benders disappeared the morning before the posse showed up to investigate this family, who they now believed had something to do with all the disappearances in the area. They noticed unsettled earth where it appeared to be graves. At least 11 victims were found buried on the property, two females and nine males. One was an 11-year-old little girl who had been thrown in the grave along with her dead father and buried alive. She was found with her hand still grasping her father’s wrist.
It seemed every local was there that day the Benders disappeared, and everyone wanted a piece of souvenir. A woman watching bent over and cut some of the little girl's curls from her hair and wove into a memorial wreath (photo, p. 25). By evening that first day, not even the house was standing. The only thing left was the hole in the ground where they threw the body after hitting them in the back of the head with some sort of hammer.
The last chapter explains specifically which parts of the story is true and which are fictitious, and which parts of the story have never been positively proven. I believe the author ended it pretty good, considering there is no way to positively prove the fate of the Benders. He used newspaper articles, interviews of the times, and other unpublished records to write up as true a story of the events that took place as possible. Personally, I believe the town posse found and killed them and split the $7,000 among them to keep quiet. There are a lot of myths and legends surrounding the Bender story. It would be impossible to ever discover the full truth of it all.
The Bender Museum is located in Cherryvale, Kansas, where the wreath is still hanging, along with the numerous axes and hammers and knives that were used to kill their victims, and a few of their household items left behind. Google "The Bender Museum" and loads of pictures of this event will pop up.
----------
FAMILY CONNECTION:
My husband's great-grandfather Stephen's passed through the Bender Inn back in the day, headed to Independence, Kansas, with a wagon load of something. He even sat at that table and ate a meal. And although he had money in his pocket, they didn't see fit to kill him.
----------
MOVIE:
Bender Drama Thriller History Movie (2016)...watch free here on YouTube (1 hr 20 min)... not quite Hollywood material. The little boy who plays Kate's brother is way too young in the movie. He would actually rape her right after her father finished with her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jo6kI...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 17, 2015
This family was crazy and then some. Interesting story of their life, how they killed and VANISHED in the middle of the night.
Wonder what happened to them? Did they kill again?
Wonder what happened to them? Did they kill again?
November 23, 2020
Was disappointed it was historical fiction but it was well researched.
September 17, 2014
I know that I said the Axeman of New Orleans was the best in the series, but I lied! Bloody Benders is by far the best. The illustrations are far more complex and intriguing. The story kept me hooked and strapped to my seat. In all due honesty, I had never heard of the Bloody Benders so some of my excitement could have come from being introduced to the legend. Still, this adaptation of the legend is very intriguing and perfectly fits the mysterious story.
In case you're like me and don't know the story, I'll rely it here. In 1870, John Bender Jr. and John Bender Sr. staked their claim in Kansas along the Osage Trail. Within a year, they have built a house, a grocery store and have sent for their family. The parents speak very little english and count on their beautiful daughter, Kate, to help them survive. The family dabbles in spiritualism and holds seances that have the potential to become violent. Yet, it isn't until dead bodies start appearing in nearby towns that the Benders become #1 on the suspect list. That is if only the authorities can find them.
I absolutely love the graphics in this book; they're stark and eerie. Though they're in black and white, Geary is able to solicit great emotion and depth. The illustrations are simple, but they're far from being dull or drab. The clean lines and use of black and white (even without any gray) work well with the subject matter and atmosphere of the empty and vulnerable prairie.
This one is a bit different because from the rest of the series because the murders are clearly known. Instead, the mystery is where the Bender's fled to and if they will ever be found. Still, like the other issues in the series, it is like watching an episode of unsolved mysteries with a little bit of a history lesson.
In case you're like me and don't know the story, I'll rely it here. In 1870, John Bender Jr. and John Bender Sr. staked their claim in Kansas along the Osage Trail. Within a year, they have built a house, a grocery store and have sent for their family. The parents speak very little english and count on their beautiful daughter, Kate, to help them survive. The family dabbles in spiritualism and holds seances that have the potential to become violent. Yet, it isn't until dead bodies start appearing in nearby towns that the Benders become #1 on the suspect list. That is if only the authorities can find them.
I absolutely love the graphics in this book; they're stark and eerie. Though they're in black and white, Geary is able to solicit great emotion and depth. The illustrations are simple, but they're far from being dull or drab. The clean lines and use of black and white (even without any gray) work well with the subject matter and atmosphere of the empty and vulnerable prairie.
This one is a bit different because from the rest of the series because the murders are clearly known. Instead, the mystery is where the Bender's fled to and if they will ever be found. Still, like the other issues in the series, it is like watching an episode of unsolved mysteries with a little bit of a history lesson.
February 28, 2016
I read anything I could get my hands on.
March 4, 2022
This book is a decent retelling of the Bender murders in Kansas, though it focuses mostly on the trial of two women who were not the Bender women and never should’ve been charged in the first place.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews