Kate Bender Sr.—sometimes called Almira or Elvira Bender—is a haunting enigma of the American frontier. Though little about her early life is confirmed, it’s believed she was part of a German-speaking immigrant family that settled in Labette County, Kansas, amid a broader migration sparked by the Homestead Act of 1862. The Benders—Kate, her husband John Bender Sr., son John Jr., and daughter Kate Jr.—established themselves along the Osage Mission Trail, about 7–8 miles northeast of Cherryvale, where traffic from settlers was constant.

By late 1871, they had built a modest cabin subdivided by canvas: one side served as their living space, the other as a "general store" and inn—welcoming travelers with meals and lodging. Kate Sr. was described by local recollections as stooped and heavyset, while the younger Kate—her daughter—stood out: about 5'6", auburn-haired, attractive, confident, and fluent in English with minimal accent.

Kate Jr. gained a reputation as a self-proclaimed medium and healer, distributing flyers touting her spiritualist abilities and the power to cure illnesses.

Travelers were greeted warmly and invited into the front room, which doubled as a general store. They were seated near a cloth partition—usually with their back turned toward a canvas curtain that concealed the killers’ access point. Kate Bender Jr., attractive and soft-spoken, often enticed guests to sit in this chair of honor. Once seated, one of the Johns—either her father or brother—would strike swiftly from behind with a hammer, targeting the head in a single, lethal blow. Immediately after, either Kate Sr. or Jr. would slash the victim’s throat to ensure death, and the body would then be dropped through a trap door into a cramped cellar or dragged outside for burial in the nearby garden or orchard. Personal belongings were taken, possibly to be resold or used as currency for supplies. Victims spanned from affluent individuals to those carrying minimal possessions

Between 1871 and late 1872, the Benders orchestrated one of the Wild West’s most brutal murder sprees—preying on those they invited into their home. Travelers were seated with their backs to a canvas curtain at the dining table. At a signal from Kate Jr., John Sr. or John Jr. struck from behind with a hammer; then one of the women slit the victim’s throat, dropping the body into a trap door leading to a cellar or burying it nearby.

Victims ranged from a mysterious Mr. Jones (May 1871) to two unidentified men (February 1872), culminating in a wave of murders in December 1872—including Ben Brown, W.F. McCrotty, Henry McKenzie, Johnny Boyle, George Longcor and his toddler daughter, John Greary, Red Smith, and Abigail Roberts.

The break came when Dr. William Henry York—a prominent doctor and brother to Kansas State Senator Alexander York—went missing in early 1873. Colonel Alexander York, along with armed men, arrived at the Bender homestead in March 1873, initially still believing the innkeepers innocent, or that Dr. York had simply gone missing under other circumstances. On a return visit in early April, word emerged that Elvira (Ma Bender) had threatened a woman with knives.

By mid-May 1873, a search party including dozens of townsfolk unearthed a horror beyond imagination. After finding the inn abandoned, they investigated and located a trap door beneath a bed. Beneath it, the floor was stained with old, congealed blood. Undeterred, investigators removed the cabin’s floor and probed the surrounding soil. That night, they discovered the first body—Dr. York—buried face down in the orchard. Over the next day, nearly a dozen more bodies were exhumed from shallow graves throughout the orchard and garden. One victim, a young girl, was found with no visible trauma—fueling speculation she had been strangled or buried alive. Indecent mutilation was reported in several victims.

By the time authorities arrived, the Benders had vanished without a trace. Their wagon was found abandoned outside Thayer, with dead or starving horses, implying hurried flight. Public rewards were issued—$1,000 by Senator York and $2,000 by Governor Osborn—but the family was never apprehended.