For more than 150 years, the Bloody Benders' story has been accepted as fact. But what if the story we have been told is not the whole truth?
On May 6, 1873, two bodies were discovered mutilated and buried behind the Benders' cabin on the Kansas prairie. The following day, six more bodies were recovered. Newspapers nationwide carried news of the murders, but conflicting accounts, errors, and unsupported claims shaped a false narrative that has been repeated as historical fact for more than 150 years.
Myth and fabrication have dominated the retelling of the Benders' story, leaving many unanswered questions: Were the Benders actually a family? Where did they come from? And, most of all, what happened to them?
The 2026 Revised Edition of HELL COMES TO PLAY investigates:
- A fully documented history and genealogy of the Benders.
- Previously unknown Bender family members revealed through documented research.
- Evidence establishing John Jr. and Kate's true relationship.
- Was John Jr. actually named John Gebhardt?
- Evidence of their previous locations before coming to Kansas.
- An investigation into their whereabouts after their escape.
- Research into facts that were never investigated or questioned.
- Untangling conflicting accounts.
- Challenges the traditional Bender narrative through newly documented evidence.
- Evidence proving the innocence of people wrongfully accused of the Benders' crimes-claims that are still repeated as fact today.
HELL COMES TO PLAY challenges readers to reconsider one of the most notorious criminal stories in American history. It's time to ask: How much of what we have been told about the Benders is actually true?
