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306:'s house and the rumors of their deaths numerous times, claimed that the Kellys were in fact the Benders. The man further elaborated that all the stories of the latter's capture were made up, supposedly by a group of confederates, who have also helped the Benders dispose of the murdered victims' horses and wagons. He pointed out that both families'
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269:. After a while, the posse caught up with them, and engaged in a two-hour long chase. Eventually, Kate Kelly's horse tripped and Kate fell to the ground, breaking her neck in the process. She was left behind, and half an hour later, the vigilantes caught up with Bill and Kit, but William managed to escape.
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In the span of a few months, a number of people had disappeared mysteriously along the road leading to the Kelly tavern. Despite this, nobody suspected the family of doing anything until around
December 1887, when the occupants suddenly left the house without notifying anybody. A short while after, a
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Upon capture, Kit began pleading for mercy, only to be told off by her brother for being as complicit in the murders as he was. Two ropes were procured and the duo were prepared to be hanged on a nearby tree. Moments before they were hanged, Kit whispered to Bill if she should tell them everything,
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The vigilantes then chased after
William, whose horse left behind a recognizable trail because it was shod only in the front. They eventually caught up with him, and after firing two shots at the fugitive, he gave up, stopped and dismounted from his horse. The group quickly surrounded him, and the
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When a traveller would come by at the Kellys' tavern, they would first ascertain if they were wealthy. If confirmed, either
William or Bill, or sometimes Kit, would engage the client in conversation, while Kate prepared the meal. The victim's chair would always be positioned at the trap door, and
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The posse being dissatisfied, he was quickly hanged for a bit before being lowered down and asked to confess. Finally he did, telling that all of the family members had taken part, where the money was stored and that they had killed 9 men and 2 women. The elder Kelly was then stripped of all his
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Upon entry, a foul stench overtook him, coming from a hidden cellar underneath the house. The bodies of three men, already in an advanced state of decomposition, were discovered, as well as a trap door under the tavern's floor. Gregg immediately notified authorities of the matter. Shortly after,
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While digging around the barn in search of any other corpses, the men's attention was drawn to some loosened dirt to the left of the barn door. When dug up, a body with a broken skull was discovered, evidently murdered with an axe. Further digging revealed seven other bodies, two of them women.
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According to 55-year-old
William Kelly's confession, he and his family moved from the Pennsylvania mountains to Kansas in 1869. They moved around to different places along the southern border until eventually settling in
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leader allowed the criminal to confess all of his sins. William proceeded to explain their family history, but claimed to have moved towards Texas because of the crimes in the area, denying taking part in the killings.
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Although the majority of the victims were decomposed beyond recognition, three were identified from their clothing: Jim Coven, a cattleman whose business covered that area and Texas; J. T. Taylor, a missing wealthy
261:. It was noted that they were driving a span of several horses, and appeared to have a lot of money on them. A posse of 20 men was quickly organized, and the family's trail led to
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Vigilantes hunted down and killed the fleeing family in order to make an example of them. William confessed to all of the family's crimes before being hanged from a tree.
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Soon after the discoveries, information from Beaver came that all four of the Kelly Family had passed through town a few days ago, en route to
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only for her brother to curse at the posse and encourage them to 'find out for themselves'. Subsequently, both were left hanging on the tree.
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when a signal was given, the door would spring open, with the victim either dying from the fall or being disposed of later on with the axe.
192:. The family consisted of William Kelly (55); his wife Kate; his son Bill, also called 'Billy' (20) and daughter, Kit (18). Originally from
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This article is about an
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named S. T. Gregg, who had visited the tavern before, decided to stop by and check the house.
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who operated between August and
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Bill, Kit, and
William were hanged by a posse. Kate broke her neck after falling off a horse.
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belongings, including a gold watch belonging to J. T. Taylor, and was left to hang.
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search parties came into the house, one of them led by a cowboy called "Texy".
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479:. The Butler Weekly Times. December 28, 1887.
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320:List of serial killers in the United States
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376:Learn how and when to remove this message
360:so that sources are clearly identifiable.
188:state border in "No Man's Land", now the
107:None, died before they could be convicted
511:. Staunton Spectator. December 28, 1887.
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460:. The Morning News. December 29, 1887.
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595:19th-century American criminals
130:August – December 1887
600:American female serial killers
413:"Justice Overtakes the Kellys"
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253:Search, capture and execution
99:Murder, Manslaughter, assault
655:Serial killers from Oklahoma
458:"The Bender Horror Repeated"
630:Criminals from Pennsylvania
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570:Murder by Gaslight article
180:was an American family of
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294:Connection to the Benders
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645:Murdered serial killers
610:American serial killers
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565:Sword and Scale article
544:"Are They The Benders?"
216:, around 25 miles from
16:American serial killers
440:"Crimes of the Kellys"
530:Hillsborough Recorder
491:"A Ghastly Discovery"
548:St. Paul Daily Globe
497:. December 24, 1887.
446:. December 26, 1887.
345:needs more complete
550:. January 11, 1888.
532:. January 12, 1888.
526:"The Fiends Caught"
224:Discovery of crimes
126:Span of crimes
81:"The Kelly Friends"
70:Cause of death
509:"A Horrible Story"
495:Alexandria Gazette
477:"The Kelly Fiends"
444:The Memphis Appeal
421:. January 3, 1888.
200:a decade earlier.
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