The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-11-15
TRAGIC FATE OF YOUNG
 WENTZ THE MILLIONAIRE

It is now practically certain that Ed ward Wentz the young Philadelphia mil lionare, was murdered by moonshiners from the Virginia Kentucky line on top of Black Mountain.
 Notwithstanding the diligent search, in which fully 5000 men were engaged the body might still have been undiscovered The country is a succession of mountain ridges and gulches, with hundreds of caves. some of them many miles long, and deep, abyss-like pits It is well-ngh impossible to search such country thoroughly
 The moonshners had deep hatred for the Wentzes and for every one connected with the Virginia Iron and Coal com pany. of which young Wentz was gener al manager. They believe that when John McDaniels, their leader. was shot on Black Mountain by a posse sent out by Daniel Wentz a brother of Edward Wentz, to destroy their stills, he was tortured to death in the eompany's hos ptal at Stonega. They were told by
  in the companys cemetery that his throat was cut from ear to ear. The stories of torture grew out of the fact that physician at the hospital had re- fused to allow the dying moonshiner's suspicious friends to see him for fear of hastening his death. The moonshiners had heard such reports of brutality to- wards McDaniels. They did not claim his body. believing that it would be use less. They understood that the body was to be kept away from McDaniefs wife and family because of the tell-tale marks of violence it bore.
 Now. as is all but certain. the moon sinners have paid back the Wentzes. They have shot one of them to death and kept his body. Ordinarily they would have left the body in the road as evidence of their vengeance.
 Lay In Wait for Him.
 Their idea of the treatment of McDan- iels, who. in fact received every care in the company's excellent hospital, prompted an unusual method of revenge among the mountaineers of the cumber- land range The battle between the moonshiners and the posse, which was led by Jim King, chief of police at Stone ga, occurred two months ago. The com pany employees 4000 men at their Stonega coke ovens, the largest in the country and drunkenness and shooting arrays were common among them because of the illicit distileres on Black Mountain, built right on the Kentucky Virginia line and conducted by Kentucky moun- taineers of Letcher county. Daniel Wentz concluded to break up the moon shine plant and sent King and posse to do the work, The moonshiners met the posse dehantly. In the battle that followed King was shot dead, McDan- ies was mortally wounded, several oth- CTS were injured and three moonshners were captured. The latter are in the jail awaiting trial
 The practice of the mountaineer when lying in wait for an enemy is proverbial They have been known to hide in one spot for a month or more awaiting his appearance Young Wentz went over the road on which he was lost every ten days and the moonshiners patiently waited for him. Wentz was shot, 1t IS thought in rhododendron thicket just beyond Roaring Fork, tumbling moun- tain stream. His horse was turned loose but the animal was one that did not wander, and was found close to the spot where his master is supposed to nave been shot
 The moonshiners must have carried Wentz's body up one of the nearby gulches, then up the mountain and over beyond the divide to some safe hiding place. They have made it certain that the body can never be recovered. A Notable Search.
 The search made for the body was not able in numbers. perseverance and care For two weeks more than 5000 men searched the mountains and gulches Young Wentzs personal friends, among others, John Fox, Jr., the novelist, ana Joshua Bullitt the company's counsel, camped in the mountains and worked early and late. Men were let over ledges and down into pits by ropes; the caves were explored with hand electric lights, and Powells river and its tributaries were dragged. Not trace of the handsome, athletic young fellow was found. Every home in Big Stone Gap and other nearby places was in gloom, for WentZ was wide ly popular. Every able-bodied man and boy in this place joined in the search, leaving only three out of the 500 male in habitants at home. The county court at Abingdon was adjourned. and judge, lawyers and witnesses, contestants ana spectators became searchers.
 The women folk hereabouts were ter rorized with fears for fathers, sons and brothers. and the situation for two weeks was most distressing.
 If now twantv.eicht days since