The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1904-05-20
HE FOUGHT HARD.
Such is the Belief of Young Wentz,
the Philadelphian

the Philadelphian
WHOSE BODY HAS BEEN FOUND
1t is Believed Now That tho Dead
Body Was Carried to the
| Spot Where 1t Was Dis
covered.
A dispatch from Wise, Va, says it
IS now believed that Edward l..
WentZ, the rich Philadelphia, whose
body was found near there and whose
disappearance last October called out
reward Of 100000, was killed in a
fight with mountain moOnShinerS.
The body has been fully identified
and there is every reason to believe
he died fighting for his life. His cloth
ing was intact, but the front teeth are
gone.' His revolver with three shots
missing and his eyeglasses we're found
about twenty feet away. The body lies
near the BlackwoOd road, about mile
north OF Kelly Cave
The space adjacent to the body has
been roped off and guard placed
around it. The relatives are expected
there from Philadelphia Thursday,
when an inquest will'be held.
MYSTERY IN THE DISCOVERY.
The principal mystery that puzzles
the Wise County officers is the finding
of the body lying in full view on the
ground. The opinion is held that it
could not have been there unseen dur
ing the seven months since Vents
disappearance
The body was found in clearing on
the hillside, face upward, il good con
dition, as though death had occurred
not many days ago. Tue-clothes were
worn and miSShapen, apparently by
the work Of the elements 1t was found
by young village boy who was spend
ing Sunday afternoon beating through
the hill country in search Of strayed
cow
The belief that Wentz was killed by
moOnShinerS after hard battle is
borne out by the fact that they had
threatened his life
TROUBLE WITH MooNSIIlNERs.
Early in last October an illicit dis
tillery was discovered and broken up
by the revenue officers after Il battle
in which one OF the officers was kill
ed and in which the leader IF the cla
was mortally wounded. The distillcry
raided was une of the largest and the
oldest in these mountains, and con-
nected with its operation was large
proportion OF the inhabitants here
about. The responsibility for the
whole affair was placed by these men
on the shoulders OF Edward WeutZ,
and he was warned repeatedly by in
habitants with whom he mad made
friends that his life would not be
worth a moments purchase If one Of
members Of the disturbed rang could
get shot at him.
WARNING WAS UNuEEDED.
But Wentz had a great lover for the
mountains and the forests; also he had
been raised in Philadelphia, and it
was difficult for him to realize that
human life could be held as OF such
small value as these people, his noun
tain friends, would have him bclived
lie tried to take the warning serious
ly for time, and succeeded until the
afternoon Of October IA, o1c OF the
early Fall DAYS in the rlountains,
when all the country takes n new and
brilliant coloring
lie was last seen by an old woman
near Kelly View. Tue chimney or her
cottage had caught fire, ard he had
diSmOunted to assist her.
That night, when he did not return.
his brother telephoned for / is parents
and posses we're sent out TO beat up
the entire country in the vicinity.
REWARD OF 500 600
Rewards were offered by DR.. and
Mrs. Wcntz until finally they aggreg-
ated $4,000 The mining and lum-
bering operations were suspended and
over one thousand miners and lumber
men were sent out to assist in the
search, and the spot where the body
was finally found Tuesday was gone
over again and again.
Shortly after tile disappearance a
rough mOuntaineer rode into Big
Stone Gap With an offer TO release
WentZ for Il ransom OF so 900. He
carried Il letter purporting 10 be from
| Wentz, but supposed to be forgery.
He was followed into the mountains
| by detectives, who lost all track Of
him.
The search has never abated for one
moment since the Disappearance.
Heir TO Large Iistatc.
a dispatch from Walhala to The
State says some intere e,t has been
aroused here by an advertisement
which appeared in an Atlanta paper
inquiring for the heirs OF ,Johnatlan
Tins, who moved to Texas or Arkansas
before the War for Southern Indepen.
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