Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-11
MYSTERY OF wENTz DEATH.
Two Suspects Under Arrest - Some
Call It Suicide

A dispatch from Knoxville Tenn. saws:
warrants were served yesterday on Silas
Ison and Tom Wright, prisoners I'm tatl
at Tazewell, Tenn, charging them with
the murder Of e. L. Wentz, whose body
was found near Big Stone Gap last Sum
day. The two men were being held In jail
on the charge Of being fugitives from JUS
tlce awaiting orders from Virginia These
men were first suspected of being the MUIR
oefers OF Wentz, because a riding suit
similar TO one worn by Wentz when he
went riding was found in their quarters in
the mountains This suit of clothing had
bloodstains on 1t.
A probable cause for enmity between
Wentz ana the men was that Wentz stop
ped them running a blind tiger in Wise
county, Va, on Wentz's property
Another reason for believing them guilty
IS that the men were communicating with
persons outside the jail. and wrote as Il
tney were trying to cover up some graver
crime Of which they were guilty. The
theory Is that these men are involved In
an attempt to get the reward for the find
Ing of the body. 1t having been suggested
that Wentz's body was probably buried
for months before 1t was placed where it
was recently found
A dispatch from Bristol, Va, says: The
shrunken and decayed body of Edward L..
Wentz was literally taken to pieces by
physicians and detectives in the course Of
o'clock In the dark cavern of Black
Mountain, and was closed without a YER
dict by the coming Of night. The startling
feature of the inquest was the discovery
of a 32-ca1iber pistol bullet In the body,
which might have been discharged from
the empty pistol of the same caliber found
eighteen feet from the body. The bullet
had passed through the fifth rib, entering
in front, had penetrated the heart, a back
rib, and lodged in the muscles of the back,
one and half inches from the spine. Sew
eral holes were found in the clothing
other than where the bullets entered, but
beneath them the body was found intact.
The clothing around the bullet hole was
burned. showing that the pistol was held
near 1T.
The right hand Is missing and was prob
ably borne away by wild beasts. white
pearl button, which could not have be-
longed to the dead man. was found near
There is little doubt that the bullet pene-
trated the heart, as the physicians found
evidence of hemorrhage in that portion
of the body, and an immense amount of
blood congested back of the lungs.
. Detectives made careful examination OF
the pistol. finding 1T to be Smith
tridges were either side of the ham
mer but the chamber under the hammer
contained an empty she'll as did the two
lower chambers: loaded cartridge OF
80 caliber was found seven feet from the
body. Many articles in his pockets were
found intact.
F. P. Dimaio superintendent of the Pink
erton Detective Agency Of Philadelphia,
who accompanied the Wentz brothers to
the scene, will not return but remains to
make thorough investigation, following
the verdict of the coroners jury.
The most intense excitement prevails,
and at the inquest this afternoon there
were 500 people gathered There is a great
difference of opinion as to the cause of
Wentzs death whether accident, suicide,
or murder. Many believe 1t was suicide.
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