Man Who
Killed His Cousin Following Quarrel Over Some Land Has Been Apprehended—Is
Composed—Draft Classification at the Root of Trouble—Eight Perforations in Dead
Man’s Body—It Is Said Bonner Became Angered at Will’s Reference to His Father
Sheriff Griffith went to Charlotte this morning to bring back
Bonner Wentz, slayer of his cousin Will Wentz, who surrendered to the
Mecklenburg County authorities on the afternoon of the shooting yesterday. The
killing, which took place at the home of Will Wentz, was the outgrowth of a
quarrel over rented land.
An autopsy held by Dr. S.A. Stevens late yesterday afternoon
revealed eight perforations of Wentz’ body, though it is believed only five
shots were fired from the pistol.
The tragedy occurred on the farm of the aunty of both of the
men, Mrs. Rufe Wentz, in Goose Creek township near the Vance township line.
Will Wentz, the dead man, had recently rented the land after Bonner Wentz,
expecting to go to war, had given it up. This, it is believed, was the cause of
the killing, as the latter, having been given deferred classification on the
grounds of agricultural pursuits, wanted to regain possession of the land to
keep out of war.
Wentz
Composed
According to the following account in this morning’s
Charlotte Observer, Bonner Wentz, as he sat in his cell in the Mecklenburg
jail, was composed:
As a result of what was said to have been a dispute over a
misunderstanding about the draft registration or about who should work a
certain piece of land, Bill Wentz, a prominent young farmer living in Union
County, just across the southern part of the Mecklenburg County line, was shot
to death yesterday morning about eight o’clock by his cousin, Bonner Wentz of
Pineville, as the two stood in front of Bill Wentz’ house, his wife witnessing
the affair, according to information gathered at the sheriff’s office in
Charlotte last night.
Mr. Wentz was said to have been shot a number of times. He,
rushing into the house after receiving the wounds, dropped to the floor, dead,
death having been almost instant.
What information about the shooting could be obtained
yesterday indicated that only the wife witnessed the killing, and the
particulars about the shooting are lacking.
Bonner Wentz, after shooting his cousin, returned to Pineville,
went to his father, Wash Wentz, a well-known citizen of that place, and told
him what he had done. The father notified Sheriff N.W. Wallace, who dispatched
Deputy Sheriffs V.P. Fesperman and P.P. Patterson to Pineville, they bringing
Bonner Wentz to Charlotte last evening. He was placed in the county jail. The
sheriff of Union County is expected in the city today to get Wentz and take him
to Monroe, where he is scheduled to face trial, as the killing occurred in that
county.
As far as could be learned, the two men had been quarreling
in front of Bill Wentz’s home either about some difference over the draft
registration or about who should work a piece of land. Reports about the affair
differed as to which of the two matters the men fell out over. Bonner Wentz is
said to have drawn an automatic pistol and fired a number of shots into the
body of his cousin.
The man who is charged with doing the shooting seemed very
composed last evening when placed in the county jail by Deputy Sheriffs
Fesperman and Patterson. No statement was obtained from him as to his motive
for killing his cousin as he did not seem to care to talk about the matter.
Information obtained seemed that both men were prominent in
the sections of the county in which they lived, and it is not known that they
had been on disagreeable terms.
No attempt whatever was made by Bonner Wentz to escape after
shooting his cousin, it was reported, he going almost directly to his father,
with whom he lived most of the time, and telling him about the shooting. His
father advised him to remain at home until the officers came for him, and the
father, after consulting with his son, came to Charlotte and told Sheriff
Wallace about the affair.
Was There
a Quarrel?
Bonner Wentz last year worked the farm of his aunt, Mrs. Rufe
Wentz. Being in the draft age and single, he was placed in class 1 by the local
exemption board. Thinking that he would have to go to the camp, he left his
aunt’s farm, stating that he was going to enlist, it is said. After he had
left, Mrs. Wentz, with whom he had lived and whose land he had worked, engaged
Will Wentz to take his place on the farm and also rented other parts of the
farm to different parties. Instead of volunteering Bonner Wentz succeeded in
getting placed in class 4 of the draft on account of agricultural pursuits.
Complaining affidavits have been filed with the exemption board against this
reclassification. After he was notified of his reclassification he returned to
the home of his aunt and tried to get the place he had formerly held on the
farm back, so it is said.
Several times, it is said, Bonner and Will came to a quarrel concerning their affairs. Yesterday
morning Mrs. Wentz noticed them standing on the well curb some distance away
quarreling. She called to them to stop, it is said, and come to the house.
Bonner Wentz, it is said, was about half way to the house,
carrying a bucket of water, when Will Wentz is reported to have said, “You are
just like your old father, sneaking around trying to break up his trade.” At
this Bonner is said to have placed his water on the ground, pulled a pistol and
began firing. The wife of the dead man was an eye witness to the affair. Bonner
continued to fire, following Will around the house, it is stated. Will
succeeded in reaching the kitchen door and fell inside, dead. There were three
bullet holes in his back, and through the side of the neck, which must have cut
the jugular vein, and one grazed his arm.
It is said that after he had emptied his pistol he went into
the house, reloaded it, bade his aunt good-bye, telling her that he might not
see her any more and left.
Sheriff Jule Griffith and Capt. Will Howie went up to the
scene of the shooting a little later to arrest the guilty man, but he had
already left that county. On their return to Monroe it was learned that Bonner
had retained J.D. McCall of Charlotte as counsel and that he had also retained
Stack & Parker as attorneys, phoning them. It is thought that as the
shooting occurred about 7 o’clock that Bonner made his way to Indian Trail,
about four miles away, where he boarded the 8 o’clock train for Charlotte.
Sheriff Griffith is of the opinion, however, that Wentz walked to Pineville,
the home of his father, where he was taken into custody by the officers.
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