William Bentz Found With His Throat Cut

What Was First Considered a Suicide May Prove to be a Murder

Wounds on Body That Could Not Be Inflicted by Himself--Man Had Been Dead Several Hours When Found--No Reason for Suicide

A sad case of murder of a prosperous young farmer near Dexter Friday has horrified the county.

William Bentz, a young farmer living two miles south of Dexter, was found last night in the woodshed on his farm, with his throat cut from ear to ear.

Mr. Bentz was the son of William Bentz, a well known retired farmer, now living in Dexter, and nine months ago was married to a daughter of William Aprill, of Scio, and purchased what was known as the Yager farm where they have since resided. Yesterday morning Mrs. Bentz left to spend the day with her parents, the husband assisting in getting her started and bidding her good-bye, appearing to be in his usual good health and spirits. She remained away all day and upon returning about 7 o'clock in the evening was a little alarmed at not finding her husband waiting to greet her. She entered the house by the dining room and upon lighting a lamp was startled by discovering blood spots upon the floor and a hammer near by. The dining table also was in an untidy condition as if Mr. Bentz had been disturbed without finishing his meal. She immediately commenced to call her husband by name but receiving no response became fearful and called in Mr. Thos. Coy. a neighbor, and together they began a search of the premises. The trail of blood led out through the kitchen and across the yard, about fifty feet, to a woodshed where, at the rear end of the building the body of Mr. Bentz was found, with the throat cut from ear to ear. When found the body rested against the top of a barrel, the left arm hanging over the edge so that the body had not fallen entirely to the ground. Beside the body, on the ground lay a razor covered with blood as if to indicate that it was plainly a case of suicide and that this was the instrument with which it was committed.

Coroner Watts was at once notified and went immediately to the scene. Upon arrival he made a careful exam-matter, however, developments appear-as found and was at first inclined to accept the suicide theory without question. As he got farther into the matter, however, developments appeared that a grave crime had been committed and that Mr. Bentz had been murdered. Upon taking the remains into the kitchen and washing the face it was found that there were two holes in the front skull, on the right, that had every appearance of having been made with the clams of a hammer. Also upon the right cheek there was a bruise and another upon the upper lip as if made by the blow of some blunt instrument. This coupled with the fact that the body was found at least seventy-five feet from the dining room and its bloodstained floor, and that it would have been almost impossible for a man to walk that distance with his throat cut as was Mr. Bentz' fully convinced the coroner that murder and not suicide had been committed.

Coroner Watts empanelled a jury consisting of Henry Phelps, George Higgins, Simon Schairer, Ernest Ellsworth, Harry Pratt and James Hanna. After viewing the remains the inquest was adjourned until August 28.

William Bentz was about 35 years of age, a most exemplary young man and was not known to have an enemy in the world. His home life was said to have been particularly pleasant, and his friends can assign no possible reason for suicide, if such it was.

Further details of the crime tend to strengthen the belief which all who have visited the scene seem to entertain that it is a clear case of murder. The razor with which the throat was cut was kept in a drawer in a cupboard in the kitchen near the outer door. On the wall at this point are the marks of a bloody hand so placed as to be made only by someone reaching in from the outside. There is a lot of blood in the dining room and in the kitchen, but there is not so much blood in the path outside leading to the woodshed. In the woodshed there is no blood in the path from the door to where the body was found, but plenty of blood over an overturned wheelbarrow and a barrel on the side, as if the body had been carried sideways at this point and over the obstructions over which Benz himself could not have walked.

There are drops of blood by the pump as if someone with bloody bands had washed them there. The pump is from six to eight feet off the path along which the trail of blood leads.

Sheriff Gauntlett and Deputy Sheriff Peterson were notified Saturday and drove out to the scene and made a thorough investigation. From there they drove to Dexter, but their conclusions cannot be given until they return to the city.

[From Monday's Argus.]

The opinion seemed to be gaining this morning with the officers who have been examining into the Benz case that it is suicide instead of murder. Sheriff Gauntlett and Detective Peterson were on the scene a good part of Sunday and they are more convinced than before that the young man took his own life. However, no stone is being left unturned to find all evidence, that lends to the murder theory as well as that of suicide. Sheriff Gauntlett says the friends and relatives and the public as well are entitled to the facts as far as it is possible to ascertain them and to this end no theory will be followed to the exclusion of any particle of evidence which may aid in any way in clearing up the mystery.

The Argus has talked with the officers, Sheriff Gauntlett and Detective Peterson and others who have been about the scene of the terrible deed and gives such facts and theories as have been advanced.

It appears that Wim. Benz was troubled over the heavy debt he was carrying. He is said to have purchased the farm upon which he lived and gone heavily in debt against the wishes of his family, but had been given financial backing in the purchase by his father-in-law, William Aprill. Previous to the purchase of this farm the officers say, he had been worried over another farm that had been purchased by his father for him but that was occupied by another brother.

One of his hired men is said to have spoken to Benz about the heavy debt he had assumed saying:

"Ain't you going pretty heavily in debt for your farm?" His reply was "Yes, but if I fail to swing it the river is near at hand or I can do this," and he made the motion of drawing a knife across his throat.

It is also claimed that Mrs. Benz told Dr. Chase, of Dexter, recently that she was afraid to leave her husband to himself lest he do something rash. According to the officials investigating there is evidence that Benz was much worried over his heavy indebtedness and differences with his relatives over the matter and they think in a fit of despondency he became temporarily unbalanced and while in that condition took his own life.

Detective Peterson said to the Argus this morning that a careful study of all the surroundings seemed to point to the fact that Benz had used the hammer on himself, that while dazed from these severe blows and bleeding, he had wandered out to a hen house and from there returned to the kitchen where he secured the razor. He said there were fine spatterings of blood on the clothing as will appear when blood is spurting from a wound, that there was the same fine spattering of blood on the paper within the cupboard where the razor was obtained. This, he thought, indicated that the blood in both instances, carne from the same wound and not from another person. After obtaining the razor, he thinks, the evidence indicates that Benz made the first pass at his throat while still in the house and later that he wandered to the far comer of the wood house where the final slash was made which cut the throat from ear to ear.

It is farther stated in support of the suicide theory that there is no evidence of a struggle any where and no evidence of robbery. In other words that there is no motive anywhere to base such a theory upon and Mr. Benz is said to have had no known enemies.

Those who hold to the murder theory and the relatives are of the opinion that it is a case of murder, hold to the idea that he could not have inflicted the wounds upon his head and face and then cut his throat with the razor. They believe his condition resulting from the blows with the hammer would have been such as to preclude the possibility of doing the latter act.

The post mortem examination is being held today. Coroner Watts and Sheriff Gauntlett are on the ground and on their return may have some new evidence bearing on the case.

The postmortem examination would seem to point rather to murder than to suicide. Aside from the wounds with the razor there had been a blow from a hammer on the back of the head near the right ear which had fractured the skull, a blow on the face near the right ear, a blow on the forehead and two or three more slight blows about the face on the right side, a heavy blow on the chest which had made a clot of blood three inches in diameter colored equally which would hardly have been made with a hammer. There was also a bruise on the left shoulder.

The examination was made by Drs. Klingmann, of Ann Arbor, and Honey of Dexter.

The wounds from the hammer had cut no arteries and no blood had spurted from them. While the doctors were evidently not prepared to talk until the inquest Thursday it was gleaned that the blow on the back of head was hard enough to have produced unconsciousness.

Another statement which has come to light is that bloody water was found in the kitchen sink and blood on the sink.

The two men who have been suspected of being connected with the crime, it would seem, are cleared of suspicion. The crime was committed between 11 o'clock and 5 o'clock Friday beyond question. The two men in question drove into Nissle's stable at Manchester Friday noon and put out their horses. At five o'clock they came back to the stable and tried to sell the horse, and finally sent word to relatives to come and get the horse. They hired out with a small show and were in Hanover and Jonesville today.