Milford chronicle., 1911-09-01
WITNESSES TURN
AGAINST STATE
Boy Springs Surprise with Tale
Of Second Blood Spot.
PROSECUTOR IN A PANIC
Paul Beattie's Testimony Of Prisoners
Confession Remains Unshaken After
GrueIling cross-Examination.

GrueIlins cross-Examination.
! Following the announcement tha
/ Henry Clay Beattie, Jr., on trial a
| Chesterfield Court House, Va, upor
he charge of wife murder, would &C
IN the stand as the star witness il
tbs own defense, and the passing un
icathed of Paul Beattie through the
sharpest Of cross-examinatiOns with
his allegation that Henry had con
fessed the crime to him, the trial took
q sensational turn.
After two witnesses called by the
prosecution had given testimony dam
3ging to the states case and bringing
the first comfort of the trial to the
defense, Mr.. Wendenberg, the assist
ant prosecutor, gave evidence Of being
in a panic.
1t was Alexander Robertson, a six
teen-year-old boy. the calmest, most
composed witness of the trial, who
gave the final jolt to the prosecu-
ton.
In a most collected way he told of
the discovery by him Of a second
blood spot in the Midlothian turnpike
in addition to the great cOagulated
pool where Mrs. Louise owen Beattie
had lost her life.
AS he stoutly and distinctly told OF
the finding of the spot and described
its character, the thoughts of the
spectators flew back to the tale Beat
tie told of having stopped on his way
home with the body of his wife to fix
his lights.
The additional spot, said young Rob
ertson, was between the scene of the
homicide and the Owen home, and
seemed to be drippings from some
thing, rather than a splotch such as
the first one at the scene of the MUIR
der.
This evidence was considered vital
to Beatties interests, as it seemed
corrobOrative of his entire account of
the tragedy.
The fact that Henry Beattie would
be a witness to give his own narrative
Of the tragedy of the Midlothian pike
on the night of July IS, the first hint
Of the intentions of the defense, came
as the direct result OF the
startling assertion of Paul Beattie,
cousin of the defendant, that Henry
lad confessed to him that he had
slain his wife.
With the announcement of the fact
hat Beattie would be his own star
made by his chief counsel,
Henry NJ. Smith, Jr., it became evil
lent that this was to be the keystone
If the effort to refute the testimony
# Paul Beattie that his cousin had
aid to him on the second night after
he murder:
Il wish to God | had not done it. I |
wouldn't have done it for a million dol !
ars. But she didn't love me; she never |
married me for anything but my mon
". I would like to know how those
electives learned there was No. 6
hot in that gun"
This emotional climax to the ef-
Orts of the state to send Henry Beat
lie to the electric chair came after
'aul Beattie had related how he had
the shotgun with which the
rime was committed, that he had
ought it and cartridges at his cous-
Is direction. and had delivered a
lessage to Beulah Binford for Henry
eattie.
The witness said Henry told him to
sturn with Beulah's reply. He went
ack the Thursday following the muir
er. Henry was drinking beer.
Il did not know what Henry wanted
ith the gun. l heard of the murder
Henry's wife Wednesday and the
ext time l saw him was Wednesday
.ght.
He waited until he got me alone
4 the porch, when he said: Paul,
ant you to do a favor for me- want
u to call up Mrs. Fisher, that's Beu-
h Binford, and tell her if she calls
G up or writes to me or opens her 1
outh in any way, I'll kill her if it
kes me a hundred years to get her"
Il went over to Beulah's house" Z
lded the witness, "and delivered the
essage, and she said, I reckon Henry =
Ill marry me after this.
Then the witness continued: G
81 said; Henry, this thing looks '
lightly black to me. He said nothing
r a moment Then he looked at me
ID said:
Il wish I hadn't done it. Although I
e only married me for money, l wish T
God l hadn't done it, 1 wouldn't
we gotten into this thing for a mil /
N dollars. I'd like to know how in
- those detectives found out there P
Is No. 6 shot in that gun
81 said: Henry. if the detectives
t after me, I'm going to tell every
ing know; look at the trouble I'm =
there's nothing on you
He didn't say anything more just
en-, but the next day he said to me:
arrT rrror,k Won 70 ofond nrr yorf !