Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-09-06
0utwardly as Calm as He Was Dur
ing His Trial.
CLOSE OF THE TESTIMONY
Commonwealth's Attorney Devotes
Efforts to Refuting Defendants
Statements Made on Stand.

square deal"
This was the confident remark Of Henry
Clay Beattie. Jr.. indicted for the murder
of his wife. as he sat In his cell here to-
day, gazing in retrospect at the eleven
days OF evidence-taking which was
brought to a close last night
Neither uneasiness nor nervousness was
visible In his countenance or manner. He
possessed the same outward calm that
has characterized him either I'm the pris-
oner's box as he heard witness after wit
ness testify against him or in the wit
ness chair when he himself recited in a
matter way the story of his in
discretions with Beulah Btnford and the
brutal attack of the alleged highwayman
which caused the death OF his wife of a
year.
Quiet at the Courthouse.
The courthouse and its pastoral vicinity
were clothed in peaceful quiet today: the
crickets and katydids continued their
chirping unhampered by the noise and
hustle of a curious crowd. The twelve
men of impassive face. in whose minds
Is locked the secret Of Beattie's future
life, rose. as usual. with the break Of day.
strolled on the green. singing not song
Of mfrth. however. but the strains OF re-
ligtous hymns. and the prisoner not far
away heard them. Their friends call
them earnest God-fearing'' men, and de-
clare they are of the kind to weigh evil
dence carefully. They now have heard all
the evidence, and 1t remains only for
counsel OF both sides to knit together the
relevancy of the various testimonies into
consistent argument. Upon the argument
1t is generally conceded. much will de-
pend. as the defense expects to make Its
strongest plea on the dangers of accept
ing circumstantial evidence.
The prosecutions main broadside will
be delivered along the same lines as
Of the prisoner. and will predicate one
Question-How did the same gun which
Paul Beattie bought for his cousin Henry
Saturday. July Is, come to be in the
Midlothian turnpike on the night OF
Tuesday, July 18?
Purchase Of Gun Admitted.
The defense has admitted by its wit
nesses that Paul purchased tho very gun
which later was identified by Henry as
the one that killed his wife. but his only
reason for the admission was that there
was blood on the barrel, and 1t was found
not far from the scene OF the crime. He
has denied, however, that he saw or
knew Of the gun before the highwayman
leveled 1t on the Midlothian turnpike be-
cause Beattie's car almost collided with
him.
The defense, by numerous witnesses.
endeavored to impeach the veracity of
Paul Beattie as to his having transferred
the gun to Henry Saturday night, July
10, and by one witness, +. H. Neblitt,
hor hot atll ch aif
him Sunday, July 16. at the bridge where
he was employed as a watchman. 1t Is
current rumor that today Neblitt was
said to be himself on the verge of ad-
mitting that he was mistaken. To in
innate friends he already is said to have
made such a declaration.
The commonwealth considers that
Pauls story remains intact in its main
features.
Evidence in Rebuttal.
The prosecution late yesterday after
noon completed its Introduction of evi-
dence in rebuttal Every statement made
by Henry Clay Beattie had been tabled
and on every essential point he was met
by contradiction. The final question pro-
pounded to Beattie when he resumed the
stand for q few minutes in the early
morning to have his cross-eXaminatiGn
completed, remains unanswered, ana,
above all other questions at issue, it is
the most frauGht with significance.
How did the gun bought by Pal'
Beattie three days before the murder
happen to be in the hands of the man
who shot your wife, and how do you
account for the fact that in every detail
of the shooting it is always the gun
bought by Paul Beattie that Is IN evi-
dence?' was the question that Wen
denburg shot at Henry Beattie just be-
fore he left the stand.
Il cannot account for that" was Beat
ties answer; nor has his counsel ac-
counted for it, except 10 put on witnesses
to say that Paul Beattie's reputation Tor
truth and veracity is bad.
Disproves Defendants Statement.
Henry Beattie sought at every turn 10
establish the fact, both in his direct and
cross-examination of Monday, that on the
certain Thursday night when his cousin
Paul says Henry met him with his ma
chine and requested him to buy second
hand shotgun, he had not seen his cousin
Paul and did not go to the several places
where Paul in his evidence has said they
went Henry Beattie made fiat and
positive denial of his cousins story in
this respect, even though Wendenburg
gave him the hint that there would be
plenty of witnesses to rebut him.
The commemorative prosecutor made
good his hint by placing on the stand
long string of witnesses to disprove every
stem in the denial of the prisoner.
Paul Beattie had said that after Henry
had taken him in the car they had driven
TO McEyoy's saloon and there had a
drink of beer This Henry emphatically
denied Out of several who had been at
the saloon on that night, Wendenburs
picked three to go on the stand and swear
that they had seen the two cousins there.
as Paul had said they were, and that
they had driven away together.
Every Step Traced.
Paul Beattie's mother-in-law testified
that on the Thursday night in question
she was called to the telephone by
voice that said Henry Beattie was speak
ing. and that the voice requested her to
summon Paul to the receiver Paul
Reattie's wife confirmed the fact of the
telenhone call on that Thursday night
A policeman told of having seen the two
Young men together by an automobile
when they had stopped to fix the tan
lamp.
Wendenburg traced Paul and his cousin
Henry in each others company from the
time Paul received the summons by tele-
nhone until his mother-in-law looked out
Of the window of the house where he
uyes and saw him stepping out Of Q ma