The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-27
Lines of Circumstantial Eyi- dence Seem Tightening
 About Beattie
PRISONER NERVOUS
 AS DETECTIVE TALKS
Boys Tell of Seeing Man and Woman Fixing AutomObile-The Accused Man Loses Debonair Manner
 and Shows Uneasiness

Chesterfield Courthouse Va, August 26- Considerable progress was made to- day by the prosecution in the case of Henry Clay Reattie. IT,, who is on trial for his life, charged with the murder of his young wife at lonely spot on the Midlothian turnpike last month. number of important witnesses. includ- ing one of the detectives who has been prominent in the case from the begin ming. and several boys. the prosecutions strong card, were heard.
 Just before adjournment of the court this afternoon Judge Watson granted an application by Beattie's counsel that the accused man be permitted to go to Richmond so that the defense might have a conference over Sunday and save time" in preparing the cro~s-ex- animation for the re-convening of court.
 Beattie was then whisked back to Richmond. cheerfully waving from his automobile to passers-by whom he recognized.
 There were many tense moments for the prisoner as the prosecution. through the testimony of Detective l.. L. Scherer particularly uncovered fragments of conversation which he Is alleged to have had with Beattie concerning Beu- lah Binford, the girl in the case"
 Plainly evident was the hand of the prosecution today In endeavoring to show the underlying motive for the murder the fear of Beattie that his father might learn of the resumption of relations with the Binford girl and an alleged physical ailment of Beattie at the time of the murder. The court, in fact, discerning the intention of the prosecution to unfold this part of the mystery, asked permission from the lawyers of both sides to defer the dis cussion of this point on the stand until another occasion when other witnesses including Dr. Mann, whose informatioH in this connection was stricken out four days ago. might be recalled.
 The commonwealth drew tight tho lines of circumstantial evidence when 1t brought to the stand consecutiyelt half \ dozen youths who were return Eng from a dance on the night of the murder and stopped 10 look at a sta ! tionarS car q man working on the hood gIa ssoman a.anding on the running board One Of the boys, w B. Sydnor, identified the Beattie car. brought to the courthouse for first inspection by the jury, as the identical one. both as to the make and fittings, that he and his companions saw that night
 Identifies Car
 Sydnor was on the stand twice, but 1t was not until the second time, which was after the jury's inspection of the car, that the prosecution asked him whether the doors on the car he saw were detached from the machine. He remembered exactly that they were. also identifying it's khaki colored hood. The defense attempted to indicate that Syd- nor, having made no reference to the doors in the first testimony. was in- spired during a recess to emphasize that point as the crowning feature of his Identification only after the jury had examined the car and noticed the conspicuous absence of both doors. The defense insin uated that the prosecution had called Sydnor's attention to the doors, but the boy said he had remarked on them in statement before the trial.
 All six boys told the same story of seeing a woman on the running board and fixed the hour of their passage as almost coincident with the hour of the murder. The prosecution. through De- tective Scherer's testimony later in the day. added to this trend of proof the claim that Beatties wife was not shot while seated beside him, as the prisoner ayers but while standing in the road
 Close upon this was Detective Scherers narrative of Beattie's inconsistent and varying conversations with him in en- deayoring to explain the presence of the pool of blood in the road. Detective Scherer's testimony laid the foundation for the future contention of the prose- .l. l.f. H-HI standing either on the running board or in the roadway and that the pool of blood did not ooze through the footboards or lower part of the machine, but result ed from Mrs. Beattie's fall when shot near the car.
 Besides pointing to the cumulative tes- tmony of the boys as to the presence of Beattie ard his wife on the road the prosecution, through F. B. Adams. an other boy, scored point when the youth told of seeing a man alone beside a ma chine similar to the Beattie car on the same road three hours before the mur- der is supposed to have happened. Adamss testimony bore out the argument of the prosecution that Beattie could have talk en the shotgun to the place where a few hours later he conducted his wife.
 The commonwealth let it be known outside the courtroom that 1t discovered witness, negro named Wilkes, who
 
 chine loads of boys. as well as Beattio and his wife, but no other person or vehicle along the road at that hour. By this testimony it is apparently hoped to auash Beattie's story of the bearded highwayman. Wilkes, as we'll as Mrs. Binford. mother of Beulah. who was to have been called to the stand. was not summoned today as Detective Scherer monopolized almost the entire afternoon session.
 To Cross Examine Scherer
 The time of their appearance now is uncertain, as the defense gave notice on Monday it would begin a scathing cross examination of Scherer's testimony. par ticularly with reference to his alleged conversation with Beattie after the mur- der and prior to his arrest. @
 The testimony of Scnerer, inasmuch as 1t so frequently introduced the n.Anle of the Binford girl. excited interes' on the part of the prisoner. and his usual nonchalance gave way to deter mined. tiger like crouch over the beach as ho strained forward to catch every syllabla uttered. Not infrequently did he fidgct about nervonsly and muscles in his face pulsated as he ground his teeth. Oc- casionally and with suddepncss that sometimes startled his counsel, Beattfe --~---~----->>-~-~>~~@