The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-08-24
P PRISONER HELD
IN Chess EREIELD
Spends Night in Lonely County
Jail, and Looks Languidly After
Crowds Hurrying Back to
Ri C h m n d-Prosecution
Very Confident and Eager
to Open Testimony.
BY JOSEPH r. GEIsISGER.


With its jury box filled. its prisoner
Z lying close at hand in a county fan
cell. and all the stage set at last for
the coming scenes, the court OF Ches-
terrified stands to-day ready to hear the
charge OF the Commonwealth against
Henry Gay Beattie. Jr., alleged muir
derer of his wife.
TWO stihing hours In the hot and
crowded little courtroom yesterday
brought the legal machinery to comple-
! ton. and before sunset had come
again. the mysterious, calm young man
within the bar had made his tirst throw
In the game of life and death. 1t was
the one dramatic moment of a duh and
wearisome day. UnsmilinK now. with
set face and viEilant eye. Henry Beattie
scanned the sixteen men before him.
watchful OF every move, followi..
every glance, tracing every llneamerL
to the hidden mind behind il, Then no
drew a pencil through four names ana
an instant later four men stepped from
the jury box With them went such
| threat of death as was in the power
Of the prisoner 10 see and remove:
with those left behind lay ali the flu
| ture OF his life, whatever 1t may be.
Again his eye Travelled the immobile
inc. searching row for hone, not fear.
What he found in the masklike faces
mat stared blankly back at him no
man save himself can say. At last he
smiled again, and leaned toward his
used father, who sat by his side.
| WhistiinE ON Why to Cell.
| Through the courthouse door a half.
hour afterward, Beattie, closely guard. s
| co. walked, whistltng few bars OF a
tune quickly checked. With his father
ana brother at either hand, he strode
| SLOWLY and uneXcitedly across thu
green TO the tiny Jail, and a momnnt
more the doors closed behind him. Iust
as he reached the prison an ambitious
photographers ran him to bay. Hiding
behind barrier OF uplifted arms and
mats, he slipped through the portals.
and the world will not see TODAY n
seattle passing to his cell. There. In
the dead stiffness OF a country night,
he spent the solitary hours from twI
light until dawn. alone with such
thoughts as may come to a man ON
auch an eve. Against his wish he gave
up Ms old Henr'co quarters, and as the
throng vanished. leaving the court
house silent and deserted, gazed long
ingly after the crowds hurrying back
TO Richmond. His new cell is clean.
and there is fresh cot. and a blanket
1
shares the common lot AT the last
moment he naively asked the court II
| ne might occasionally go onto tho
country roads with bicycle, presum-
ably with Sheriff Gill. a grizzled Civil
war veteran. pedaling beside him
me court thought not.
! Crowd Smaller Than Usual
| Interest In the dreary minutiae "a
| Iury-making had gone, and the attend
ance was small Witnesses were not
10 appear until this morning and tho
| gaping countryside mad on the dav
before seen its hl of Henry Beattie.
| logging his footsteps wherever ha
7 turned There was nothing to bring
! II forth again, and II went back ia
the plow Even at that. however, tho
/ courtroom was more than half filled
+! When the ancient bell rang, and COM
F.; pletay blocked before an hour had
| passed II was OH the lawn. where
hundreds had lounged Monday. that
me "dHerence was strikingly notice.
| able.
FRS, OF the chief actors to arrive
! were the Commonwealth lawyers. and
a Few moments later big car emerged
from dust cloud and deposited tho
| prisoner at the courtyard gate The
! nfteen- mile spin through the morning
! air had evidently cheered him not n
| little Two incidents marked the trip.
As ne was leaving the Henrlco prison
he suddenly came face to face with his
cousin, Paul, his principal accuser.
Turning his back deliberately, Henry
went HIS way with no word of greeting
| AZ a railway crossing on the road ia
! Chesterfield. thu big automobile jerked
up suddenly. Just in time to ESCAPE an
nlhtlation by Il nyins train. rhis trisis
he met as he is meeting the other
! with careless word.
I
| On the court green the prisoner was
sti'l an object of keen interest to thoss
| gathered around, but lie spent little
time there yesterday, going quickly
into the building, and leaving ii only
when necessary. Camera fends still
besieged him. and he gen!auy acaui.
esced until that last hour at the prison
400" In one picture his father stands
heSide MIN. win his hand resting con.
/ hdinSly and protectipgiy on his boys
shoulder. 1t speaks The spirit OF tho
whole family circle.
In marked contrast to the strained
silences of the day before came cheer.
full good humor bringing grateful
relief The elder Beattie himself SEEM B
ed less detected and worn than hare
tofore, and both he and Douglas, his
other son. were more than once tho
| centres OF chatting and smiling
groups. even counsel for the defense
essayed joke now aud then, draw
ing 0uEh Hom the courtroom Tho
[continued on Eighth Page.)