The Washington times., 1911-08-24
PROSECUTOR AT
SCENE OF KILLING
Lawyers And Detective Pay Visit To Spot On the Mid
lothian Pike Where Mrs. Beattie Met
Her Death.
By JULIA MURDOCH.
Over Times Leased Wire From Chesterfield House.

CHESTERFIELD COURT HOUSE,
Va, Aug. A.-On the eve of the intro
duction Of evidence In the trial Of Hen
~ Clay Beattie, jr., for the murder Of
his wife on the Midlothian pike, the at
torneys for the prosecution, and spe-
cial Agent Luther A. Scherer paid q
visit to the scene Of the crime. They
desired to freshen their minds regard
ing the events and location Of that
little strip OF country road, made
so famous by the night ride, fol-
lowing which young Beattie returned to
his wife's home bearing her dead body
In his arms.
Goldenrod has flung its autumnaI
mantle Of yellow along the side Of the
roadway, hiding the lines of wire fenc-
ing that separate 1t from the forests
through which the Midlothian pike
comfortable homes Of the Virginia
farmers Here and there colored
mans cabin, neatly whitewashed and
thrifty In appearance, Is seen between
clearings In the woods. The road winds
pines. out over the hills and through
shady hollows, a typical Virginia turn
pike. except that It Is a bit smoother
than the majority Of the highways in
The country.
Straight Stretch of Road.
Just where the bloody deed was COM
mitted-whether by q dark and bearded
stranger. as Henry C. Beatde asserts,
or by another. as the Commonwealth Of
Virginia Is endeavoring to prove today
the road Is straight. Any one standing
In the middle of It at the point where
the murder was committed, can see for
a mile in either direction. The death
spot Is situated In the depth of a val
ley. where the road Is depressed the
most deeply. The prosecution says that
this locality was selected by the youth
because 1t commanded an unobstructed
view in both directions.
An automobile or other vehicle, COM
ing either from the east or the west,
could be plainly seen long before It ar
rived at the spot where they claim that
Henry Clay Beattie beat and shot his
wife to death. On either side the woods
are thickest here, too. In its loneliness
and its isolation from human habitation,
1t seems as though It had been espe-
cially planned for such an unhallowed.
accursed deed.
Where Killing Was Done.
/ stood where an iron railroad spike
had been driven into the sandy road to
mark the exact location of the spot
where Louise Owen Beattie's Hfe-blood
had drenched the sandy soil. Long since
the awful evidence of the deed has been
eradicated-ground up into dust, and
scattered to the kind winds that blow
through the branches of the long needle
pines. sobbing out a solemn requiem
for the fair young life so foully blotted
out in such a brutal way.
On the right stretched the almost
impenetrable forest. Here and there a
crimson-leafed bum tree stood out In
a riotous red relief against the sombre
emerald background. Dead pine need-,
les carpeted the ground and hushed
every football.
Field for Cattle Opposite.
Opposite, en- the sunny side Of the
road. there is O field, fenced in for
cattle. Yesterday afternoon an old clay
bank horse came to the edge of the
fence and .whinnied to be petted. Its
white. velvety nose has been stroked by
countless thousands Of hands since the
night of the tragedy. 1t is an old horse
that has finished its labors, and has
been turned out to pasture to spend the
remainder Of its existence in watching
the highway, cropping the grass in the
field, and lazily switching the flies away
with its lean, stringy tail. 1t has had
to make friends with many