The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1911-09-07
STICKS TO STORY OF MURDER TOLD Be.
FORE CORONER.
TELLS STORY OF THE KILLING
Admits More of Relations With
Beulah Binfohd Binford Girl
Will be Called Upon to Testify.


Chesterfield, Va, Sept 4.
Through six weary hours in
crowded and stuffy court room.
Henry Clay Beattie, Jr., on trial for
the murder of his wife, battled for
his life to-day. Evening shadows
alone interrupted vigorous cross
examination by the Commonw ealth,
Judge Watson ending the ordeal by
adjournment of Court to an earlier
hour than usual to-morrOw--9.l a.
m.-when Prosecutor l.. o. Wenden-
berg will continue his rapid-flre' OF
questions
a lone figure was young Beattle
in the crowd that surrounded him
on all sides-even the windows and
trees commanding the court room
being thick with staring faces. the
prisoner sat for hours, his man
ner cool and collected, unfolding
the sordid details of his relation
with Beulah Binford, lI-year-old
girl. for whom the prosecution al
ieges Beattie killed his bride of a
year But not alone the orgies of
the four years before his marriage
and those that preceded the trag-
edy, but the gruesome tale Of the
attack of the highwayman, the wild
ride to the Owen house at the
speed of fifty-five miles an hour
body of his wife in the machine be
side him was given to the jury i'll
/ all its horrible detail.
Donned BIoOtistained Clothes.
The prisoner, by request OF the
prosecution, even stood Up TO 1uli
length and donned the blood-staln-
ed coat that he wore the night OF
the murder and attempted to eX-
plain why the blood had not flecked
! ,ir Of the rmpDt If
his wife was reclining against MN
in the way he described.
The clothes OF the dead woman
had been burned just before the
arrest of Beattie and as more than
once there was occasion to REFER
10 them, Prosecutor WendenDere
exclaimed:
Il wish to God We had them
here"
II was n day of extreme solemnity
in the room The accused sat III
an arm chair, his head often rest-
ing on his hand, while with the
other he rubbed Il knotted handker-
chief over his face. In the bar sat
his brother, Douglas, and his white
haired father the latter at times
covering his wrinkled face as some
particularly loathsome details were
recited ~ the son.
Told Same story.
Beattie answered questions in np
even voice and without emotion.
Except for the nervous lingering OF
his handkerchief and the character
iStic vibration of the muscles in
Lii, cheek, he sat like school boy,
eXpreSSionleSS, as he told the story
Of the crime. In no essential ala
the prisoners version of the AFFAIR."
to-day differ from that which he
gave at the cOroner's inquest or
that to which the defence through
his witnesses hitherto has chung.
The direct examination lasted on
ly two and a half hours, while the
cross examination had proceeded
three and a half hours when court
( adjourned.
The prosecution in its cross exam
ination gave special attention to
two points in the previous testi-
mony of the prisoner.
/ If the accused had on The night
of the murder, a light fastened 10
I the rear of the machine. why could
/ he not see the fleeing highwayman
/ to the rear of his machine when he
grappled with him and wrested the
shot gun from him and why did the
| highwayman flee?
These questions the prisoner
evaded in his testimony. but to-
/ IllOIIOW lNe prosecution Will
! mer away at them.
Denied Buying Gun.
Denial after denial came from
the lips of the prisoner as Mr.. Wen
denberg questioned him concerning
the alleged purchase, of a shotgun
for him by his cousin. Paul Beat
tie on the Saturday before the mur-
der. and the testimony of the lat
ter as to the confession in which
Henry is alleged to have exclaimed:
| 81 wish TO God | hadn't done it, /
wouldn't do it again for a million
dollars"
Beattie disclaimed any connection
with the purchase of the gun and
any knowledge of the transfer of
ally gun by Paul to him, declaring
he never saw the fatal shotgun until
the fatal night il was raised by
she highwayman on the Midlothian
turnpike. Little of Paul's testi-
mony concerning his meetings with
him did he admit. He said he was
with his cousin only on the Satur-
day night before the murder and
merely carried him home in his
car from the Beattie store. He de-
MED that he had been with Paul at
any time within the week or fort
night previous and ON this declar-
atom the prosecution tomorrow will
linger particularly, as tonight De
tective Scherer declared that four
witnesses were to be procured who
saw Henry and Paul together also
on the Thursday night before the
murder
That IL was his wife who sug-
gested the ride on the Midlothian
turnpike, was the statement of the
prisoner, as to the occasion for the
Inflated ride, but when on cross