Evening star., 1911-08-28
APPEARANCE AS WITNESS
A SURPRISE TO DEFENSE
Prisoners Physical Condition Cause
Of Wife's Sorrow. !,
FEAR AS MURDER MOTIVE
Prosecution Seeking to Establish
That Beattie Dreaded Lest Wife
Tell Prisoners Father Of -
His Condition.

CHESTERFIELD COURTHOUSE, Va.
August 2s.-Suddenly and without the
| faintest intimation hitherto during the
| trial. the prosecution today confronted
/ Henry Clay Beattie, jr., with Mrs. r. v.
Owen, mother OF the woman he is alleged
| to have murdered.
| In a taxicab, whose arrival was timed
| to coincide exactly with the moment
| Sheriff Gill exhibited in the courtroom
the clothing worn by Beattie on the night
Of the murder. Mrs. Owen came to Ches-
| terfield. her presence In this vicinity hav-
| ing been a secret well kept by the prose-
cution.
Quickly and without the usual per-
| functory questions incident to the intro
| duction Of new witness. Prosecutor
| Wendenburg questioned the woman as to
| her knowledge OF the domestic life OF
the Beatties. and brought to surface
point intended as relevant to the alleged
ties. physical condition. due to dissipa-
| ton, had caused much unnappiness 10
his wife.
Warned. Against Fatal Ride.
| The witness said that on the night OF
| the murder she had cautioned Mrs. Beat
tie not to go out alone with her husband.
The prosecutions idea for today ap-
parently was 10 prove that Beattie killed
| his wife because Of his fear that his
! father might learn OF his condition and
cut him on from the family.
4 The testimony Of Mrs. owen took Judge
1 Watson as well as the crowd in the
courthouse by surprise. and immediateiy
the court suggested . recess and q con-
49, Ak<zA~ frtT ~
and prisoner to discuss further testi-
| mony along this line
Mrs. owen had come from Dover, Dei-
last night with her husband. who accom-
panied her 10 the courtroom. cne steppea
from taxicab into the courtroom ana
| took the witness stand without q word
being spoken. the customary announce
ment OF witness by the sheriff being
dispensed with by previous plan OF the
prosecution.
!. Prisoners Head Droops.
| The prisoner raised his head in surs
prise, recognized the woman and his
head drooped. At first he endeavored not
to look In her direction. but she spoke
SO feebly that he found 1t necessary 70
| join the row Of projecting heads on the
bench TO hear her testimony.
l. Once he nervousiy whispered to Law
yer Smith beside him, ASK her 10 SPEAK
louder. l can't hear
| Mrs. owen is said to have been her
daughters confident and Is believed to
have known OF Beatties relations with
the Binford girl On the stand MRS.
Owen told how she arrived at the
| Beatti6 home May ~, of the birth OF
the Beattie child May 81 and hinted at
the trtbulations OF her daughter caused
| by Beatties relations with the Btnford
girl.
Mrs. owen sat calmly in the witness
| chair. while her gray-hatred husband
tanned her. Gowned In heavy black.
thick veil gave only a partial glimpse
OF the woman's features. comely.
though aged. When court recessed
she still remained in the witness
| chair.
It was learned that the prosecution
| expected Mrs. owen to testify on dis
rect examination late today tnat from
Henry Clay Beattie. jr.'s. actions when
he brought his dead wife home she
suspected him Of the murder. Outside
the courtroom II was rumored that
MRS. owen even asked Henry Clay
Beattie, jr.. questions practically in
curing IL he did not commit the deed.
Prisoner Appears Refreshed. .
The prisoner arrived at the court
house from Richmond at 10 o'clock.
and was brought into the courtroom at
| 10 80, when the days session was be-
gun. The accused was attired in q
gray suit today and looked refreshed
after his rest in a commodious cell In
Richmond over Sunday.
Detective L. L. Scherer Immediately
| took the stand, Hill Carter beginning
the crosseexamination for the defense.
You have examined or talked with
nearly all the witnesses for>the- prose-
cution and have been practically in
charge of gathering the evidence TOR
the. commonwealth since the murder
occurred, have you not?' asked Mr..
Carter OF the defense. GO
| II have" answered Scherer.
| Two OF the witnesses have been rim
Jail since the coroner's inquest. have 1
they not? =,
tie"
Have you had interviews with those
two witnesses?a- 80.
yes, / have discussed the case itself
with Paul twice, but with Beulah Bin
ford quite frequently.
| ABOUT how many times have you
been to see -Beulah Binford since she
has been in taii?"i -
Visited Her Many Times.
"I can't say. but quite frequently.
perhaps twenty to twenty-five times.
Counsel for the defense continued
questioning along this line with the
apparent purpose of developing whether
or not Scherer had been coaching the
witness, including those in Jail,
Turning to scherer's testimony OF
last saturday. Mr. Carter pointed to
auesed conversations between Beattts
ma scherer after the murder.
"Did Mr. Beattie tell you that he
failed sto. stop at any of the. houses
along the way because he knew there
vas n physician at the owen homes
here ne was taking his wife?"
I'm this connection I asked Mr.. Beat I
tie siYnply AZ he had stopped at any
houses along 1.-THE. route ITO set people
on the trail sOf the man who he said
shot his wife. He said he was hurry
ing to xet her to . doctor. I then
asked AZ he dfd not know his wife was
dead. He. answered that he had tried
after she was shot to feel her pulse
and heart but could not tell X she
was dead He said he stopped only
to Ak his hghts."
The -defenSs plainly tried to show BY