Evening star., 1911-08-13
Jury TOACT MONDAY
Opening of Last Chapter in
the Beattie Case.
AN INDICTMENT EXPECTED
Early Trial Probable, Both Sides An
nouncing Readiness.
DEFENSE MAY PLEAD INSANITY
Speculation Regarding the Testi-
mony Of Beulah Binford, Sum-
moned by the State.

Special Dispatch TO The Star.
RICHMOND. Va. August l..-Nonda.
win witness the opening probably of tie
last chapter in the Henry Clay Beattie
case. On that day the young husband
and father will be formally indicted by
the grand jury of Chesterfield county for
the murder of his wife. The trial will,
according to the belief at this time, fol-
low along pretty closely-possibly before
the end Of the week. The state has an
nounced that It is ready and the de-
Tense says it sees no reason why there
should be any delay All the evidence is
In hand, has been arranged and Will
be presented to the jury connectedly.
The prosecution has vastly more evil
dence than 1t has announced II is said,
and its chain of circumstantial evidence
is declared to be complete In every way.
What the defense will be is not known,
but the chances are that insanity will be
alleged. That is believed to be the only
thing that will save Beattie from the
electric chair-a plea of insanity, accepted
by the jury. But the case will be fought
through all the courts and will, in case
the appellate court sustains the court
below, be taken to Gov Mann.
Beulah Binford's Attitude.
1t is being intimated privately that
Beulah Binford, the woman in the case,
and witness for the state, will prove to
be a witness for the defense before she
shall have finished her testimony. The
woman is said to have read all the
"gush'' that has been written by the
woman writer's who have been here, and
she begins to feel that she is sort of
martyr. heroine, or a prosecuted in
dividual, and that there is a chance to
save Henry Clay Beattie from the death
chair. She is said to be hoping that If
Beattie is freed they can go away to-
gether.
Chesterfield Court House, where the
trial will take place. is a village of per-
haps 200 persons There are accommoda-
tions for the jury, the lawyers and the
officers. There will be an enormous
crowd each day during the trial. There
is room in the courthouse for perhaps
100 persons only. and the demand for
space on the part of the newspapers has
about consumed that. The clerk has
been compelled to restrict the number
Of men from each paper to two, and there
is demand by some twenty more
papers that have sent staff men to
cover the case.
Problem Is Presented.
What the people will do for meals
during the trial is a problem. The old
custom of having fried chicken, pies.
cakes and barbecued lamb for sale by
old colored women will be revived, and
in that way the people will have to get
their lunches. The majority of the peo-
pie will come back to Richmond each
night. The present telegraphic arrange
ments are about as bad as they can be.
The Postal and Western Union have
wires three miles away, and an automo-
bile service will be maintained for the
benefit Of the hurry messages. The Post
al is taking no chances and has provided
a corps Of motorcycle riders to rush the
stuff to this city. That will require about
twenty minutes. The corps consists of
four men and they. will make trips at
intervals of ten minutes. The Postal will
handle all its dispatches from this city.
No Trouble to Secure Jury
County officials declare there Will be no
trouble in getting jury in Chesterfield.
The people in that section are readers
of the papers, but they are about as cool
and unconcerned as possible. They are
not talking much, and there is little room
to doubt that jury will be obtained in
comparatively short time.
The trial will last about ten days or
two weeks