The Washington times., 1911-11-24
BEATT|E CONFESSES
HIS CRIME BEFORE
BEING EXECUTED
Goes to Death Calmly and
4 With a Smile on His
Face.
CONTINUED from First page.)

Continued from First Page.)
biindfolded. although the original plan
WAS to lead him with his eyes covered
First of all Beattie saw the chair.
He tried not to change expression.
Then shifting the range of his vision
he saw the witnesses sitting at the
pther end of the room from the chair.
Beattie's eyes swept the twelve men.
ills lips curved into smile. He seat
I'd himself in the chair and in one
minute everything had been adjusted.
Five prison attendants, each with
pertain things to do, did these things
with dispatch. One man strapped a
proads leather band over the chest,
fnother buckled one arm, and another
the other arm, and third the leg. A
zap which contained the head electrode,
end fifth snapped the ankle electrode
into place. then all five stepped back.
At the switchboard in the rear of the
loom hand was seen to move into the
Eircle Of light cast by the small electric
pulb there. This hand pulled down a
little ebony lever. and the current leaped
Into the body of the man in the chair.
Ehe hand was seen to throw back this
little lever to manipulate another and
then the first one again.
Pronounce the Man Dead.
Lights were now thrown on in the
fcom. and DR.. w. T.. Oppenhimer
stepped forward. accompanied by his
brother, DIR. st. Julien oppenhimer.
Dead" they said in laconic duet, and
the guards began unstrapping the figure
in the chair. The witnesses rose and
Filed out. The body was carried into
chamber nearby to await the claim of
the family upor 1t.
M To
lntendent. now made his way to the
bounced:
cuted at 7:S o'clock"
One Hundred Hear News.
About 100 men and women heard the
announcement from the portals of the
penitentiary, although far larger
crowd gathered later in the morning
when the rain had let up little. The
heavens were raining torrents while the
execution took place. and had been for
several hours previous. The clergymer
and witnesses arrived at the prison at
, a. m, nearly all of them soaked to
the skin.
The Revs. Benjamin Dennis and ]. ].
Fix made their way to Beattie's cell
hs soon as they arrived, and STAYED
with him until the law had exacted its
penalty. They sat by him while ne
tie. too. when Major Wood read the
peath warrant, a short affair made ont
by Clerk Phillip Cogbill. of the Ches-
Beattie did not vary from the con-
gentional in respect to sleeping well
last night. In fact guards says his
sleep was sounder last night than for
Tom in the Richmond penitentiary, cue he
Evas not given any breakfast. The
body was composed for burial at once
hfter It had ben carried from the death
Douglas Claims Body.
Formal claim of the body was made
by Douglas Beattie at 8 o'clock at the
penitentiary. The brothers face
showed mere emotion today than ever
before. His is not countepAncs which
easily shows his feelings, bW his grief
today was too great for even immobile
and inexpensive features to mask
completely.
The brother hurried into the superin-
tendent's office, speaking to no one as
he went up the steps of the peniten-
tiary, looking at no one. He remained
inside long time, but he did not 30
to lock at the body now cold in death
downstairs.
Superintendent Wood was piled with
questions when he made the formal
ne replied: He was just like all Others
who have gone to the chair. There was
say
How many volts were turned?
II don't know. I am not an electri.
cian.''
Wood Loses His Temper.
At another question Major Wood lost
his temper and retreated within, slam
ming the door behind him.
The Richmond police betrayed a great
oniciousness at the penitentiary this
morning. They did not allow taxicabs
10 anchor within a block of the peniten-
tiary and for hours before the execu-
from the Vicinity Of the pepitentIary all
men and women. At the hour of the
execution. this officiousness relaxed a
little and the 100 men and women stood
by the front door while the execution
was actually going on behind the stone
walls at the right.
The Witnesses.
The list Of witnesses at the execution
include the following:
Col. H. M. Boykin. police commits
sioner.
Capt. George Pollock. clerk of Rich,
mond police board.
Blanchard Forbes. son of millionair,
meat packer.
Blair Matthews, clerk Thacher Shoe
Company, which has prison contract.
John Stratton, of Petersburg
Z Ohio railroad.
Chesapeake and Ohio railroad. "
Beattie Walks to