The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-11-24
Justice May Be Blind,
But Is Good Electrician
LIfe Paid for LIfe,

Life paid for Llfe.
RICHMOND, Va. Nov. 24.-Life paid I
for life today, when Henry Clay Beat
tie, Jr., was shocked to death in the
electric chair in Virginia state peni-
tentiary here.
Four months ago, on dark July
night, Henry Clay Beattie returned
from joy-ride on the lonely Midloth-
ian turnpike with the blood-stained
body OF his wife held close to his side
i'm his auto. But an hour before the
couple had left the home Of the girls I
uncle, Thomas Owen. There the
body Of the dead woman was taken,
and there Beattie told story OF a
bearded highwayman who held up his
machine in the ROAD, after the auto
had nearly run him down. Beattie
said that when he started his auto
to run away from the bearded strang-
or, who was armed with shotgun,
the man fred at the machine, killing
Mrs. Beattie.
While the family Of the dead girl
mourned her death at home, Beattie,
with police officials, and private de-
tectives secured the neighborhood for
traces Of the bearded highwayman.
The blood soaked auto in which he had
carried his wife's body was pressed
! into service and Beattie himself ran
the gruesome vehicle up and down
the Midlothian turnpike through the
night.
Just as dawn broke, on July 10.
i Luther L. Sherer, Chesapeake and
i Ohio railroad detective brought into
4 the case by the girls family reached
4 the scene of the crime with brace OF
! bloodhounds. Then the first suspicion
. of Beattie himself took root. The
i bloodhounds circled wide about the
place through the woods and fields, but
!, baying loudl.- they invariably returned
) to the spot, where Beattie declared his
auto stood when his wife was shot
: A short time later negro "mammy
found single-barreled shotgun, ident.
}, flied by Beattie as the gun with which
his wife was killed, at railroad
crossing aIout halfway between the
scene OF the crime and the Owen
} home.
The Binfcrd Girl.
!. Beattie in his stories Of the kiliins
! OF his wife told widely differing tales
. He was particularly contradictory il
]. his description of the man whom HI
r accused Of the shooting. For tire,
i days detectives worked with all thei
, energy without definite result 5u
;. gathered mass Of circumstances tha
r seemed to point to Beattie. TIL
: history of the young son Of tn
wealthy merchant, as a Lothario O
: South Richmond, and his relation
with the beautiful seventeen year oil
! Beulah Binford, were discovered. Th
v detectives unearthed the story c
y Henry Clay Beattie Trout, the chill
born to Beulah Binford and Henr
Clay Beattie in 1909.
), Meanwhile the body of the murde
: ed girl-wife was buried from til
d church where short year before sh
n had been married to Henry Clay Bea
q tie.
e On the Friday following, Corone
N Loving began the inquest into tt
is death of Mrs. Beattie. On the stan
Beattie, under instructions from n
,e lawyer, Harry Smith, Jr., declined
4 answer any question relating to h
rs intimacy with Beulah Binford. b
10 during the morning Paul Beatti
- Henry's cousin, had confessed to Il
O. Richmond police that on the Saturds
n. prior to the killing he had bought
a single barrel shotgun for his cous
n, an. had turned it over to him, wi
10 three cartridges. Paul later iden
a. fed the gun found on the Midlothis
r. turnpike as the gun he gave h
,e cousin.
lg
id Arrested at Luncheon.
le The inquest adjourned at noon wi
al Beattie still on the stand and whi
ad he was eating lunch at his home
re ficers accompanied by Paul Beattf
no entered the house and arrested hi
At the AFTERNOON session of the
n. quest Beulah Binford took the stal
I. and told of her relations with Beatt
;r She told of the renewal of these
he lations shortly after Beattie's SC
ed Henry Clay Beattie III, was born, a.
w her return to Richmond from Norfo
,,s where she met Beattie.
The coroner's jury after brief &C
&, sideration held Beattie for the acti
- of the grand jury.
On August IA, the grand jury
10 10 turned an indictment against Beat
for murder In the first degree, a
-. on August 81, he was placed on trl
- Then ensued one of the strange
~ ~ bitterest legal battles that Virginia b
ever known.
Out in the little Chesterfield cour
nc court house, fourteen miles fr(
Richmond, Ave miles from a railro'
courteous, kindly southern gent
at man, Judge Watson, took charge
the trial. District Attorney Gregg
lie, assisted nv Louis @, Wendenburg, Q