The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-09-07
MAY REOPEN BEATTIE CASE



you! What the hell are you going to do
ab,utit?' ne said
Il didn't saw anything. Then he
began To thr eaten me. He said he was
rich and had lots Of friends in Richmond,
and il told on him he would have me
killed somehow. He said nobody would
believe my story il appeared in court
against him anyway. and | had better
get out. He said he would give me some
money and a suit Of clothes il would
60 away
Il told the man would go away. Then
he told mo to come to Beatties store
the next day and there would he some
money for me. went the next day and
got some money and bought suit Of
clothes. | stayed in South Richmond
for Two days then. hut | was 40 scared
and got so nervous after that two days
TOOK the train to this place.
! You can find ont from Mr.. - II II is
not true that ! worked for him. | will
come and testify IL YOU want me.
| Upon reading this letter Mr.. Wenden-
burg immediately sent Detectives Farrell
and Wiltshire Of the Richmond force out
! to the farmer whose name had been
| mentioned in the letter as the former
employer Of the volunteer witneses They
| verified the fact that man Of the name
If the letter writer had worked Tor tins
farmer and had left the farm shortly after
the night Of the murder. They also
verified the story Of the strayed COW.
Upon receiving this confirmation Wen
denburg wired at once To the city from
which the letter came and engaged 8
LAWYER to cooperate with the local authon
ties in examining the man. IL his story
convinced them they were to hold hin
under bond until Wendenburg could senc
a detective ~ have him brought 70 ines
, ,tcr'eld Court House.
Il do not care to make any predictlon
az Il the value Of this development,
Mr.. Wendenburg said Tonight II ma!
turn out Il he the work of another crank
| will know tomorrow.
, Mr.. Wendenburg added that under de
cisions Of the Court Of Appeals of Nirginli
il lies within the discretion vi the Judg
trying a criminal To permit either side t
reopen its case after resting at any tim
before the jury had actually retired t
! witness be heard from to-day should b
found to he worthy Of credence Judg
, Watson would allow the Commonweal ltl
TO put hir on the stand Immediately
: The feature of the mans letter that i'm
! pressed the prosecution chief lawye
and detectives most with us crediolit
was the citing of Beatties having struc
, Il his wife a blow before he shot her. 1t
,, no secret that after the report of tn
i physicians who examined Mrs Beattie
body Wendenburg was strongly lmpelle
= TO Incorporate in the indictment draw
a Nv tIe tsTanu Jury dkdlliSt pedt'i' Hotie
Of a wound on the right side Of the fore
. head which did not seem to have resulte
4 from the g,inshot wound that cause
death. He was only deferred because c
: lack Of ability to prove this point.
4 The physicians reported that the fronta
bone of the skull over the right eve ylede
| to pressure and was probably broken
. The ginshot charge had entered the lei
, cheek and driving through the skull ha
. broken all the bones at the back OF tn
1 head. but had not penetrated the scalT
+ Whether the force Of the discharge coul
, have broken the bone on the opposit
2 cheek from the g,nshot wound was
moot point with the physicians. The
I inclined to the belief that "A blow had don
Z that, though there were no external evl
! denCes of il.
In another feature the details Of the
letter are strongly corrobora'ive of tn
theory OF the prosecution as TO how tn
murder was done. Through several wit
ne sses the Commonwealth has sough
r O prove tina. Mrs. Beattie could not hav
been killed in the car, for II would hsv
been lmpossibl" for the pool of bloot
n marking the scene Of the murder to hay
k. dropped through the footboard. TIL
prosecution has tried to prove, on tn
. contrary, that Mrs. Beatte must hay
Il been standing on the left running boar
i Of tho automobile when she was she
and that her body fell into the road.
h theory that Beattie went out on the Mid
d lothian turnpike earlier in the evenin
i and secreted the shotgun behind STUN
and that when he determined to kill h
s wife crossed to this stump and got the g,lr
Il Bloodhounds brought to the scene 70
g lowed this short trail to the stump an
II back again but picked up no other.
e The point most strongly open to su,
d picion is why a man should be huntn
stray COW in the pine woods at near
II o clock at night.
}. The report current to-day that Beula
Bnford, the girl who has been held as
Z witness for the prosecution and not calie,
would be indicted as an accessory befol
the fact was denied by Wendenbur
y tonight. He said that there ia no ev
If dence TO indict the woman on this chars
n and that she will be released tomorrow
The lawyers on both sides argued Il
10 matter of the courts charge to the iul
u all of this afternoon. The charge will |
y made tomorrow. then the summing 4
n will begin.
III The Wall Street edition OF THE EypNINa &