Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1911-08-25

morning outside the Henrico county
Jail eager to get glance at young
Beattie. The crowd evinced great
curiosity, but was in no way hostile
to the prisoner. At $3.50 a. m. the
prisoner left the Jail handcuffed to
deputy sheriff. On leaving the jail
the bright sunshine made him wink,
but except for this momentary shift
of expression he did not betray any
emotion.
On their way to the courthouse
the party passed a convict camp, at
which sight Beattie smiled but pass
ed no comment. The stripped suits
of the workers seemed to excite his
sense of humor. A nmber of times
Beattie complained of the dust of the
roads.
The courthouse was reached
promptly at $3.50 and again here
Beattie smiled at the battery of
cameras held by newspapermen. He
was still handcuffed to Sheriff Gill.
Once inside the courthouse he was
Immediately unhandcuffed. Except
for an almost imperceptible blinking
he did not betray any nervous feel
| ing. In the courthouse Beattie was
greeted by his father. The elder
Beattie's face is impassive, as if
carved of stone, yet sorrew seems to
have made a deep impression in the
scholarly, gentle features. The only
signs of nervousness shown by the
elder Beattie are betrayed by the
Otherwise he does not seem to notice
the veritable sea of faces which
crowded the courthouse from the back
of the prisoners box to the ceiling.
Douglas Beattie, the prisoners broth
er, is a contrast to the elder Beattie.
Clad entirely in gray he cheerfully
sat all day directly behind his broth
er. There is a distinst difference of
features between the prisoner and his
father and Douglas Beattie.
! The prisoner sat with his father
on one side, Harry w. Smith on the
other and his brother directly behind.
At the other end of the bench were
Attorneys Wendenburg, Gregory and
Luther L. Scherer.
mot Guilty.
At 1920 clerk Cogbill formally
called the case. Judge Watson ask
ed if there were any objections to
arraignment at this time. Hill Car
ter arose and answered that his side
was not ready and asked that the
case be continued for a week. After
one of the encounters between At.
torney Wendenburg and Smith
Judge Watson denied the petition
and the prisoner was charged by the
clerk, the murmurings up to now
prevailing, dying entirely as the
clerk read the accusation.
"How do you plead?" demanded
the clerk.
mot guilty." answered young Beat
tie in a low voice.
Immediately the task of Choosing
a jury, attended by the regular rou
tine of questions and answers as tt
the qualifications of each juror, was
begun. The FIRST juror to take hi:
seat in the box was N. w. Farley, {
farmer, found desirable by both par
ties.
A ripple of laughter rang through
out the court when Judge Watson
asked prospective juror if he be
lieved all he read in the papers. u
to the time of adjournment at 1880
the following jurors had been elect
ed: Henry Covington, farmer; C
T. Wilson, a farmer; T. L. Wilson
A. M. Fetterolf, farmer; Edwin M
Bass, a young farmer; No. B. w
Fuqua, still another farmer. Whe1
court adjourned at p. m. IL juror.
had been chosen, most of them farm
ers. The sheriff was ordered tt
summon another fifty talesmen. Cour
adjourned to Wednesday at II
o'clock.
On adjournment young Beatti,
threatened to thrash the newspaper
men on his liberation, for "all tn,
lies they have printed about him.
Contrary to expectation Beulal
Binford was not brought to tn,
courthouse, and according to thu
plan of the prosecution she will no
be brought to court for some day.
as yet. At this news Beulah Binfort
seemed to be greatly disappointed.
Motley Gathering
Here he comes, here he comes,
was the excited exclamation from
several hundred Threats as the bi,
red touring car in which sat Henri!
Clay Beattie, Jr., manacled to two
deputy sheriffs, came honking up tn,
sandy road that leads up to the little
red brick court house of Chesterfield
county. Since early morning, il
fact even before daylight, the Grove
had been gathering and when the Au
gust sun showed it's rim above thu
horizon, in cloudless blue sky, the
little yard overgrown of luxuriant
foliaged maple trees began to give
evidence of the scene that was to bt
enacted there
1t was motley crowd of black ant
white humanity that thrust eacl
other aside to catch glimpse of the
unfortunate object of the trial as he
should pass from the car to the