Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-09-12
The Dramatic Moment.

nllnrEIllDn Dl lnt man WHO tNtndllS-
,h th. glow of virtue for passion :
feeble taprrS.'
The Dramatic Moment.
Thr c"IIr; asked the prisoner In
rise. II, dItw himself up Caimny
land waited.
"Ha>" YOU gentlemen agreed on Il
verdict" asked Judge Watson.
"Wr have" said Foreman Burgess.
The prisoner had confidently cX-
jpccted "hung jury" not acquittdl
nor conviction. The court requested
the audience not To manifest its APP
proval or disapproval whatever the
verdict.
And what is your verdct?" ask
ed Judge Watson. turning again to
Foreman burgess
"Guilty." answered Burgess but his
voice was Swcled by the shout Of
eleven others.
| TnvcrScd i'm law or the forms Of
a murder trial. the jurymcn had not
specified what degree of murder.
| Asked what degree. Mr.. Burgess an
Sw"rcd simply guilty as indicted.
| Under Virginia practice murder is
presumed tn be second degree unless
otherwise specified. 1t was incum-
bent upon the jury To fix the degree.
SO Judge Watson advised the julymen
to confer again on the point and Sev-
on minutes later they conformed. this
time with the verdict of murder in
the first degree"
| Hears Doom Calmly.
The prisoner stood erect and mo-
tinnl,.SS. His face. in color a yellow
| ish green throughout the day. was
immnbile. The light of lamp cast
Il dreary shadow OH His upturned chin
as he faced the jury. His eye-lids
Sagged. but did not blink. In steady
gaZ. he fastened his eyes on the faces
Of the twelve men who had prOnounc-
I'd his punishment as if to penetrate
their minds and determine the reason
why. 1t was not Il reSentful EXPIRES
SION. however. and when the court
asked if the prisoner had anything to
| say. he answered.
| II have nothing to say" and sat
down.
The pcrfunCtOry motions for new
trial were made by counsel for the de-
frnSe. The usual granting of per-
mission even to argue the point was
denied as Judge Watson in a stern
voice declared that all rulings of the
court We're On comparatively un-
| important detail and in no way could
| nave influenced the verdict. y stay
| Of execution was granted. however in
| order to give counsel an opportunity
to apply for writ of error when the
| court of appeals meets in November.
Judge Lectures Prisoner.
Judge Watson delivered an impress
Sive speech to the prisoner He told
| how the young man had stained his
own life and that of the community
| in which he lived by his SOrdid acts.
When the trial first began. said Judge
Watson he had hoped that Virginia
might be cleared of the crime for
which not only the state felt shame.
but the entire country deprecated. He
had hoped that counsel would prove
the defendant innocent, but the evi-
drnCr. he regretted to note. was all
convincing and overwhelming.
THE court i'm this trial." said Judge
Watson. has cndeavOred in all its
decisions to lean toward the side of
the prisoner and in its charge to the
jury as well attempted To give him
the benefit of every doubt and every
opportunity to establish his innocence.
| The rulings mostly have not been
on matters of law but on small queS-
tiums of fact.
Sentenced to Death.
You have had fair and impartial
trial. Mr.. Brattie. and the jury has
done what il considers its duty.
Therefore. you have been convicted
Of murder in the first degree and on
November "A. between tn" hours Ot
sunrise and sunset. you must forfeit
your life tu tn" community. May God
have mercy on your soul
\ moment later. by the side of his
father and his brother. Douglas, their
heads bowed in grief, walked young
Rcattie in the darkness To his cell al
hundred yards away.
But the drama of the day was not
over. y sharp report and u flash
rent the thick blaCkneSS outside.
My Cod" exclaimed Judge Wat
son as through his mind lifted the
same thought that startled hundreds
around him.
But it was not another tragedy. The
prisoner was seen walking calmly ON.
| The drtUnatiOn was an unusually
heavy charge of Il photographers
| ilaShIight.
Finds Relief In Tears.
The crowd fingered at the Jail and
pcrrrd into the cell Illuminated by a
single lamp ON the bed with his
head i'm his hands sat Brattie. his
father and brother beside him. Jailer
Cugbill sent the curious away. only
| Il few SAW the prisoner break down
and weep in the solitude of the cell.
| An hour later the hamlet was de-
serted. \ few hundred yards away
firm the stone Jail ma small hotel
| twelve men gathered their belongings
in silence. and one by one they drove
away into the darkness To the simple
homes from which for Il fortnight
| they had been absent
AS to BeuIah.
Rrulah Binfurd. the girl Of the un-
dcrwurld the woman in the ease whose
relations with young Reattir furnish
ed Il dominating feature of the pros
rcutiunS ease. did not figure as Il Wit
ness during the trial. Neither side
was willing to call her. immediately
upon her release from the Jail where
she had been held for possible teSti-
muny Sh" diSapl cared from Ken
mund. hurried to New York and al
most 1T the hour when the jury was
registering its verdict that carried the
penalty of elrctrOCutiOn for her quoh-
| dam companion she was posing Tor
|motiom pictures at Staten Island and
nursing theatrical ambitions. step by
step during tOday'S arguments Attnr-
nry Harry NJ. smith. Jr.. asSociat"
counsel for the defense, had rndeav-
urrd to show that young Beattle
story WAS entirely compatible with ms
actions and the testimony brfor" the
| Jury. He reviewed tn" evidence tol
Indicate the danger of circumStantlai
| evidence.
Wenderburgs Argument.
| Attorney Wrndrnburg for the stale
| held up the shirt that the prisoner
had worn and charged that Rrattle
SAT AGAINST his wifr'S lifcl"SS body
| instead of holding her with one hand
ON his drSprrHt" rid" |" the owen
home after the tragedy. He referred
to the clothes as NUT" testimony t"I
| priSunrr'S guilt. II" ridiruIed the
| idea of Il bearded. unknown giant
| highwayman of 2OU pounds weight al
| lowing this little stripping ui l"3
| (Pcalticj To- talk. away the gun ANA
secuted the probability of such al
giant walking away when in tn" grap-
| pl,. the. accused fell to the ground
with the gun Mr.. WcndrnburS Sald
| that young B,atti'' ON tn" night ol TN"
murder put ON the oldest suit he had.
| He WAS too cheap. said the prose
cutur to spoil amy but the oldest sun
! he. had with the blood of his Wile.
| The prisoner mrrv"uSly fingered de-