Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1911-08-25
BEATTIE SHOWS No
SIGN OF EMOTION
UNDER ORDEAL
ALLEGED WIFE MURDERER
SITS ST0LlO IN COURT
Witnesses Bare Details of
Tragedy in Which Young
Wife Lost Her LIFE Letter to
Bintord Gill Read,

INV Morning Journal special Isnscd wlre.1
Chesterfield Court House. Va. Aug
2i.--on the anniversary of his mar
riage To the woman he is accused of
murdering. Henry clay Beattie. Jr..
sat in the stuffy court room today and
heard seven witnesses give testimony.
on which the prosecution expects 70
send him TO the electric chair
on the court house lawn, q few feet
away. stood the blood soaked automo.
bile in which the young wife met her
death. Beattie calmly inspected the
car when Il arrived and not once dur
ing the proceedings did he show any
signs of hlanching. Twice during the
eross-examination OF two detectives
he flushed with amusement and APP
peared TO struggle to hold back his
laughter.
ufthe seven witnesses, two were
physicians, Dr. Herbert Mann and
DR. Wilbur Mercer. who examined
Mrs. Beattie's body on the night of
the murder. The others were Thomas
owen, a court house stenographer
and uncle of Mrs. Beattie Detectives
Wren and Wiltshire of Richmond,
who Investigated the case. Coroner
Loving of Chesterfield county, and
May Stuart. an aged woman, who
told OF Boatties association with
Reulah Binford.
None of the witnesses except Mr..
owen recalled that Beattie had dis
played any grief over the tragedy.
Others ssid they had not seen him
shed tear.
With the first witnesses called mere
ly to establish the death OF Mrs. Beat
tie, ther testimony was largely re-
view of what came out at the inquest
and 4 was not until the Stuart wom-
an took the stand TINT the nrosocn4
| ton began It's attempts to disclose the
i motive for the crime.
She swore to being the proprietor OF
resort In Richmond ana testified
that Beattic had appeared there with
the Bini0rd girl four times within the
two months preceding the murder and
fer the last time ON July IL, the night
before the crime
Beulah Binford, she said, she had
known for several years.
After her testimony the common.
wealth introduced In evidence "a let
ter written by the defendant to the
Blnford girl and identified as such at
the inquest penned on his fathei' s
BUSINESS stationery Beatte wrote:
Dear Kid-Pay this on the furni-
ture and make him give you an item
lied account OF what you must pay
each week. Well, be good, with oceans
Of love briming with kisses.
Yours, (Sgned) HON"
Beattie showed no emotion when
the letter was read
Doctors Mann and Mercer descrb-
cd the wound In Mrs Beatte's head
and both said that, in their opinion.
death was instantaneous.
'Did you see Henry Beattle shed
any tears when You were at the owen
homc2' Mr. Mercer was asked.
Nc, sir His first request was for
whlskey but brandy was procured
first and later some whiskey. About
/ o'clock | could see that he was stag
gernp ana | recall that he asked me
to have drink"
Detectives Wren and Wiltshire told
in detail Of their visit to the scene
of the crime in the early morning af-
ter the murder. Both insisted that
blood stains in the road could not
have been made by blood dripping
through the automobile and they were
at loss to explain how they came
there unless the victim was out of the
iear. The commonwealth pursued this
lino with a view to showing that Beat
tie shot his wife after he had knock-
ed her down and then had lifted he"
body into the car.
Neither detective was an expert or
automobiles, however, and both were
easily entangled in cross examination
by w. IT, Smith. Jr, for tnc defense
Finally Judge Watson said TIE matter
of whether blood could run through
the ear should be determined by the
jurors themselves by experiments with
the machine.
The experiments probably viii be
done tomorrow.
Wren testified that Bcattlc was
very cool' as they went over the
ground near the scene Of the murder.
The detectives described stump at
the roadside and tracks lending to
and from it, Behind this, The prose-
cution win charge, Boaltc concealed
the old single barreled shotgun.
boodstaincd clothing was unrollcd
and passed among the jurors several
times during the day The prisoner
watched the jurors faces carefully
and appeared far moro cheerful than
on Yesterday.
Henry clay Hcattie Sro sat by his
sons side throughout the long session.
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