The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-09-22
History Of Beattie Case.

The recent Beattie murder trial In
Virginia. which ended In the convic-
ton OF the defendant Of murder In
the first degree, attracted more atten'
ton throughout the country than any
other recent criminal case.
Henry Clay Benttie is the son OF
prominent banker of South Richmond,
and his murdered wife was from an
old southern family. They had been
married less than year, and II baby
boy was born to them on tho last day
of May. The young mother was muir
dered on the night of July IL.
II was 10 o'clock that evening when
Reuttlc called in his automobile Mt the
home OF his wife's uncle, where she
had been visiting with her baby. The
two went ont for drive, Mrs. Bentue
well wrapped up, for this was her first
drive since the birth OF their son. Thir-
ty minutes later Beattie came up the
drive Mt furious speed with the body
OF his dead wife, for she had been shot
in the head, and his clothing was
drenched with her blood.
afterward was that of n bearded high
wayman confronting them on the Mid
lothian turnpike - confronting them
threateningly and warning Beattie not
to run over him. Then, as he leaned
forward, Beattie said the man fired
with the shotgun he had carried-tired
and killed Louise Beattie. Then he
told OF wrestling with the man and
taking the gun from his grasp. That
gun was his undoing. 1t was found
behind stump on the turnpike the
next day, and two days later his cous-
in, Paul Beattie, came forward with
the confession that he had bought II
at the direction of Henry Clay Beattie.
The young husband was arrested.
On the trial OF the case the poor rela-
ton took the stand and swore that
Henry Beattie had confessed the MUIR
der to him.
81 wish to God I had not done II.
would not have done It for million
dollars" were the words that Paul
Beattie gave as coming from his cous-
ms lips. Though the defense bitter
" assailed Paul and though his cousin
denied having been with him on the
Thursday night Paul says the gun was
ordered there were witnesses to sup
port Paul, witnesses who saw them to-
gether.
In their search for motive the au-
thorities drew out the obscurity Of the
life she led a seventeen-year-old girl,
Beuah Binford, whose relations with
Beattie began before his marriage and
continued after and whose little son
was named after him. She was held
as q witness. referred to from coast
to coast as 1.-The woman in the case"
She had played part In the dissolute
life young Beattie led.
The trial was bitterly fought and
the evidence was confused by the sto-
ries Of more than one witness that
they, too, had seen such bearded
man as Beattie bad described. Beat
tie himself took the stand, and in the
course of a racking cross examina-
ton he was forced to put on the
blood stained clothes he wore the
night he carried Louise Beatt!e's body
back to town. From the position Of
the stains the prosecution believed
that he sat on her body as he drove
the car. There were no stains to
show that he had carried her all the
way in his arm.
Yet throughout the trial he main
tanned an attitude not only of self
possession, but even of high spirits.
He laughed often. Every picture
showed him smiling not only with
cheerfulness, hut apparently with self
satisfaction, and on the eve of the
jury's verdict he vas asking the odds
on the betting.
Rcattie has been sentenced to die on
Nov. "a