The Washington times., 1911-11-23
THE END OF THE BEATTIE
CASE.

10 III "i pfoudOlllty Cne last
day on earth for Henry Clay Beattic
the Richmond wife murderer. Before
another twenty-four hours shall have
passed he will have paid with his life
the penalty of his crime.
Comment on this crime and its ex.
piation, just at this time, might well
be avoided on the ground that it can
but further pander to an overexcited
thirst for details about the affair. But
there is another view which perhaps
justifies reflection on the attitude of
society in this connection.
Governor Mann has stood firm from
the beginning in refusal to interfere. He
has listened, but he has declined to re.
prieve or to commute. He has made Il
as plain as it well could be, from the
beginning, that he would not interfere
with the law taking its course.
Ihe governor would seem to have
acted the wise part. A reprieve of DAYS
or weeks could only extend the period
within which more sordid details might
be purveyed to satisfy a sordid curl.
oslty, with what unfortunate results
nobody can guess. Better to have the
incident closed as soon as possible for
the sake of the whole community.
But, from the viewpoint of the gen.
eral interest, how does capital punish.
ment appeal in this case? For weeks
avid curiosity demanded every least de-
tail brought out in the investigation
and trial of the case. Beattie was con.
vlcted and sentenced to be executed
Then the same eager demand went up
for the least mite of information az
to how things went with him. Was he
going to confess? Would he at last col.
lapse, or would that wonderful, brazen
cynical nerve stand by him to the end
Did he eat we'll of mornings2 And, ii
SO, what did he eat?
There can only be unfortunate re.
suits from such excitation of the nerves
OF the community. 1t is a dangerous
stimulation to imaginations not al.
ways strong enough to retain safe poise
under irritation. Thousands of letters
have been written about this case to
the Virginia authorities, most of them
indicating more or less disturbed men
tai conditions. Scores of Confessions
have been sent in, some of them anony-
nous, some signed; none of them OF
any possible value save as testimonials
to the overwrought mentalities of the
people who had become intoxicated by
contemplation Of the case.
1t is not necessary here to inquire
whether society does itself credit in
taking life for life. The morality
of that punishment has long been de-
bated. But, setting that aside entirely
does not the Beattie execution pro-
vide powerful argument against capi.
tai punishment on the ground that
such a psychological experience as this
affair has imposed on thousands of i'm.
questionable people is altogether bad ,
The thirst for exciting details, the
eagerness to know, almost to reproduce
in oneself, the sensations that must be
felt by principals in such a tragedy
can have only the most unfortunate
and demoralizing effect. Beattie, hur-
ried away from the trial chamber to
the cell of life-convict, would at least
have been decently and harmlessly re-
moved from the public gaze. Beattie
going to his death as spectacle for the
whole community to feast its imagina.
tion and its sordid interests upon, ia
not a mere warning and moral les.
son. 1t is a demoralizing and deprav.
ing exhibit.