The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-08-24
ALL SKIRMISHING OVER
BATTLE ABOUT TO BEGIN

shall be done wrong under tho
gulse Of law within the boundaries Of
the Commonwealth.
MIR. owen First Witness.
When the sun sank behind the
green. wooded hiLts last evening and
Com monw eaith's Attorney Gregory
ana ms associate, Attorney l. .,
Wendenburg. had concluded their
conference for the morrow's fray,
they had planned that Thomas j.
owen. uncle of the murdered wife.
should TO the Grst witness To- lake The
stand for the com monwealth and tell
what he knows of the murder which
sent "a shock throughout the State and
made the whole nation pause to listen
and wonder.
And according 10 the plans Of the
attorneys for the Commouw ealth,
Thomas Owen VIII tell lot. mar
rating in minute detail all that hap
pened on that fatal night la his knowl-
edge. both before the preparation OF
the heinous crime IN the dark and
stiffness OF Midlothian turnpike, and
then describing the events " hich fol-
lowed the murder.
Under the careful quizzing OF the
lawyers, who have spent weeks In ar
ranging their line OF questioning SO
as 10 produce the most telling effect,
nu that Mr. owen knows OF the hap
penings on The night that Mrs. Louise
Wexford Owen Eeattie came TO her
untInely end win be drawn from him
IN the sequence of its occurrence and
placed before thu jurors for their first
teuassgi erayI8s7. t-
The Last Leave Taking
II the plans of the Commonwealth
mayerialize, MIR. Owen Will tel! how
tho voting mother left her babe In the
owen home and entered the autono-
bile With her husband for a ride In
the cool. fresh and invigorating coun.
try air. kissing her mother. Mrs Rob
ert Vernon Owen. goodbye and bid
ding her not to be alarmed. The at
torneys for the Commonwealth also
plan 10 bring out how the mother OF
the murdered girl feared to let the
young wife go automobiling with hes
| husband.
Then the lawyers will ask Mr.. Owen
to tell how long the couple was alb
sent and then Of the return OF Beat.
tie, driving his Buick touring car up
/ the crescent shaped, gravel roadway
| before the Owen home at n spee
which seemed to invite disaster hold
Ing the GREATNESS body of his Wits
or but year in his arms and shout
| ing in the voice or man whose soul
is racked with agony OF sorrow: MY
600. she's dead; my God. she's dead y
ALI that followed that dramatic
moment Will he told by Mr.. over
IT the plans of the Commonwealth
are executed, and II IL very likes
that the witness will be asked tc
describe how news of the crime wa.
flashed to the outside world in mott.
flying the police and asking that aif
be sent at once, that detective be-
dispatched to the scene. that blood.
hounds be placed on the trail of tht
highwayman described by Beattie and
innumerahle other details and fact.
I which the gun was held when the
| despite the rigid, investigation anf
almost unprecedented publicity giver
| the crime.
Purpose OF Examination.
The purpose OF the Commonwealth
! in placing Mr.. owen on the stand a.
the first witness will be to reveal te
the Jurors the circumstances under
/ which Mrs. Louise Wexford Over
! Beattie left the house and how hel
/ lifeless body was brought back b,
! her husband. The next step in tn,
weaving of the chain OF circumstantia
evidence will be to show what caused
| the death OF the young wife. PLY
sicians who examined the body Will,
! II lay on the floor within the over
| home and posses were being organized
| to scour the countryside will be called
to the stand to describe the caus,
| of death.
| Probably tho most prominent o
these physicians will be DR.. j. G
Loving, coroner OF Chesterfield coun
ty, who in his official capacity mad,
the most careful and exhaustive ex
animation of the body. When DIR
Loving takes the witness, stand AM
reveals what he knows ii will b,
! the first time he has divuiged hi
4 knowledge of the case to the public
Although he has held many confer
| 4Conunued on Second Paxe.l