The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1911-09-06
BOTH SIDES END CASE WITHOUT
CALLING BEuLAH slNFoRO
TO TESTIFY. l.
ADJOURN TILL THURSDAY
Efforts of the commonweaIth's At.
torneys Are Devoted to Corroborat.
ing the Testimony Given Several
Days Ago by Paul Beattic, the De.
fendant's Cousin.

Chesterfield Courthouse. Va, Sept.
with unexpected brevity. both tho
commonwealth and the defense in the
trial OF Henry Clay Beattie, Jr., In.
dicted for the murder of his wife.
closed the evidence In the case short.
ly after o'clock tonight.
Judge Watson announced that court
would adjourn until Thursday morn
ing. Tomorrow will be devoted to
argumet of counsel with the court As
to the instructions to be given to tho
jury before the argument proper be-
gins on Thursday.
When court adjourned tonight. Beu.
lah Binford II years old. said by tho
prosecution to have been the motive
for the alleged murder by Beattie OF
his young wife. still was In Jail with
out having testified. !.
Admittedly fearing that she would
avoid injuring the case OF her former
companion at any cost, though state.
ments and interviews galore rad
fortified the prosecution with what IL
regarded as all necessary information.
the commonwealth did not put her on
the stand.
Another figure. Paul Beattie. cousin
OF the accused. whose confession con.
cerning the purchase of a shotgun for
Henry four days before the homicide
led to the building of the case for the
prosecution. likewise was kept In jail,
but both he and Miss Binford arc
likely to be released tomorrow
Attack Prisoners Testimony.
The taking of evidence today was
along no well-connected lines. Tho
prosecution. after completing its ex.
animation Of the prisoner. took up
scattered points in the evidence. From
one feature Of the case to another,
the prosecution skinned in its ef-
fort to corroborate certain points, but
most conspicuous was the direct at.
tack on the testimony of the prisoner.
! The single question OF Importance that
the prosecution put to the accused In
its brief cross-examination early to.
day was the one on which the com.
monwealth has been basing practical-
ly it's whole case against him. The
prosecution wanted to know how it
happened that a gun admittedly pur.
chased by cousin of Henry Clay
4 ''N"hs'Ns ois' anu ny VIII
nesses for the defense as having been
purchased on the Saturday before tho
murder, came 10 be In the hands OF
the very highwayman who killed Mrs.
Beattie on the Midlothian turnpike
four days later
The prisoner answered simply that
he knew nothing OF the purchase OF
any gun by Paul and did not see the
weapon TIL II was raised by the lone
highwayman.
The commonwealth introduced sew
eral witnesses, including members of
Paul Beattie's family. to prove that
the two cousins. Henry and Paul. were
together on Thursday night. as we'll
as on Saturday night preceding the
murder This was denied by the
prisoner.
The prosecution In effect concen.
trated its attention on corroborating
the story of Paul Beattie not only as
to the purchase of the gun. but as
to his presence on the yeranda Of tho
prisoners home on the night follow
Ing the murder when Paul claims Hen =
rv confessed to him that he committed
the crime.
Witnesses were brought forward to
controvert the story of the accused,
that while Paul was on the veranda
that night they were not alone and
that too many people We're present for
! any private conversation. The princi-
pal witness In refuting this was Hens
! ry B. Owen. brother of the dead wo-
man, who testified that Paul and Hem
ry not only were alone in one portion
of the veranda, but that later he oh :
served them alone within the house.