Evening journal., 1911-07-31
BEATTIE COOL.
UNDER CHARGES
Conduct Of Accused Young
Man Puzzles Richmond
Police
SHOWS NO CONCERN
OVER DEATH OF WIFE
By The unIted press.


RICHMOND. Va. July 3t.-Playins
plaintivo lovo tune on his guitar.
and with cigarette dangling from his
lips. Henry Clay Beattio. Jr., locked up
In Richmond Jail for murder of his.
wife, today dehed the scores of detec-
tiycE and the prosecuting authorities
TO send him 90 the electric chair And
the prosecution. despite tho steel rib
bed net Of circumstantial evidence they
have woven about him, began to look
around seriously for possible flaws
that might explain the enigma OF tho
youthful prisoners cold Indifference.
Not since the night that Henry Beat
ito unloBded the dead body of his wife
from his automobile on tho Midlothian
turnpike, has the slightest tremor Of
emotion disturbed his demeanor.
Through all the terrific strain of third
degree and inquest when brutal ac-
cusauons were hurled at him for hours
at a time. he remained unmoved He
gazed calmly ond the terrible evi.
dence of his wife's tragic death. and
smiled confidently az the attempts OF
the prosecutor 10 entrap hims This un-
natural stoicism has led the police to
two conclusions. Either the slim
/
such as appears in human kind once in
n generation, or the police have over
looked some important link in thes
chain of evidence against him.
Unnatural CompOsure.
"No innocent man confronted with
the awful charge that is laid against
Beattic could maintain that unnatural
self composure.p declared Detective
Il I 4 81
wife had been shot down beside him.
as Beattie claims his was. could go
through the two weeks that Beattia
has faced, and then sit in his cell as he
does today with the recollection OF tho
woman's shot-torn face still in his
mind, and her dying shrek sounding
in his ears. It's inhuman, | never be-
} fore have seen q prisoner, innocent or
guilty who absolutely could not na
shaken. No accusation seems brutal
! enough TO stir the slightest emotion IN
) the man. He scoms &c rovel IN his posi-
ton as the center OF attraction.
The police today believe that Beat
3 tie n guilty, has steeled himself 10 be-
Il lieve that the prosecution can never
secure adequate proof TO convict him.
! They argue that ho may be relying
In his defense, that there was no eye
: witness, and they predict that his re-
I lance may DO found misplaced
) Said He was a "Good Fellow"
: Today the police made certain that
l Beulah Binford. 17-year-old Other
Girl will take the witness stand and
bare the life of shame she has led
= since she first met Harry Beattio,
! when she was thirteen years old. Tho
: girl, whose attitude toward Be8ttie
is explained by her declaration that
he was good fellow is now more
, than willing TO testify against tho
: man who fathorcd tho baby born when
she was fifteen years old.
When Beulah Binford takes tho
stand at the trial OF Beattie the
: court will hear a story from the lips
! of the t7-year-old girl that In somo
respects will surpass the revelations
OF Evelyn Nesbit Thaw. Absolutely
5 unheeding of moral conventions she
5 discusses the most intimate details
of her life with astounding frank
ness. And on her testimony the
prosecution will rely for the proof OF
the motive that they alleged induced
Henry Clay Beattie to kill his beau
tiful young wife, whose death he has
never mourned. The fact that Beat
tie utterly lacked any show Of sor-
row at the loss Of his wife and so far
has indicated no natural anger or de-
sire for vengeance against the man
who killed her, is pointed out by the
prosecution.