The Washington herald., 1911-08-29

1
! thing to tell on my own flesh and blood
hated to tell what the detectives had
already found out, that I had bought a
shotgun. l tried to save Henry as much
as l could"
! And what lofty sentiments" pursued
the lawyer sarCastiCally. later prompted
! you to tell?'
Il felt" said the boy. that it was my
duty to my wife and baby-and they're
good ones-and to the public. to come out
with the truth"
] Here the days session ended. The rich
! young defendants face was blanched and
/ his hands shook as he rose from his
place: but outside. after a couple Of cigar
cites. he pulled himself together enough
to smile at and shake hand with a couple
of farmers wives who. not having heard
! the testimony. stepped to the side of his
automobile and wished him well.
Two Dramas Enacted.
quieter drama than that of the late
afternoon. though none the less tense
was enacted by two women witnesses.
each the mother of leading figure in
, the tragedy, in he earlier part Of the
! day.
f The first was Mrs. Robert V Owen
!
was the victim. The second was Mrs
Jessie Binford. whose Sdaughter BeuIah
! is said to have been the cause.
No contrast could have been more pro-
nounCed than that OF the two women
physicaIly-Mrs. Owen. thin-faCed gray
! haired. sweet-COUntenanCcd, distinguished
gowned in black. with heavy Grape veil
/ telling her story IN a whisper caused by
sorrow and embarrassment; Mrs Bin
! ford. fat. fush-faced. dOuble-chinned
! lace veiled. fashily clad, speaking out
! confidently in a voice which reached the
. outside
The voices apparently might have been
/ exchanged. for Mrs. Owen was telling
| only Of a daughters innocence. while
! Mrs. Binford was narrating the state of
a daughters shame.
Comes as Surprise.
The appearance upon the stand OF the
! young victims mother was a bOmbshell
thrown into the camp Of the defense
When Mrs. owen took her place young
Bcattie's lawyers started; the boy him
! self bent his head n his hands, and for
the first time during the trial wept
! Robert Owen. her husband. a fine old
man. with gray hair and mustache. sat
beside her and famed her.
| Mrs. owen was asked first what had
been the condition Of her daughter dur
ing a few weeks before her death.
( She replied: Louise was very sad.
where always she had been happy. She
/ had constant crying spells, something she
! had never had before"
When Gained down from crying spell
: following this, Mrs. Gwen made another
! important point for the State. When
/ Henry arrived rather late on the night Of
I #,1.. ~
said: Il was delayed because I had a
. pEn"ture. man passed me in a ma
! chine and wouldn't stop to help. II Id
/ had my gun Id have shot him.
Mrs. Owen had to be given smelling
salts TO aid her through her ordeal on the
1 stand
Woman Is SPIf-pOsScssed.
Very seIf-possessed. on the other hand
was the Binford woman. Her story-one
+ of contempt for the sanctity Of childhood
. Of utter sordidness Of blackmail-was
! ratified off as though such things were
usual 1t cannot bA repeated entirely
| It can only he summarized
! Though Beulah began her affair with
! young Beattie when she was only thir-
| teen years old. he was MT the first man
I in her life. There had been several
| others. \ Dr. Franklin later appeared
! upon the stand and told of having at
! tended her at the age OF twelve. and
within the last few Notwithstanding
attended to both her and Beattie.
Reulah was as much to the youth
! then. at thirteen. as sne was just be-
I fore the death Of his wife. Mrs. Bin
/ ford knew It She dId not oppose II.
/ When Beulah's child was born, Mrs.
Binford confessed upon the stand. she
and the girl consulted and told young
J Reattie he was the parent, because
/ they thought he was better able TO pay
| expenses than others"
AS a matter of fact. the girls mother
I admitted. the boy defendant was not
4 the father.
| Here the blackmail began. They got a
/ lawyer and threatened suit. Mrs Bin
ford 'phoped TO Beattie: If you don't
| get this child off Beulahs hands I'll
| carry il over to your father and expose
/ you" But the boy gave them a sum
of money Csaid TO he $500. and the child
was adopted by stranger. and year
! later died
Sordid Details Related.
The adventures of Beulah ran on in
| sordid detail: How Beattie sent her TO
! school. only to learn that she ran away
with another boy to Washington and
was expelled: how she had gone to Dan
| NllIe, Va, ana tneH OUT " "tSN WIN d
ball player. named Fisher how she had
never shown a trace of affection. even
| Illicit fidelity to the young man who
| gave her money and affection.
! 1t had been predicted that the story
! Of Reulah's life would he an Evelyn
| Thaw story. but it wasn't. 1t was far
uglier and far stranger. and yet 1t was
| told by the mother of a girl who was
! seventeen only a few weeks ago with
! entire calmness. Those who could, sought
( a breath of fresh air on the court
! house lawn at its conclusion.
| Had not the astounding testimony OF
! Paul Beattie came later this story OF
how Henry was tricked, played with. and
| robbed would have been of tremendous
! advantage to the defense. There was
| sympathy for him written all over the
| faces of the jurors as they watched the
! hard-visaged mother descend from the
! stand But remembrance of her story
was almost wiped out by the damninS
! declarations of the cousin.
Other Witnesses UnimpOrtant.
The other witnesses of the day were
not very important. Henrietta Pittman-
a girl of the Beulah type-told how Beu-