Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1911-09-09
PINE BLUFF SATURDAY MORNING. SEPTEMBER 1911

the verdict had been made and over
 ruled, Judge Watson, kindly, gentle
 voiced aristocrat, addressed Beattie
 directly. He said in tone that show
 ed how plainly he was affected.
 MT. Beattie, your situation greatly
 appeals to my sympathy. You are a young man. Your life began with exceptional opportunity. You had an honorable family name; the devotions of friends, youth, health. freedom from any threat of poverty, a long career before you and future with no evil
 forebodlngs. It is sad that such a prospect should be previously altered Il will not say anything to add to your modification. It is far from my
 purpose to reproach you now for your
 misdeeds, to add to your case But
 by the verdict of the jury your life
 must be forfeited to the Common
 wealth of Virginia and therefore
 must sentence you to be transferred
 to the state penitentiary on Friday.
 November A, and then and there. be-
 tween the hours of sunrise and sum-
 set, your life shall be taken and may
 God have mercy upon your soul"
 The boy was led back to the little
 prison after listening to the proceed
 ings to light cigarette as he stepped
 out of the court. And then there was
 rush of congratulating friends to
 Prosecutor Wendenberg and to the jurors. The battle of the Prosecutor and the verdict of the twelve jurors was beyond all question popular.
 ''We didn't even as much as note the time We took" the jurors volun- tered. When we went upstairs Brother Blankership led up in prayer while we knelt on the dusty floor. We are all church going men. He is a decon. He prayed that God might give us light to do justice to this boy and to the State of Virginia. After the prayer we took a secret ballot, writ ing our verdict on unsigned slips of paper. Mir Farley, the foreman, ex- amlned these and found that every one was marked guilty Then We had a little talk about the evidence and the Judges instructions We all agreed in believing the story of Beat ties cousin, Paul; that he had bought the gun for Henry. We agreed that this was the same gun found near the scene of the crime We agreed that Henry's love for this Beulah Binford girl was his motive for killing his wife and we agreed finally that this story about highwayman with a beard holding him up and shooting
 his wife was impossible to believe. After our discussion we took an open ballot by voice, each man answering as MT. Farley called his name. We never had any idea of anything but first degree verdict and each man said guilty with that in his mind"
 The address of Harry Smith in be- lalf of Beattie took up all the morn ng session. It was brilliant appeal, wasted in hopeless case He tried to point out by a bias on the part of Paul Beattie, the possibility of Henry's story being true and he varded the jurors against the danger # circumstantial evidence. He con- luded by passionate declaration hat verdict of guilty would mean eath not only for Henry Clay Beattie r., but probably death for his aged ather, whom they all knew ana res ected and a living death for the or haned baby, Henry Clay Beattie III, 7ho would forever be summed as the on of murderer.
 But this adAress was far outclass- d by the closing argument of Louis }. Wendenberg, the prosecutor MT. speech quite equalled l l cold logic, in sarcasm, in whipp- lg, flaying invective, and in pure g ratory the one made by William ravers Jerome in the first trial of larry K. Thaw. He swung and sway the audience and jurors as he will I d and once or twice performed the I lsomst impossible feat of making ,enry Clay Beattie cringe
 Calmly at first he picked to pieces C nd utterly demolished Henry's story T