The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1911-11-29
ing and light that swung on it's
cord Immediately above the chair.
A Silent Scene.

strain, and all, even the prison at
tendants, seemed i'll at ease and anx-
ious to be done. The electrician
bulbs and laid it across the arms of
the chair. The lamps blazed brightly
Then in other ways the instrument
of death was tested and finally at a
signal attendants went over the ap-
paratus, attaching the deadly cleo
trodes and testing every strap and
clamp.
When the preliminaries were over,
Maj. Woods, accompanied by two
deputies, threw back an iron studded
door and started for the death cell
Instantly the death chamber was
plunged in blackness with the excep-
tion of vivid circle of light from
the hooded and powerful lamps above
the chair. The chair. an oaken bit of
furniture, which except for straps
and steel bands, might grace any
library, was on rubber mat All
but it was obscurcd, the dazzling
rays from the low swinging lamp
throwing everything else into dark
ness SO dense as almost to be felt
Death Warrant Read.
The little party in the chamber
heard the superintendent Il few feet
away droning out the death warrant.
Reattie listened to it with intensity.
but did not finch. He stood during
the reading, as is the custom, and
when it was ended he swayed just
tritle but quickly recovered
Then, without assistance, he took
his place between the guards and be-
gan his march to the unknown.
His entrance to the death chamber
was as dramatic as anything he had
done since first he commanded the
public eye. He halted for moment
on the threshold. looked on the chair
with an inscrutable smile that had in
it the hint of a sneer, and then walked
briskly forward. Not once did he de-
sign to strive to pierce the blackness
outside his circle of glowing light
1t had been feared that the pris-
oner would finch when the moment
came to seat himself in the chair.
There was no trepidition and not a
hint of hesitation in Beattie's atti-
tude. Still wearing his peculiar smile,
half amused and half cynical he
stepped lightly into the seat, settled
himself as though he had been look
ing forward to the rest and assisted
the attendants in adjusting the straps
and clamps by placing his arms and
hands in the proper position. The
only indication that he was under
nervous strain was disclosed by his
tightly clenched teeth. During the few
seconds preceding the turning on OF
the current Beattie moved once While
the attendants were stepping back,
he squeezed his feet back as though
to seek still more comfortable posi-
ton. AT the same time he raised his
head now almost completely hidden
by the leather helmet that covered
the upper part of his head and face.
The next second the shock came.
Taken to MOrgue.
When the law was avenged and the
witnesses were gone. the prison at
tendants removed the body to the
mortuary room which adjoins the
death chamber There it lay for four
hours until an undertaken, authorized
by the Beattie family to prepare it for
burial, removed it to his morgue.
Town Still GaSping.
| Events moved so rapidly during the
day that Richmond still is gaspng.
The sudden production of the murder
er's confession caused profound SEN
sation There had been rumors of
the existence of such a document, but
! the rumors were based on nothing
tangible. Early and pcrsistent!y they
were denied, the family of the slayer
| by the attorneys. who had taken part
in the case, and by the prison author
tiles. The ministers refused to dis
cuss the reports, putting off all in
terrogators with the simple statement
that they hoped for confession.
The acknowledgment Of his crime
ny DcdIue was nowhere received, with
more satisfaction than in the execu-
tive marsion, Gov. Mann, who resist
ed all pressure brought 10 bear upon
him to commute the sentence or to
issue a reprieve has worried himself
into state bordering on nervous
breakdown, through entertaining the
fear that he might be permitting an
innocent man to go to his doom. The
| Same 0nnn satisfaction is chnrnd hu