The Topeka state journal., 1911-09-02
And Says 1t Was His Machine
That Boys Saw.
A WOMAN WITH HIM
She Was Standing on the Run
ming Board at the Time.
Was Not His Wife and He Dis
liked to Tell.


to closing its case with the testimony
of the prisoner himself later today
I'm one il attacked the theory of the
prosecution that Beulah Binford was
the motive of the accused for MURDER
ing his wife and in the other assalled
testimony of witnesses for the com
monwealth who thought they saw
Beattie and his wife on the Midlothian
+1rnDilxe on the night of the murder.
William Fl. Sampson, an lntlmale
friend and chum of the accused, told
on the stand of Beatue's relations Win
Peulah BinfOrd. pointing out lhdt
when they We're accidentally renewed
Just before Mrs. Beattie was murdered,
there was no serious af1ectlon on t@lle @
part of the prisoner, but merely an
episode of old time dissipation Inc
testimony of Charles H Kestleberg
was new and reluctantly given because
the witness admitted 1t might enlDat-
raSs him with his wife. lie teStlHeu'
however. that he was the man who was
motoring with woman in the Mldlo
THAN turnpike on the night OF the
murder and whose machine several
bows saw with a woman on the run
ming board while coming from a CAM TI
at Bon Air The character OF h IL
Neblitt who said he saw Paul Beat
tie on Sunday. July IS, with a Shot-
gun a day after he claims to nave
transferred the weapon TO ms cousin 43lI
Henry. was attacked today when the
prosecution on cross examination or
witness drew forth admission that
Neblitt was once convict ana had
vivid imagination.
The Mysterious Witness
Charles Kestleberg of Richmond. the
mysterious witness whose discovery
Yesterday caused counsel for the de-
fense in the Beattie trial to interrupt
It's examination of witnesses Tor nearly
an hour came forward today with the
declaration that it was he who, mo-
torine on the Midlothian turnpike on
the night of the murder, stopped his
machine to get some water while the
woman with him stood on the running
board The testimony Of Kestleberg,
IF accepted as fact, neutralizes the
evidence offered by the prosecution in
many impOrtant respects because the
commonwealth has held that it was
Henry Clay Beattie, jr-. who was
crouching in front of a machine on
the turnpike while his wife was stand
ing on the running board and was
shot. her fall causing the big blood
'epot on the road A crowd of boys
coming from a dance at Bon Air had
testified for the prosecution that they
saw a man and woman and offered
them help but it was refused
''It was I. said kestleberg. who is
wholesale butcher. to an Associated
Press representative before the court
opened today. "who was on the Mid
lothian turnpike that night I saw the
crowd of boys pass and they offered
me help which I said was unneces-
sarv. I have hesitated to give my in
formation about the case to anybody,
although read in the papers that the
testimony of the boys indicated that it
was Henry Beattie and his wife who
stopped and that it was Mrs. Beattie
standing on the running board. I will
tell you very frankly that I don't know
who the woman was with me- I met
her on the road and gave her a. ride
for part of the way Being a married
man. [ did not wish to volunteer tes-
timony that would put me in a bad
light socially, but told my wife and
several intimate friends and I guess it
leaked out to the defense, who sum-
moned me today"
Did you see any other cars on the
road that night?'' he was asked.
He Saw the Boys.
Il saw the boys go by and another
car that was running very rapidly and
could not see who was in it. I rec
ognized one of the boys who stopped
and asked if 1 wanted help but I don't
think he recognized me. The story the
boys have told about seeing a man and
woman in the machine is correct, but
in the interest of justice 1 Sm frank to
say that the man was not Henry Beat
tie nor the woman his wife"
Several threatening letters came in
Judge Watson's mail today. One told
him that if Henry c. Beattie We're con-
victed and sent to the chair his own
years WO Id be mum bered. Another,
from New Brighton, Pa, declared that
the gun with which Mrs. Beattie was
murdered was not in Virginia now and
that Paul Beattie never saw it Still
another signed "eye witnes said that
neither Henry nor Paul had commit
ted the crime and made threats
against the judge and jury in the event
of the conviction of the prisoner. All
were anonymous and Judge Watson
smiled as he handed them to news
paper women. Every counsel for the
commonwealth has been receiving
mysterious letters and messages. one
came from New Orleans yesterday to
Prosecutor Wendenberg and said,
Prosecute Paul Beattie; he's guilty.
The deposition of Mrs. Steger who is
alleged to have seen a highwayman on
the road near her home, was not TAX
en-, as counsel for the defense admitted
that what she knew was of little ac-
count.
Negro Woman Heard a shot
Court convened at 1880 O'Clock and
Eliza AiOseley, q negro woman, took the
stand. Judge Watson announced that
the woman had told him she had heard
something in her home on Midlothian
turnpike, on the night of the murder
tad that he had asked her. though i'll,
20 come to court and testify
The woman testified that about half
past 10 o'clock that night she heard the
report of gun.
=, heard nothing beside the noise of
the gun and the blowing of an auto
moDlIe horn" she added.
When did the horn blow?''
Just after I heard a noise like the
starting OF a machine"