The Topeka state journal., 1911-09-07
HE SAW The DEED
A Man Writes to Prosecutor I'm
the Beattie Case
Ihat He Was an Eye Witness to
the Murder.
HOW 1T WAS DONE.
Says Accused First Hit His Wife
With the Gun
Then Shot Her as She Lay on
the Ground.
HOW 1T WAS DONE.

Chesterfield, Va, Sept. 7-Prosecutor
Wendenburg declared today that he
had decided not TO request the reopen
ing of the Beattie case owing to the
discovery of an alleged eye witness
I'VE have a strong enough case
with it, he said. I'VE could not
get the man here for a couple OF days
at least, as he lives out west. But we
have asked him to come here just the
same to see what there is to his story.
OF course we have received. as Is usual
in murder cases, many letters from al
legged eye witnesses. This one. how
ever, signed his name and we find that
he did once work as a farm hand at a
place near the scene of the murder.
We are going to investigate It further.
but you can take the story now for
what it's worth"
The writer. who until a few days
after the murder of Mrs. Beattie was
a farm hand employed at a place near
the scene Of the crime, said that he
actually saw young Beattie kill his
wife-saw him knock her from the
automobile with the butt of a shotgun
and then shoot her as she lay insensi-
Beattie threatened him when he found
he had witnessed the deed and the
following day gave him "A suit of
clothes and money with which to go
because he was afraid. the man says
now he does not want Beattie to es-
cape punishment and is willing to tes-
tify.
Many Letters Received.
At the outset the prosecution was in
clined to think this was just another
crank's letter, of which many have
been received by both sides since the
trial began An investigation was
started however, and several Of the
writer's statements were soon corrob-
GRATED. The Chesterfield farmer men
toned in the letter acknowledged that
a man of the name used by the writer
was employed by him until a few days
after the murder and further declared
ii was a fact that the farm hand was
chasing runaway COW on the night
the crime was committed. In telling
his story, the alleged witness said he
was looking for COW when he came
on the man and woman in an automo-
bile on the Midlothian turnpike some
time after 10 o'clock.
The declaration that Beattic clubbed
his wife with the gun before shoot
ing her is considered by the law
yers and detectives for the prose
cution with peculiar interest. II
is said that physicians who exam
ined Mrs. Beattie's body reported that
the frontal bone on the right side OF
the skull probably was broken, though
the charge of shot had entered the left
head. On account OF this. II is under
stood Mr.. Wendenburg thought seri-
Ously of referring to a wound on the
right side of the forehead in the IN
dictment drawn for the grand jury.
The letter writer gave a. detailed ac-
count of the tragedy as he claims to
have witnessed it, He said in part;
The Statement.
ct was in the pine woods on the
right hand side OF the Midlothian turn
pike as you 60 out from Richmond. and
I saw a light AS 7 walked closer to
the road I saw an automobile standing
almost in the middle of the road facing
toward Richmond, and there we're two
people in it-a man and a woman
They were both sitting in the front
seat
a''They were quarreling. 7 could hear
them talking loud. so I did not show
myself, but waited behind tree about
ten feet from the edge OF the road IN
thick pine woods to hear what they
said.
s'rThe woman was pleading with the
man. She was saying that she wa.nted
her love back again and she did not
want the man to be cruel to her. The
man answered roughly.
"At one time heard him say. I am
tired of all this, ] am going to end
this Then I heard the woman say.
How are you going to end it2' Tha
man said something I could not hear
and then I heard him say, TIL show
Won I'm going to end IT, He got out OF
the machine and walked across to the
opposite side of the road from where
I was and then after he had been there
a minute he came back with something
in his hands. I could not see what it
was in the dark. Ihe woman was
standin~ in tie machine in front OF tho
left hand seat in the 'front.' part Of the
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