Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-09-11
ssATTlE cLiNes TO HOPE.
Claims That Verdict Convicting Him
Was Terribly Unfair.

Chesterfield Courthouse, Va, Sept.
f0.-SeVere reputation Of Eeaula.
Binlord as Il girl from whom he vain
" tried to detach himself. and the
direct imputation that the jury judged
him more Tor his indiscretion than
the tragedy itself, came Saturday
rom ne lips OF Henry Clay Beattie.
jr.. convicted Friday night Of wife
murder.
Any othor jury, composed OF city
folk. with mundane views, would have
been more mereiful. was his bitter la
ment
"EearfullF unfair lie muttered in
his cell, when asked his opinion of
tie scrdict
.Beulah Binford." he added. Figured
largely in the verdict, more largely
than the testimony of the killing.
These country folk cannot understand
how woman of the underworld can
he Crazv about yDu They don't know
when that happens how very glad it is
t. get rid of her.
r nave drifted along hoping against
hope that something would occur to
enable me To rid myself OF that Bin
fcrd girl And once a woman of that
kind feels that You no longer take
any interest iii her, she usually seeks
solace in suicide" So l drifted along.
waiting fer a chance to break off re-
lations with her without having her
hurt herself. tried hard to persuade
her in the meantime to live II proper
life.
"tlad this ease been tried ii any
court, where those things are not I'M
cpmnon. this morning / would have
been n free man, Interpreting Judge
Wat5on's instructions To the jury, |
cannot see how the verdict could have
been nther than not guilty. l believe
the jury was Influenced by the one
sided newspaper reports before / had
= chance to present my side Of the
ease. ! wanted to give out a state
ment as soon AS / was arrested. but
Mr.. Smith, nay lawyer advised against
this.
Il have not given up hope. because
cannot feel that an innocent rlan viii he
permitted to suffer for this hideous
crime"
There We're MANY rumors abroad to-
day that Beattie would never die in the
electric chair: that he would find some
means of committing suicide when all
hope of gaining his freedom was gone.
BILLY :. 'zrv9n, his chum, and one
Of the important witnesses at the trial
was quoted as saying;
Henry Reattie viii not die in the
chars II wiz DO some other way"
49,, he is convicted he has nerve enough
| 10 III himself before .,nc Others do" said
Beulah Binford just before her depar-
ture from Richmond.
y heavy guard patrolled the little stone
Chesterfield Jail during the night and
Saturday They were the only persons
Beattie saw as he looked out upon the
pastural scene which until last night was
dotted with hundreds of his fellow towns
men,
/ The quiet landscape Of Virginia fields
! that met his eyes was unused to the ex-
sitimeut of murder trial and today 1t
was cententedly deserted in.simple peace
/ fuluess. Rough boarded wagons rumhled
/ by on the sandy road. ON the lawn IN
/ front Of the courthouse aud Jail, Negro
I loisurely removed the scraps of news
| papers and the remains of luncheons
| hastily eaten on the green by the crowds
of many days before. Jailer Cogbll
brought the prisoner his breakfast and
! he ate il in silence His thin pailid face
wore a nickering smile as he sazed
J through the grated window at two news
paper men on the grass.
| Many lawyers Saturday discussing the
| possibility of writ of error were of the
! opinion that il would not be granted, The
| court of appeals, they assert, set a
precedent in the famous McCue case of
! 1904.
Public feeling over the crime still runs
high in this section and in Richmond.
where Beattie lived. The verdict was re-
ceived with little surprise by the cons
mupity The loud voiced speech OF l.. o.
Wendenbqrg, the prosecuting attorney,
-.