Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1911-09-02
BEATTIE CASE
NEAR AN END
All the Evidence In Murder
Case Is Now In.
PRISONERS STORY SHAKEN
Prosecution Bit by Bit With Many
Witnesses Tears Down Testimony Of
Accused.


All evidence in the case for and
against Henry Clay Beattie. Jr. at
Chesterfield Court House. Va. is now
In. On Thursday morning the lawyers
The lawyers for the commonwealth
and the defense met with Judge Wat
son in the chambers of the Virginia
supreme court in Richmond to argue
the matter of the judges charge to the
Jury. Under the Virginia practice. be.
fore the court charges the jury in a
capital case both sides are given an
opportunity to urge upon him certain
clauses in his instructions. the argu.
ment in no sense being binding upon
the court. but merely advisory.
The completion of testimony came
suddenly to an end. when Henry
Owen, a brother of the woman who
was murdered. the last witness for the
prosecution in rebuttal. took the stand.
This was the final surprise launched
at Beatties defense by Louis Wen.
denburg. the commemorative prose
cutor. After he had denied the story
OF Henry Beattie. that up to the end
his wife and he had never exchanged
cross word. Wendcnburg announced
that the prosecution rested its rebut.
tai. The defense had no sur-rebuttal
to make. and the ten days of evidence
taking were thus brought to an end.
The final day in the prosecutions
effort TO bring Henry Beatie to pun
ishment for the crime OF wife murder
was quite the most disastrous of all
that had passed over his head. No
great sensation was sprung. but bit
by bit the story that the prisoner had
himself told on the stand. and that
favorable witnesses had sought to sub.
stantiate for him. was torn down by
an overwhelming weight OF evidence
in rebuttal.
Accordingly, as the case stands now,
II Is Beattie's lone and almost unsup.
ported word against cloud Of wit
nesses and almost universal suspicion
of the most horrible kind.
When Beat lie testified he was I'M
sparing in his denunciation OF Paul
Beatie, his cousin. who one week ago
swore tina; Henry said to him: Il wish
to God had not done it," lie denied
absolutely and with bitter anger every
mony.
The prisoner declared he never
commissioned Paul to buy a shotgun,
that Paul never delivered the weapon
to him, that. in fact. he never saw his
cousin excepting a few times when
that poor relation" came into the
Beattie store To borrow or beg, and
that then Paul always was closely
watched"
He was equally unsparing in his de-
nunciation of Beulah Binford the girl
for love of whom the state sought TO
prove he had slain his wife. He was
seemingly frank in his recital of his
relations with her. but many and many
an answer TO the queries of his coun.
sci were such as TO infame that young
woman with bitterness and TO rouse
her to unforgiving hatred. should the
state call her TO rebut the evidence
offered by Beattie.
w W AhG ctOVtin6 VI no
wife. Beattie said:
I'VE passed three cars. The last
thing can remember before we
turned around was row of cedar
trees which ny wife said would make
good Christmas trees. and the gate
near where we turned"
state what happened then About
three.quarters of a mile or mile from
where we turned we we're going along
easy, when n man came from the left.
hand side of the road. He was so close
TO me that had to put on the brake
so as not To hit him. He asked II
were going TO hit him. and | said he
had plenty OF room and that ! should
have. then put on the low gear and
reached over TO take the brake. He
pointed the gun at me and said. Stop
or I'll shoot | didn't want TO aggra.
vate him. so | said nothing. AS
touched the clutch he fired. and my
wife fell back of me-
"She fell between your back and the
back of the scat?" Yes. In the space
OF a moment | jumped out of the car
and started toward the man. He raised
the gun to hit me. ! caught the gun as
Il hit me on the nose. He let loose. and
being overbalanced. fell back. There
has been something said about blood
on the gun. Tom Owen said my face
was bloody. picked up the gun and
the man ran up the road"
who was the first man YOU told?"
tom Owen"