The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1911-08-25


24-The jury which will decide
whether Henry Clay Beattie, Jr., of
Richmond shall go to the electric chair
on charge of wife murder, was com
pleted yesterday. The battle for a
human life began this morning, when
the commonwealth called its first
witness.
The prisoner was locked up for the
night in the small Jail here, and will
not be returned to the Richmond jail
during the trial. His gray-haired father
embraced him and went home in a
dusty public conveyance, surrounded
by curious persons.
Made up almost entirely of lean,
bronzed faced farmers, the jury, as
completed, follows the lines indicated
by Mondays selections. The twelve
men, all farmers but three, are N. w.
Farley, quarryman; E. L. Wilson, A..
L. Fetteroff, contractor; Irving l..
Bass, Jr., w. w. Fuqua, w. L. Burgess,
NJ. E. Purdie, NJ. c. Robinson, Thomas
A. Hancock, Lewis Robertson, w. P.
Hooks, NJ. E.Blankenship, assistant
superintendent of a silk mill
Beattie conferred earnestly with his
lawyers and studied intently the faces
in the panel of sixteen men before the
defense decided on its four elimina-
tions Then, after a moment of whis-
pered conversation with H. M, Smith,
Jr., his chief counsel, the prisoner nod
ded his head and the clerk announced
that the names of four farmers select
ed on Monday were dropped from the
| list.
In charging the jurors, who will be
kept during the trial at an old tavern
near the court house, Judge Walter A.
Watson simply set forth the law of
Virginia as applicable to homicide. AS
the indictment covers all degrees,
from first degree murder to involun-
tary manslaughter, he explained that
the defendant might be found guilty
accordingly.
"If you find him guilty of murder in
the first degree" said the court, you
shall say so and nothing more, in
which event the punishment shall be
death, but if you find him guilty of
murder in the second degree you shall
say so and shall fix his punishment by
confinement in the penitentiary at not
| less than five nor more than eighteen
years"
1t was hot almost to suffocation in
the little court room yesterday. None
of the witnesses were on hand and
those who came to see Beulah Binford
the "girl in the case" were disappoint
ed. She probably will not be called to
testify until late in the week.
Thomas Owen, an uncle of Mrs
Beattie, to whose home Henry took
the body with tale of bearded high
wayman firing into his automobile
from the roadway, likely will be the
first witness called for the common
wealth this morning.
Beattie was brought from the Jail in
Richmond in order that he might be
present, as the law requires, while the
jurors were being chosen. He was the
only one of the trio held in connection
with the case to be brought here
Beulah Binford, arrested as a material
witness, and Paul Beattie, the defend
ants cousin, similarly held, were KEEP
in their cells.
The Binford girl, who declared thai
she hoped never again to see the mar
who was charged with numbering his
wife for her sake, lounged in her eel
while Henry made ready for the triI
to Chesterfield. Silent and morose
Paul Beattie stood in the corridor Of
the Jail and watched his cousin depart
Henry Clay Beattie, Sr., father o.
the prisoner, was again at his SON:
side during yesterdays proceedings
Grief stricken, the father says little
but evidences are that he will fighi
hard to save his boy from the electric
chair.
More than seventy-five witnesses
have been subpoenaed by the prosecu
ton and nearly thirty by the defense
The commonwealth will attempt tt
show that Beattie, tired of his wife
murdered her in order that he Nigh
resume relations with the Binford girl
J The defense will maintain that nj