Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1911-11-25
Nerve Was UnfIinChing:
Death Instantaneous


ray Beattie, Jr., before his death il
tho electric chair at 1880 o'clock this
morning, confessed to the murder OF
bs wife. The statement which was
eivon out in thee rotunda of a down
ovn hotel follows:
81 Henry Clay Beattie, Jr., desir-
ms of standing right before God and
man. do on this, the 23d day of No
rember. 1911, confess my guilt of the
crime against me. Much that was
nnbIished concerning the details was
not true. but the awful fact, without
tbp narrowing circumstances, re-
i mains For this action | am truly
sorry. and believing that l am at peace
s with God and am soon to pass into
his presence, this statement is made"
Beatties confession was followed
q by this statement by the attending
] minister's:
This statement was signed in the
4 nresence of the two attending minis
8 ters and is the only statement that
q scan and will be made public by them.
< }r Beatt;C desired to thank the many
#fdend5 tor kind letters and express
NsJns Of interest and the public for
s whqt,ye. sympathy was felt or eX-
dressed
Confession at Eleventh Hour
The attending ministers would not
discuss the case in any way until they
Shad visited Beattie's parents in South
8Richmond and had secured their per-
Emission to make the confession public
The confesson evidently was made
Eat the eleventh hour when Beattie
Finally became convinced that all hope
of escaping the electric chair had
passed
Beattie passed a fairly peaceful
hight although his Sleep was broken.
When he arose this morning he dress
led with his usual care and ate spar
Engy
Beattie's Nerve Unfailing.
During the reading of the death
warrant the doomed man maintained
his composure. He stood without a
uemor.
As the superintendent finished. he
swayed but so imperceptibly that he
might have been shifting his weight
from one foot to the other. When the
deputy wardens fell in on either side
of him he bowed his head a moment.
q am ready gentlemen" he said
simply and the death march was be-
guH.
Just before Superintendent Wood
and his men appeared the Rev. Dr.
Fix knelt in prayer with the con-
demned man. He prayed for divine
forgiveness for him.
No member of the Beattie family
was present at the execution nor at
the penitentiary when the death
march was upon. Preparations FOR
the reception of Douglas Beattle'
brother of the doomed man, had been
made in the superintendents ONCE
lut Douglas did not appear. The fall
IRE Of any member of the family 10
le present was welcomed by the prls-
IN authorities for they feared their
.harge might break down at the last
moment.
Gloom of Death Chamber.
In the death chamber the voice ot
he warden could be plainly heard
reading to the doomed man the final
The warden's voice dronea
On it seemed to the witnesses IN
In reality the compliance
with the law occupied only a prlel
moment. Then with Beattie between
them the deputy wardens began their
progress towarl the chair only te"
feet away.
When the procession, followed Dy
Wood, started s1gnal
was given which plunged the oea'h
chamber into blackness save for a
single light Immediately over tne
chair. This was so hooded that Ii
outlined the chair in circle OF DlaZ-
ing radiance SO intense that the re-
of the room seemed in utter
The witnesses scarce could see each
other.
The prisoner saw nothing but tht
chair.
There was no delay in preparing
for the end. Beattie took his 'placo
the prison surgeon and the" electri
clans adjusted the straps, half dozer
clamps. were quickly thrown lnOc
place and snapped. The cap, resem
bling a leather football head haroess
was adjusted and the men steppe'