Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-09-02
WILL STICK TO ACCOUNT
GIVEN AT THE INQUEST
Attempt to Show Regard for Binford
Girl Was Slight.
UNWILLING WITNESS HEARD
Kestleberg Admits He Was Motoring
With Woman on Midlothian
Turnpike About Time of
the Murder.

CHESTERFIELD COURT HOUSE.
Va. September "A great crowd
swarmed in and around the little court
mouse today. attracted by the prospect
that Henry Clay Beattie jr,, on trial for
the murder of his wife. would take the
witness stand in his own behalf The
morning was taken up with the examina-
ton of comparatively unimportant wit
nesses 1t being the apparent purpose Of
the defense to have the prisoners story
serve a climax for todays proceed
ings.
The defense today laid stress on two
important points prior to closing its case
with the testimony Of the prisoner him.
self later today.
In one it attacked the theory of the
prosecution that Beulah Binford was the
motive of the accused for numbering his
wife. and in the other assailed testimony
of witnesses for the commonwealth who
thought they saw Beattie and his wife on
the Midlothian turnpike on the night Of
the murder.
No Serious Affection.
and .chum of the accused. told on the
witness stand of Beattie's relations with
Beulah Binford. pointing out that when
they were accidentally renewed just be-
fore Mrs. Beattie was murdered there
was no serious affection on the part OF
the prisoner. but merely an episode OF
old-time dissipation. The testimony Of
Charles H. Kestleberg was new. and re-
l,,,< r,flry xx;x
mitted it might embarrass him with his
wife.
He testified. however. that he was the
man who was motoring with q woman
on the Midlothian turnpike on the night
of the murder, and whose machine sew
eral boys saw with a woman on the rum
ming board while coming from q dance
at Bon Air.
The character of E. T. Neblitt. who
said he saw Paul Beattie Sunday. July
16 with a shotgun, day after he claims
to have transferred the weapon to his
cousin Henry. was attacked today. when
the prosecution on cross-examination OF
witnesses drew forth the admission that
Neblitt was once a convict and had q
vivid imagination.
Upon the kind of story the prisoner
tells late today many things are de-
pendent 1t already has been demon
strated by the defense that the accused
would cling minutely to his story at
the coroners inquest concerning the al
legged highwayman. and would continue to
discredit Paul Beattie, both with re-
spect toi the purchaser of the fatal shot
gun and the alleged confession which
Paul says he heard from the lips of
the accused the night after the tragedy.
Relations With Binford Girl.
Importance will attach to the explana-
ton of the prisoner as to his relations
with Beulah Binford, the so-calIed girl
in the case"
Not so many details Of the alleged
motive for the crime had been brought
to the surface by the prosecution at the
time the accused was on the stand at
the coroner's inquest. and for today's
cross-examination the prosecution let it
be known that it had some interesting
questions to ask the prisoner concerning
the girl
Beulah. though summoned by the prose-
cution, was not put on the stand, and IL
she goes on at all 1t will be in the re-
prisoner admits his relationship with the
girl in much the same way he did at the
coroner'S inquest the prosecution may
not ask the girl to testify, as IL is an
open secret that her numerous statements
and chatter about the case has demon
strated to both sides a certain risk in
allowing her to take the stand.