The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-25

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 Richmond. November 24.-Henry Clay Beattie. Jr.. went to his death at dawn today the self confessed murder of his young wife. although the confession was not made public until four hours after he had paid the toll exacted by the law He maintained to the end the remarkable nerve he had exhibited since first he was accused of killing his wife on the lonely Midlothian turn pike last July. His last expression was smiling sheer when he observed the chair that was to lauch him into eternity.
 The confession was made public in the rotunda of a downtown hotel by the Rev. Benjamin Dennis, one of the ministers who had labored with Beat tie to repent. As matter of fact, 1t was acknowledged by the minister. Beattie first admitted his guilt Novem- Der 9. the day after he entered the death chamber and before the fruitless appeal for a communication of sentence was made to Governor Mann. It was not until yesterday that he would agree to it's being put in writing for his sig nature. Then all hope that the gov ernor would interfere was gone
 The Confession
 Beattie's attitude throughollt the tliAl aid the Imprisonment that waited only On his death, was studx~ fcfa a ! psychologist. He read thf papers with avidity Every reference to his iron nerve and the facs tsat (he was going to the chair without acknowledging his crime, In the hope of saving his aged father further sorrow, according to those who were with him to the end, seemed to afford him supreme satisfac tion. Apparently he gloated over the hotoriety his crime had brought him.
 Even after his confession he main tained his air of bravado. What had, since November 9, been considered stoicism, now is recognized as cynicism His nerve, while remarkable in itself Is discovered now to have had it's basis and support in the Knowledge that he was being applauded as1a man of spartan courage and inflexible will.
 The secret of his confession was held lnviolate by the ministers until today. Not even the broken hearted father knew of its existence, friends of the family declare. Not until four hours after he had been pronounced dead in the death chamber in states prison were the murderer's attorneys cogni- zant that he had made a clean breast of his guilt.
 With the same intrepidity that had marked his conduct from the beginning Beattie went to the chair and brought T .l. That was his sole satisfaction.
 Shock at 7:19
 The shock that killed Beattie was given at exactly 7:19 o'clock this morn- Ing. Three distinct and separate timos the current was turned on and at 7:23 1t was shut off Drs. w. T. and St. Julian Oppenhelmer a minute later alt nounced that death had been instan- taneous The 22 persons in the deati, chamber thereupon filed out and the end of a lengthy and costly battle for justice had ended. .fHf
 In addition to the two .physician ns | there were gathered in the death house, when Beattie appeared, the l ? witnesses to the electricution, us re- | quired by law, the. Rev. John J. Fix and Benjamin Dennis, Maj James B. | Woods, superintendent of the peniten- tiary; the electrician and four deputy
  light from group of incandescent lamps set in a low ceiling and ligL | that swung on It's cord immediately | above the chair.
 There. was no conversation The wit l ness labored under too great a strain, and all, even the hardened prison att kendants, seemed III at ease and anX- Yous to be done. The electrician l brought board studded with electric l 'bulbs and laid 1t across the arms of | the chair The lamps blazed brightly | Then, in other ways. the Instrument of | death was tested and finally, at sig nal, attendants went over the appar- | Htus, attaching the deadly electrodes and testing every strap and clamp. |
 When the preliminaries were over Woods, accompanied by two deputies, threw back an iron studded door and started for the death cell. Instantly the death chamber was plungfR Tn darkness with the excep- ton oA D vivid circle of light from tie 1 hooded land powerful lamp above tile | chair. The chair, an oaken bit of fur- hiture. which. except for it's straps and l steel bands, might grace any library. | was on a rubber mat All but 1t was obscured, dazzling rays from the low | swinging lamp throwing everything else into darkness so dense as almost | to be felt.
 Warrant Read
 The little party in the chamber heard | the superintendent few feet away dron- )ing out the death warrant Beattie lis- tened to 1t with intensity. but did not |1inch. He stood during the reading. as ! the custom, and when 1t was ended he | Ayed just trife, but quickly recov- ! M. Then without assistance he took X.place between the guards and began ksa march to the unknown.
 His entrance to the death chamber was |as dramatic as anything he had done |