Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1911-09-15
Three Months Allowed In
Which Time Appeal Will Be
Taken to Higher Court
THOUSANDS EAGERLY
AWAITED THE VERDICT
Decision Was Reached After Jury
Had Been in Conference for
Fiftv-Eight Minutes

Chesterfield Courthouse, Sept. 8.
-"GUILTY IN THE FIRST DE-
REE''-This was the verdict rem
dered by the twelve men who heard
the evidence in the case of the Com
monwealth against Henry Clay Beat
tie, Jr., at Chesterfield courthouse.
The jury took the case at $40 and
at 6:0S-just fifty-eight minutes
later-the twelve men walked into
the court room and announced the
verdict that will send Beattie to the
chair.
During the time the jury was out
Beattie showed some nervousness,
running his fingers through his hair,
and rubbing his temples. AS the
word "GUILTY" fell from the lips of
Clerk Cogbill, as the clerk read the
vrdict, the prisoner, who had re-
manned standing, sank. to his chair.
bowed his head, and his body shook
with the emotions he was fighting
ti3 3ely to subdue.
Jury Discharged
Immediately after the verdict was
rendered Judge Watson thanked the
jurymen for their services and they
were excusd. Attorneys for Beat
tie Immediately asked for stay of
execution, arguing that the case had
been brought to trial without any
delay whatever, and asked for three
months stay in sentencing the con-
victed man. This the court granted,
and in the meantime papers will be
prepared for an appeal to the higher
court.
Jailer Cogbill requested the court
to have Beattie taken to the Hem
rico county Jail for confinement, as
the accommodations at the little
Chesterfield Jail were inadequate for
the care of the prisoner and at the
same time house the other prisoners
of the county
Wherever he may be confined Beat
tie must remain in prison until the
higher court takes final action, as
the verdict makes the case unbail-
able.
Verdict Announced
So decisive was the verdict that
the crowd that packed the little
court house stared wild-eyed at the
judge for few minutes, while news
paper men fastened to the telegraph
wires and the telephones to flash
the news to the outside. There was
no demonstration, however, only
moment of awful silence, then faint
murmur, and the next moment the
crowd had begun to leave the room,
a great many exceptions were not
ed during the trial and these will
form the grounds upon which the
appeal will taken. The verdict came
after day in court during which
two of the shrewdest lawyers in the
State battled for and against the de-
fendant.
Attorney H. NJ. Smith made the
final argument for the now condemn
ed wife-murderer. He laid special
stress on the fact that the
foot prints leading from the pool of
blood to the stump at the scene of
the crime on the Midlothian turn
pike had never been fitted to the feet
of the accused. He fayed the evil
dence given by Paul Beattie and said
the witnesses for the defense had
torn the witnesses for the State to
pieces.
In closing for the State ATTORNEY
Wendenburg tried the case over
point by point, and at times his lam
guage was objected to by opposing
counsel. His portrayal of the crime
was a yived word picture, and must
have made powerful impression
upon the jury.
Since the morning after the mur-
der Henry Clay Beattie, Jr., had
stood convicted by three-fourths of
the people of this city, who knew of
his past relations and his love for a
creature of the underworld. The
verdict has almost unanimous ap-
prOval.
Strong Closing Address
Mr.. Wendenburg made a masterly
address, ignoring no important de-
tails, but selecting out of the great
mass of testimony the vital points
and welding the whole into one
strong, continuous weapon falling on
Beattle's head. Not all of LAWYER
Harry M. Smiths fervid elouuence.
not all his attempts to create a "rea-
sonable doubt" not at all his subtle
discrediting of Paul Beattie earlier
IN his speech, or his later denuncia-
tion OF Paul as ''revengeful epilep-
tic" aided Henry C.Beattie. Mr.. Smith
brought every orators trick into play.
lie limited at this and suggested that:
now he burned with white indigna-
ton now ushed his voice till his
accents were most tender. But all
MS artlhce and all his sophistry fail
ed to explain away that meeting Of
henry and Paul on Thursday night
before the murder.