Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1911-09-02
BEAT TIE MURDER
CASE NEARS
CLOSE
PRISONER EXPECTED
TO TAKE STAND TODAY
Defense introduces Witnesses
to Support Story That Nc
man Was Slain By Robber
and Not By Husband.
my Morning soprpn special Leased Wire,

.
Chesterfield Courthouse. Va. Sept.
1.-Henry Clay Beattie. indicted for
tho murder of his wife, did not take
the stand today in his own behalf as
was expected. hut the assertion was
made just before court adjourned that
the defense would conclude its case
tomorrow with the prisoners tcsti-
mony.
An argument ensued between eoun-
sci for both sides as To whether the
eross-examiRation OF the accused also
could be finished tomorrow and il
was obvious that the defense wished
to have the prisoner rest over sun
day before the attack upon him by
tho prosecution should begin. Thomas
| llancock one of the jurors. however,
spoke up in a plaintiNe voice to the
court saying
please consider us. judge ana the
cour timmcdiatop asked II. NJ. Smith.
Jr, counsel for the defense how
many more witnesses he would intro
/ ducc
Just few more" said Mr.. Smith.
"But we win surely close o,lr case
tomorrow by placing the prisoner on
| the stand.
| judge Watson announced that he
would hold court later than usual to-
morrow evening if necessary to finish
| the case but an agreement was reach
| ed TO suspend judgment as to hold
| ing the night session until the testi-
mony of the accused had bcen pre-
sented Court will he delayed in the
morning by the taking Of a deposit
| tion from Mrs. NJ. C. Stagor, who is
! in at her home near the scene of the
/ crime. and who it is claimed, saw the
| alleged bearded highwayman prowling
around the dav Of the murder
Testimony today was perfunetory.
Several women friends Of the accused
lama his dead Gle, testified that the
couple lived happy TO eether
Except for the impromptu admis-
sion cf Douglas Beattie, brother of
( the accused, that he would have de-
stroyed evidences Of the murder had
he known his brother was to be charg-
ed with the crime, the most interest
! ing development Of tho day was the
| discovery Of a new witness by the de-
! fense, Joseph Casselherg of Richmond.
Casselherg, it had btsn rumored for
| some time, has had mysterious knowl-
| edge of the case. He is reported to
| have been on the Midlothian turnpike
with another person about the same
| time that the murder occurred and Is
supposed to be the man who stopped
to crank his machine and was seen
| by the group of bows on their way
from the dance at Bon Air II he is
called as n witness and admits that
he had stopped to fix his machine at
! the point whore the boys say they saw
the ear with woman on the running
board and a man IN front OF II, the DE-
! fonse considers this would cOntroVort
much Of the testimony tending to
show that Mrs. Boattic was shot whilc
on the running board and not in the
| car scat as her husband alleges.
It was rumorcd tonight however,
that the defense may not call Cassel-
hcrg because of conflicting reports
concerning his probable testimony.
The question of whether Mrs. Beat
tie was shot while standing on the
! u
husband insists while she sat I'm the
front scat to the left Of him again
was raised today when several auto-
mobile experts testified that a large
| pool Of blood such as was found al the
scene Of the crime could have trickled
through tho machinery Of the ear and
| flowed from the drip pan under
meath to the ground.
The testimony of the automobile eX-
perts was in line with the contention
also that blood dripped from the ma
chine in many places from the scene
Of the crime to the owen home in
| Richmond, whore the young husband
| took his dead wife.
| The defense introduced a score of
witnesses to attack various other de-
tails in the evidence of the prosecu-
tion and tomorrow il is expected the
prisoner will make emphatic contra
/ diction of his cousin PauFs entire
| testimony clinging to his story at the
| Coroners inquest that q bearded high
! wayman murdered his wife and that
| he took no part in a transaction con-
cerning the purchase of the shotgun.
/ The prisoner was more cheerful at the
end of the days discussion than he
! has been for some time. AS each OF
his five women friends who testified
entered the court room he smiled ana
/ greeted them warmly His gray hair
/ 4 father who sat beside him ana
escorted each to the witness stand ana
when Hazel Beattie his daughter took
the stand to testify to Henry's pleas-
lant home HE the aged father bent
over and kissed the young girl.