The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1911-11-25
Beattie Died Bravely


Beattie passed fairly peaceful
night although his sleep was broken.
When he arose yesterday morning he
dressed with his usual care, and ate
sparingly. He did not appear either
nervous or apprehensive, although he
was necessarily under the eyes of his
guards, who had doubled their vigil
ance in the final moments. that the
law might not be cheated.
During the reading of the death
warrant the doomed man maintained
his cOmposure. He stood without a
tremor
Il am ready. gentlemen" he said
simply, and the death march was be-
gun.
No member of the Beattie family was
present at the execution. nor at the
penitentiary when the death march
was begun. Preparations for the recep-
tion of Douglas Beattie, brother of the
doomed man, had been made in the su-
perintendent's office, but Douglas did
not appear. The failure of any member
of the family to be present was well
coined by the prison authorities, for
they feared their charge might break
down at the last moment.
In a torrential downpour of rain, the
twelve witnesses to the execution toll
ed through the murky dawn up the hill
from which the penitentiary looks
down upon the city. They were quick
ly marshalled and conducted, single
file, through gates of steel bars to the
chamber where Beattie was to offer his
atonement. There was no converse ton.
Within the chamber all was in readi-
ness. The chair. solid structure of
oak. would ordinarily have appeared
like the chairs seen in scores of libra
ries throughout the land. In the SOM
berly bare chamber. however. the chair
was aueht but sinister. Straps dam
gled from its arms and back. and shin
ing steel clamps appeared in the light
of the electric like tenacles outstretch-
ed to clasp a victim.
The witnesses were seated, six
abreast. in an angle of the room. They
shuffied their feet uneasily. and when
one leaned forward to speak to an
other his action was received with
frowns. Major Wood, with two deputy
wardens, addressed the witnesses, go
ing through some small formalities de-
manded by the law. Then, with his
two men trooping behind, he passed
awaited the summons in his cell ad-
| joining.
| The Voice of Doom
| In the death chamber the voice Of
| the warden could be plainly heard.
reading to the doomed man the final
summons. The Wardens voice droned
on, it seem to the witnesses, inter-
minably. In reality. the compliance
with the law occupied only a brief
moment. Then. with Beattie between
them. the deputy wardens began their
progress toward the chair only a few
feet away.
When the procession, followed by
Superintendent Wood. started. a signal
was given, which plunged the death
Ichamber into blackness, save for q
lsingle light, Immediately over the
chair. This was so hooded that it out
lined the chair in a circle of blazins
radiance so intense that the remainder
of the room seemed in utter darkness
The witnesses scarce could see eacf
other The prisoner saw nothing bu
the chair.
There was no delay in preparing fol-
the end. Beattie took his place. tn,
prison surgeon and the electricians ad
We're quickly thrown into place anC
snapped. The cap. resembling a leath
er football head harness. was adjusted
and the men stepped back.
Executed in One Minute
The warden raised his hand In
stantly Beattie's body stiffened witt
; such violence that the straps creake,
with the strain. the clamps ratified a
though they were castanets in tn
hands of death. and then that whic1
once had been Henry Clay Beattie. Jr
relaxed. 1t was just 7:23 a. m whe
the shock was applied. One minut
: later he was dead
The Deadly Current
Beattie's death chamber was belo1
ground. It has no windows Becaus
of its isolation and the death cells ai
= Joining, the chamber is silent as a
abandoned tomb. Into one corner Of tn
= chamber a black cable dropped. It wa
the heavy main wire leading from tn
dynamos of the city lighting plant
Ihalf-mile away, The prison author
| ties do not depend on their dynamo
for the fatal shock.
Over this cable poured 2.20O volts
Z electricity. II was as silent as it wa
: deadly There was no purring of dy
: namos to indicate its fatal powe
: When the executioner turned on tt
:, full voltage and the body responde
to the fearful shock. the witnesse
gasped. There was no warning
For a full minute the current race
through the body cells of the COZ
.demned man. For five seconds 1t ws