The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-08-22
JUDGE WATSON GOES
SWIFTLY INTO TRIAL

, right 10 make the demand of you"
Calling the venire.
| The discussion ended when the court
turned and said: mfr. Sheriff. call the
venire."
IN. w. Farley" cried the clerk.
come forward" He continued the
| list OF the first venire. for two were
! summoned In case OF exigency Il.
Henry Covington. John r. Dance. z. l..
| wilson. a. l.. Fetterolf Irving NJ Bass.
Jr., V. w. Fuqua. W. NJ. Jackson. C. A.
| Wilkinson. y. 7. BardweI1 J. H. Fry.
Warren Morrissettc. j. Ernest Goode.
| G. H. Duffcr. w. III. Eancs. r. Cleveland
woodbridge. All are residents of Ches-
| tcrfeld county.
Henry Clay Beattie. Jr.," said the
clerk. addressing himself TO the pris-
oner, the jury TO try you IS about to
De called. II you have objection to
any OF them, say 50" Counsel nodded
IN w. Farley" called the clerk.
In reply to the queries. the vcnlre-
man stated that ne lived two and one
halt miles this side of Petersburg:
was porn and raised in Chesterfield {:
was thirty-seven years old. and waa a
registered voter.
Mt Farley said the court. The
commonwealth brings an Indictment
against Beattic. charging him with
the murder of his wife. Do you kn,,y
anything OF your own knowledg. con.
corning the MURDER"
only through the newspapers." an.
s"ered the venireman
have you heard anything abou. the
crime from people who claim to know
about III" mo"
NO"
How much do YOU read ,ha ,
papers?"
Every day. 1 followed the story
carefully. and read up on 1t pretty
Have tho accounts caused YOU to
FORM an opinion as 20 whether the
prisoner Is guilty or not7"
according to the papers my opin-
Ion has been formed. Yes. sir"
Your opinion. you say. has been
formed. Is 1t based on the assumption
that the accounts In the papers are
| true?"
Yes sir"
Now. pay attention to what ask
you, said the court. Have YOU
FORMED an opinion as to whether the
accounts In the papers are true?"
NO. sir"
"Then your opinion is based on the
assumption OF the truth of the ac.
counts"
Yes sir"
Covers Every Ground.
The law says that one must tried
by fair and impartial jury" said the
Judge. Would what you have read
impair your Judgment or influence you
.. In deciding the case?"
mo. sir"
The law" continued Judge Watson.
assumes that every man charged
with a crime is innocent Can you be
guided by this presumption OF law
and not be Influenced otherwisc?"
Eyes, sir"
Are you related by consanEu,nity
or by other ties to the prisoner at the
bar. or were you related in like man.
ner to the deceased?"
mo. SIR"
DO you live more than three miles
from any point in the Midlothian
Turnpike on which the crime was
committed"
Yes. sir"
THE punishment upon conviction Of
murder In the first degree is death.
Have you any conscientious scruples
against the infection of such punish
ment?'
NO. sir"
You said" continued the court
! carefully. that you followed the news
paper accounts VI thc CillHt CioStiS :
Is your opinion decided? Could you
| act upon the evidence to be brought
| before a jury and not be guided by
previous opinion?"
YES. sir. would be guided only
| by the evidence"
The defense was satisfied. and the
| first man called from the venire was
accepted. The case had started.
w. NJ. Jackson, second man called,
stated that he lived four or FIVE miles
| from Petersburg. and had lived all
| his life In the county. He is a reg
| istered voter. and was not related to
| Beattie or the deceased. He had no
personal knowledge of the crime, and
| had not heard from others who claimed
to know about 1t. He said he read the
| papers fairly we'll
Doesn't Believe Newspapers.
| do you believe everything you
| see in the newspapers" asked the
| court suddenly.
mo. sir. not everything and tit
| ter went around the courtroom
Have you formed fixed opinion ?"
81 might be biased by the papers"
! There are two sorts of opinions, +"
| said the court. "One Is that opinion
which is so fixed that one cannot get
rid of It, That is decided. or a fixed.
opinion. On the other hand, you may
| assume certain things to be true, and
base your opinion on that. changing
It IL you found that those things were