New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-09-05
DEATT|E TELLS Of
HIS W|FE'S MURDER
Insists en- Witness Stand They
Were Held Up on Midlothian
Pike by Highwayman.
DENIES COUSINS TESTIMONY
Swears He Had Never Seen tne
Gun Until After tho Tragedy
Ccrfesses to His Relations
with Beulah Binford.


Chesterfield Courthouse. Va, Sept. A.
Through six weary hours in a crowded
and stuffy courtroom. Henry clay Beat
tie. ir.. indicted for the murder Of his
wife. battl4d for his life to-day. Evening
shadows alone interrupted A vigorous
cr0ss-exarninatiOn by the commonwealth
Judge Watson ending the ordeal by ad-
iournng court TO an earlier hour tndn
usual to-morrow-9.l5 a. n.-when Pros
ecutor L. o. Wendenburg Will continue
his rapid fire Of questions.
4 lone figure was young Reattie IN the
crowd that surrounded him on all sides
even windows and trees commanding the
courtroom being thick with staring faces
And the prisoner sat for hours. his man.
ner cool and collected. unfolding the sor-
did details of his relations with Beulah
Rinford. a seventeen year-old girl. FOR
whom the prosecution alleges Beattie
killed his bride Of a year Not alone
the orgies of the four years before his
marriage and those that preceded the
homicide but the grewsome tale OF thc
attack by the highwayman and the wild
ride 10 the owen home At a speed u
ffty-fye miles an hour with the lifeess.
blood covered body Of his wife in tile
machine beside him. were given to tho
jury IN all their horrible details.
Tho prisoner, by request OF the prose
cution. stood up 20 full length and
donncd the bloodstained coat that no
wore the night Of the murder and at
tempted TO explain why blood had not
fecked certain portions Of the garment
! if his wife was reclined against him in
the way he described.
The clothes OF the dead woman had
been burned just before the arrest Of
/ Beattie and az more than once there
/ was occasion 10 refer to them Prosecutor
Wendenburg exclaimed: Il wish to God
| we had them here"
Day OF Extreme Solernity
/ II was a day OF extreme solemnity in
the courtroom. The accused man sat IN
an armchair his head often resting on
one hand. while with the other he rubbed
q knotted handkerchief over his pale
and perspiring face. In the bar sat his
brother Douglas and his white haired
father. the latter at times covering his
wrinkled countensnce with fan as
some particularly loathsome details were
recited by the son. But when the end
Of the day came the father, as usual
bent over the prisoner afectionately and
kissed him.
Beattie answered questions readily In
an even voice and without emotion. Ex-
cept for the nervous lingering OF his
handkerchief and the characteristic vi
bration OF the muscles in his cheeks, he
sat Ike a schoolboy. expressionless. as
he glibly narrated the story Of the crime.
In no essential did his version Of the
affair to-day differ from that which ne
gave at the coroners inquest or that 10
which the defence through its witnesses
hitherto has clung. The direct exam
tnation lasted orly two and a half hours.
while the cross examination had pro-
ceeded three and a half hours when
court adjourned for the day.
The prosecution in its cross-examlna-
ton gave particular attention 20 two
t,oints in the previous testimony or the
nrisoner. II the accused had on the
night Of the murder a light fastened ~
the rear of the machine, why could ne
not see the fleeing highwayman to the
rear Of the car: or If the prisoner had
grappled with the assassin and succeeded
in wrestling the shotgun from hlm. fall-
ing to the ground at the same time upon
the sudden release OF the weapon from
the highwayman' hands why did the
highwayman fee with Beattie at his
feet on the ground?
These questions the prisoner evaded In
his testimony, but tomorrow the prose-
cution will hammer away az them anew.
Denies PauPs Statements.
Denial after denial came from the lips
Of the prisoner as Prosecutor Wenden-
burg questioned him concerning the al
legged purchase Of shotgun for him oy
his cousin. Paul Beattie on the Saturday
before the murder and the testimony ~
the latter as to the confession in which
Henry is alleged TO have exclaimed: L
wish 10 God / hadn't done II. wouldn't
do il again for million dollars
Beattie disclaimed any connection
with the purchase OF the gun and kno~l-
edge Of the transfer of any gun by Paul
10 him. declaring he never saw the fatal
shotgun until the night II was raised by
the highwdyman on the Midlothian turn
nike. He admitted little OF Paurs testi-
monv concerning his meetings with him.
ne said he was with his cousin only on
: the Saturday night before the murder.
and merely took him home in his car
from the Beattie store. in South Rich
: mond. He emphstically denied that he
, had been with Paul at any time within
the week or fortnight previous. and On
: this declaration the prosecution to-mor-
, row will nnger particularly as tonight
Detective Scherer declared that four
: witnesses were TO be produced who saw
Henry and Paul together also on the
Thursday night before the murder
Wife Suggested Fatal Ride.
That IL was mis- wife who suggested
9 the ride on the Midlothian turnpike after
they were nearing the owen home on
their return from the drug store where