The Washington times., 1911-08-28
BIC SURPRISE FOR
BEATTIE DEFENSE
Sudden Appearance Of Mrs. Owen Takes the Prisoner
and His Counsel Unawares at Chester
field Trial.

I faces had been plentifullyI and impair
TALLY powdered and rouged. !,
| Beth women were veiled, but not II
sable black. Their filmy white gauz
hat drapery fioated in the summe
] breeze that famed their faces.
The two women were both neal
relatives of Beular Binford, the "othei
w0man, IN the case.
| There, was nothing in their appear
ances that suggested or Iikened itsel
to that melancholy figure. that embodi
inent of woe, who sat inside the cour
house surrounded by members OF he
family, who were doing what they coulC
TO mitigate the situation and to sup
port her through the trying ordeal ol
the day.
The equally sorrowing father sooI
Joined Ben owen in tanning Mrs. owen
Husband and wife once in while con
Versed in whispers, but most of the In
termission they sat silent and sad.
When the court and lawyers returned
after the argument, Beattie, who heard
all of it, came in with bloodshot eyes
He shot a furitive glance at Mrs. Owen
as he took his seat.
Mrs. Owen continued on the stand.
Were you invited each night to &C
in the motor car except that fata
night?" asked Wendenburg.
THE question was called leading and
the attorney led up to it another way
My daughter invited me on each
OCCASION" said Mrs. Owen.
Was Mr.. Beattie PRESENT."
Yes. sir.'
Had YOU been invited on that fata
night. would your health have kept you
TN no f; Replied Mrs. Owen.
What Beattie Said.
ION the night Of the murder, you re.
member seeing the prisoner and max.
ing a remark to him."
''IIe made the remark that he had
to repair a tire on the way to the house,
that a an passed him and did not of1er
TO help him and that il he had had a
gun he would have shot him."
Later that night said, Who could
have been so cruel as to kill our angel
child He said, "A man we met in the
did you see any tearsg''
mo"
After this answer about the tears,
Mr.. Wendenburg said:
Take the witness, gentlemen"
Attorneys for the defense conferred,
Lawyer Smith doing most Of the talk
ing.
Mrs. Owen was cross-examined re-
garding certain testimony she had given
on direct examination relative to state-
ments her daughter made to her about
young Beattie's infidelity. When the
court rose at 1:40 o'clock Mrs. Owen
had finished.
On recross-examination Mr.. Carter
asked Mrs. Owen If her daughter had
not had crying spells before her mar
riage. Mrs. Owen said no.
The lawyer then asked II Mrs. Beat
tie had not had crying spells before the
birth of the baby, and Mrs. owen said
yes.
rs II not common for women in that
condition to have crying spells or to
be hysterical?'' was the next question
on recross-examination.
1T surprised me very much." said
Mrs. Owen.
''she was not tn crying or hysterical
kind of a girl
Mrs. owen will be recalled IL the de-
fense so decides.
What Prosecution Has Shown.
Thus far. the Commonwealth has
done this much to convict Beattie:
1t has demonstrated a lack Of plausi-
bility in the explanation given by the
accused.
1t has pointed TO certain apparent dis
creDaEcies and to certain conflicting
statements in these explanations.
It has revealed the improper relations
Of the prisoner with another woman
and shown his lack of grief at the death
OF his wife.
1t has shown that a man closely re-
semtling Reattie and an automobile
closely resembling Beattie's automobile,
were at the scene Of the murder early
in the evening. about tbe time ne was
due at the Owen house.
1t has shown that Beattie explained
his DELAY in arriving at the owen mouse
hv declaring he was stopped by
broken tire.
1t has shown that some reason existed
why other members Of the Owen family
mt nTf0Va1 M
night of the fatal ride, but 1t has failed
to get the nature of this reason.
II has shown by his own account that
Beattie was on the turnpike with his
wife between lO:3o and II p. m. on July
1t has shown that Richmonders re-
turning along the pike that night during
the interval mentioned saw two auto
mobiles, one of which, containing two
persons, was travelling rapidly toward
Bon Air, having already passed the
pont at which Beattie says he turned.
and the other Of which was standing
still in the road near the scene Of
The murder.
was a Buick five-passenger machine
with a yellow top. description that
applies to the Beattie machine.
1t has shown that with the car were
4 man and a woman. The latter In a
oRg tan coat such as Mrs. Beattie
wore.
1t has shown that the shot was pre-
,eded by a woman's scream, and that
( Beattie shouted for help and blew
lis horn, as he said, these noises were
lot heard by three nearby residents.J \
Who, however, heard the gun go of
ind the automobile start.
1t has shown that Beattie repeatedly |
claimed he found his wife dead when |
ne returned to the automobile after |
wrestling the gun from the alleged high |
xayman, the body not leaving the ma |
chine until taken out at the Owen |
lome.
1t has described the blood spot in the |
Dad and produced the automobile for |
by the jury with a view to |
showing that the blood could not have |
ripped from or through 1t, and that |
Mrs. Beattie must have been in the |