The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1911-08-24
.BEATT|E ON TRIAL
Provisional Jury of Twelve
Men Selected.
PRISONER PLEADS NOT GUILTY
Efforts of the Defense to Gain .
Weeks Delay and to Quash the
Indictment Promptly Over -
ruled by the Court.

Chesterfield, Courthouse, Va, Aug.
22.-All the sandy woods, roads and
cowpaths OF the Wilderness conyerged
upon the little red brick courthouse at
the crossroads here. where Henry
Clay Beattie, of South Richmond, an
swered mot guilty" to the reading oil
the indictment charging him with the
murder Of his wife, Louise owen
Beattie, which opened the trial at
which his life is at stake.
Boiore Judge Walter A. Watson de-
clared court adjourned at $50 o'clock
twelve provisional jqrymen had been
seated in the double row Of chairs to
the left OF the little box which is the
judges bench and the whole venire
Of thirty-two talesmen had been ex-
hausted.
According to the custom OF the Vir-
ginia courts, sixteen men who have
escaped challenge for cause are plac-
ed in the jury box and then the de-
fense has to exercise the right OF four
peremptory challenges to weed the
number out to twelve. The twelve
men who were accepted Professionally
are-most OF them established farm
ers. Of Chesterfeld-men well thought
Of In the wilderness. There was one
belated commercial traveller in the lot
chosen, one stonemason and a saw
mill hand.
Despite predictions Of difficulty in
securing a jury to try a case so wide
ly known as that Of Henry Clay Beat
tie, the talesmen offered themselves
with unusual willingness. A bad
omen for the defense said those who
know the simple mind Of the Chester
field men, and the ideals they hold
Of the sanctity OF wifehood and
motherhood
A few minutes before 10 o'clock
Detective Wrenn and the others Of the
Richmond force came up in machine
with young Beattie safely wedged into
a back seat. The prisoners face wore
the uncOncerned look OF a JOY rider,
a cigarette between his lips. He Ian
guidly waved his hand to few OF his
friends who hailed him from the lawn
He was as carefully dressed as If
bound for an afternoo naffair at the
Richmond Country Club.
Jokes With Insurance Man.
When the automobile which carried
him through the Wilderness was
bound out through South Richmond,
so one of the detectives afterward told
the story, an insurance man from the
sidewalk hailed Beattie as the auto
mobile was temporarily at standstill:
How about taking out a $4,000
policy on your life?" he called.
Better make it 100000" answered
the youth who was on his way to
stand trial for his life.
But just for an instant the care
less mask OF Indifference which this
accused wife murderer carries with
out effort was dropped there at the
entrance to the courthouse grounds.
His father, Henry Clay Beattie, Sr, a
grave faced, white haired gentleman,
much beloved in South Richmond, met
his boy at the automobile steps,
threw his arms about the young man
and kissed him on the cheek. Young
Beattie's lower lip sagged and he
coughed suspiciously, then he straight
ened up and the pretense of an anus
ed smile futtered about his mouth.
With the father was Douglas Beat
tie, a younger brother of the prisoner
Tom and Ben owen, uncles OF Beat
ties murdered wife, sat with the coun-
sci for the commonwealth within
arms reach of the prisoner and his
father and brother.
In came Judge Watson, all dressed
In white linen and smiling greetings
to the lawyers. The Judge would not
call the court to order until he had
made the rounds of the crowded re-
porters' tables and satisfied himself
that every one was comfortable and
provided for. He even explained 10
the lam between the writing benches
and the rear wall that ii was an I'M
usual thing to have reporters from SO
many large cities present, and that he
knew the people Of Chesterfield were
glad to grant them every courtesy.
Then Hill Carter and Henry j.
Smith, Jr., defendants counsel, after
the usual motions to quash the In
dIctment had been denied, made a plea
for an extension of time in which to
prepare their case. They wished the
case to be postponed week, and ad'
duced as one reason that they had
only completed their list of witnesses
The Judge denied their application and
Beattie was called upon to stand up
while the indictment, in all the pro
foundities of specific verbiage, was
read. The clerk looked up to him fol
an answer.
Not guilty" said the youth, with an
air of bravado and backward tilt Of
his shoulders.
The examination Of the talesmen
then proceeded. Neither side seemed
to be quibbling. The Judge himself
announced that no man should be con
sIdered disqualified because Of having
read newspaper accounts Of the case;
there wasn't a man in Virginia that
hadn't read something, he said, and
he added, with an apology to the re
porters, that maybe everybody did not
believe everything he saw in the