East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1911-09-09
Prisoner Apparently Unmind-
fuI Of Doom Awaiting Him,
Reads News.
DEFENSE WILL ATTEMPT
TO TAKE AN APPEAL
Father of Condemned Wife Murderer
In State of Collapse and May Not
Survive Shock of Disgracc-Jurors
Kneel I'm Prayer.

Chesterfield Court House, Va, Sept.
9.-Despite the fact that he is under
sentence to die November "a in the
electric chair, for the murder of his
young wife by shooting her with a
shotgun while autoing with her on
the Midlothian pike, on the night of
July IS, Henry Clay Beattie, who was
last night found guilty and sentenced
is today calm but is spending his
time in his cell indifferently reading
the newspaper accounts of his trial
and reviews of the crime which he
stands convicted of having commit
ted.
Judge Watson in pronouncing SEN
tence on Beattie, fixed the date for
the execution OF the death sentence,
ten weeks ahead in order to allow
counsel for the prisoner to file an ap-
peal, a motion for setting aside the
verdict of the jury having been
promptly denied last night by Judge
Watson.
No one here, except the prisoner
and his legal advisers, believes that
the petition for an appeal will be
granted and it is thought that Beat
ties liasion with seventeen-year-old
Beulah Binford will lead him to his
doom in the electric chair on the date
originally fixed by Judge Watson.
Henry Clay Beattie, Sr., father of
the condemned wife murderer, is to-
day in a state of collapse and 1t Is
probable that the course taken by his
sons case viii mean his death with
in a short time.
When the jury last night filed into
the court room and made known its
verdict, the father of the prisoner
broke down and wept bitterly, kissing
the convicted youth on the cheek. E.
Young Beattie showed little emotion
when his death warrant was spoken
by the twelve men, who uttered the
word guilty" together as a school
class would recite a lesson. He turn
ed his attention to his heart broken
father and attempted to console the
aged man with the words; 81 have
not lot yet, father"
The jury was out only one hour, fif-
teen minutes Before taking n bal
lot in their attempt to reach a verdict,
the twelve men knelt in prayer and
in one hour decided to send a fellow
man to his death on evidence that was
purely circums tantial and which was
disputed by as many witnesses as had
furnished the chain which the prose-
cution wove about the accused wife
murderer.
In speaking of his conviction today,
Beattie said that he had been found
guilty without regard for the testi-
mony which had been given in the
case. He declared that the jury con-
victed him because of his relations
with Beulah Binford and not because
they thought he murdered his wife.
He maintains that he has not lost
hope,
He was permitted to remain in the
county Jail at this place for at least
one more day A double guard has
been placed over him to prevent any
attompt on his part to take his own
life. He will in short time be taken
to the state penitentiary at Richmond
where he will occupy cell in "Mur-
derer's Row."
Beattie reiterated his innocence and
said that he knew country Jury cam
not understand how a man of the city
becomes entangled with women who
are hot thelr wives.
"In a city such things are common,
but in the country they are almost
unknown" he said. Nevertheless, l
cannot see how either a court or the
prosecution could want to send an
innocent man to his doom for ahoth-
er's crime. l consider the verdict
unfair"