Evening journal., 1911-07-20
AUTO TRAGEDY
MYSTERY STILL
lcontInned from Flrst 20
have been taken along. This is Beat
ties own story of the shooting.
The Husbands Story.

have been taken along. This is Beat
ties own story of the shooting:
The Husbands Story.
I'VE had been out in the country as
far as Warwick Road and were on our
way back and. while going at about
fifteen miles an hour, ] discerned IN
the darkness a man ahead of us. He
entered the road from the left and
stopped about the middle Of the road.
I iammed the brakes down hard,
which stopped the automobile.
What are you trying to do-rm
over meg the man asked, and | re-
pinned that there was room enough for
both Of us. The man appeared to be
drunk, and his attitude was surly and
defiant / noticed a shotgun in his
hand
Without a moments warning he
raised the gun and fired. He was
standing not over six feet from the
car az the time, and the muzzle of the
gun was not over a yard from my
wife. Following the report / leaped
from the car and grappled with him.
The man was every bit OF six feet and
lowered above me. / seized the gun
with the intention Of wrestling II from
him. but he broke my grip and
brought the gun down with terrific
force, the butt striking me a singing
blow on the nose and rendering me
momentarily unconscious. When |
recovered the man had disappeared -
Beattie showed an abrasion on his
nose to bear out the story that his
assailant had struck him. The wound
is slight A peculiar feature of the
/ crime which Beattie could not explain
is that two pools of blood some dist
ance apart we're found where the as
sault took place. Beattie admitted
that whatever blood soaked through
the bottom OF the car would have
been caught in a drip pan. The charg
of shot entered a space In Mrs. Beat
ties face not over the size Of a hal
dollar I'm diameter.
The gun which Beattie says h
wrested from the hands of thu
assassin and placed In the back Of thu
car was found this morning at a rail
road crossing where Il might havi
bounced out as the car hit the tracks
Detectives thought they struck a clu
when they were told that Irvinl
Brown, a negro, had been seen actinl
in a suspicious manner near the seem
of the crime the day before. Brow
was promptly arrested, but be wa
able TO give a good account Of him
self, and he was released.
When all other clues failed, TIVE
packs of bloodhounds were taken iron
the State Farm to the scene Of tn
shooting, but they acted In q listles
manner and refused 10 take up
scent Again and again they wer
led to the pools Of blood, but afte
running around in circles the
evinced no further interest,
The bloodhounds we're then take
by their trainers Of the Midlothia
county constabulary to the Midlothia
Woods IN Chesterfield county, adjoin
, ing the scene Of the crime, in the hop
that If the murderer was in hidin
/. there the dogs would find him Al
. though the mounted police and severa
y posses ranged over almost every foe
\ Of the woods no trace Of the murdere
4 was found
Friends Of the dead woman and he
\ husband declare that they know
a no enemies the couple had, and the
y are at a loss to suggest a motive 10
the crime. Beattie told the Sheri
: that he did not think the man intend
y ed 10 kill. but had shot merely
= frighten them as he probably had a
y antipathy TO automobiles Governo
= Mann said that he would do every
, thing In his power to run down N
y assassins.