The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1911-09-14
A2 "F q" saw
BEkTTIE CASE
Will Base Its Conclusions Upon
the Evidence and Render
Judgment Only After Ma
ture Consideration-Sum-
mary of the Case.

followed the trial of the man charged
with wife murder. sums up his impress
pressions.
Weighed in the scales of justice
which may tip in either direction ac-
cOrding To the nature and interpreta-
ton OF the instructions given by
Judge Watson, and upon the impress
sion made 10y the great quantity OF
cumulative evidence, the case against
Henry Clay Beattie, Jr., charged with
one of the foulest murders ever com
mitted in Virginia, is almost ready
TO so TO the jury. The instructions
are being prepared by the opposing
attorneys, all the evidence being con-
cluded, and with the giving of these
instructions. and the arguments of the
attorneys, the trial, except for the YER
dict of the jury, will be over.
Though practically all OF the evil
dence brought out against the young
husband by the State is of circum-
stantial nature, il completes one of
the most remarkable chains of in
eliminating circumstances ever forged
by prosecuting attorneys in this State,
and though il has frequently been as
serted that the jury will fail to agree
upon verdict, unless a verdict of
guilty-0n uneQuiVOcal verdict-is re-
turned. many of those who have fol-
lowed the case since its beginning and
who understand the relative values of
the startling facts proved by the Com
monwealth, will receive the surprise
of their lives.
Direct Line.
Since the very first day when the
state showed its initial strength and
indicated the course il would pursue
in it's attempt to prove that the young
husband committed the murder cred
tied TO him, the trial has proceeded
in direct line, the evidence substan-
tiated by the sworn statements of
competent and disinterested witnesses
has been piled up against the accused
and not once. except for a few hours
during which the defense was exam
ming its own witnesses. did the on
Slaught of the relentless prosecution
waVer, and only then to be renewed
with such terrific force that the slight
bulwark set up by the defense was
i'm large measure so shattered that
the young man whose life is claimed
by the State in eXpiation OF the hideous
crime laid at his door.
Taking as the original proposition
the admitted fact that Henry Beattie
went riding with his young wife and
returned with her dead body, while
shotgun sold by a pawnbroker to
Paul Beattie, cousin OF the accused
was picked up the next morning a
short distance from the scene of the
crime and at once identified by the
accused the prosecution has set up
wonderful case, supplying a double
motive and showing that the murder
could not possibly have been commit
ted as related by the prisoner.
Result of FaISehOOdS.
BY telling what the detectives at the
very outset believed TO be a series Of
falsehoods regarding the circum-
stances Of the crime, the accused at
once directed suspicion against him
self, and so earnestly and successfully
did the officers make their inVestiga-
40 -,
pens, the twelve men commissioned
to hear the evidence and pass upon
its merits will return a verdict up
holding the charge which was almost
at once made against the young man.
Hardly had the coffin containing
the fair young body OF the murdered
woman been lowered into its grave
when Paul Beattie boldly came for
ward with the declaration that few
days before the crime he had bought
and delivered a single-barrel gun TO
MS cousin. AT the inquest Paul iden-
titied the gun picked up on the Belt
Line road as the one which he had
purchased from Weinstein, the pawn
broker. His identification was SubSe-
Quently substantiated by the pawn
broker himself. who remembered sell
ing the gun TO Paul and recounted
several incidents connected with the
| transaction which proved the Veracity
| of his statements.
Paul, when placed upon the stand
| facing the twelve men sitting in judy
ment over his kinsman. recOunted a
strange confession which he declared
! Henry had made TO him two days af-
ter the murder. Il wish TO God ]
/ hadn't done il, Paul" the accused is
alleged 10 have said. but she never
loved me. She married me Tor my
/ money You must stick by me and
you viii never regret it
! Probability of Confession
! Henry sWOre that Pau stateme nj
! was = lie invented to send him to the
/ electric chair. lie declared that he
| could not have made the statement
/ 10 Paul, as he and Pau. were not
alone together for even one second OF
/ the evening during WhIcn the COATES
sion is said to haze been made. one
/ Of the last witnesses examined yes
| jerday afternoon solen. .-iy swore un-
| der oath that he saw Henry and Pau
! alone together two days after the
murder, and upon this occasion, the
prosecution will contend, Henry ad-
mitted to his cousin that he had muir
! dered his wife and tried TO pursuad(
his cousin TO keep his mouth shut.
! Several of HenryS most intimate
! friends were forced to admit that two
| days after the murder the accused
| telephoned to Paul Beattie to know
| if the latter had been visited by the
! police; also Henry wanted Paul K
I ma out Wnelner any Olilcer nad To-
| Gated Beulah BinfOrd, the "other wo.
man in the case" Henrys anxiety
regarding Paul is taken as proof of {
| guilt blackened conscience; otherwise
why should he have called up Pau
rather than any OF mis- other relative:
! or friends?
! Henry denounced the report of his
! telephone conversation as a falsehood
bun the Commonwealth succeeded il
| proving not only one end, but botl
ends. Of the conversation. thus over
| throwing Henrys carefully construct
| ed argument like a pitifully frai
house of cards. and with the over
throw of this defense the entire cas'
| is believed to have gone down in de
structiOn MORALLY punctured by thu
relentless thrusts of the prosecution
Love for Beulah.
Henry Beattie swOre that Beulal
Binford meant nothing to him, anC
vet he has admitted that he spent ~
| less than half of his time in her com
pany, and was arranging to establish
her in a fiat SO that he could see he,
at his pleasure.
He swore that he and his wife LIVED
in blissful happiness; that their life
flowed like a sweet dream; but thu
mother of the poor murdered girl tool
the stand and told how her daughtel
had suffered many weeping spells, haC
10 o. had