The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-07
Beattie in Jail

Chesterfield Courthouse, Va. Septem- Der 6.-Henry Clay Beattie, Jr., spent the day in his cell, while counsel con- ferred with Judge Watson in Richmond as to the instructions to the jury.
 As the time for the rendering of yer dict draws near the spirits of the prisoner were increasingly cheerful. He was op- timistic over the outcome. From his ob- servation of the faces of the jury he expressed the opinion that some of the jury may vote for conviction and rome for acquittal, but that the jury will at any rate disagree. He is not sanguine about an acquttal, as he is on a second trial.
 Boys I hope to eat dinner at home Sunday" said Beattie today as he rested his chin on his hands and peered at the little group of newspaper men gathered on the lawn some fifty feet away.
 Do you expect an acquittal?" he was asked.
 well, to be entirely frank with you, l do not at this time. My own guess is a hung jury. seven for conviction and five for acquittal. However, do expect to get out at the next sitting of court. I am innocent and cannot feel otherwise
 Beattie chatted gladly and seemed glad Of an opportunity to talk as he had been confined to his cell all day.
 "It is said Beulah Binford is going on
 
 'I don't know what she would do on the stage" said the prisoner. ''She is good looking that is true. but she has no voice, and as far as I know, no tall ent. However, boys, l do think that a 'skit' with Beulah and the sheriff, MT. CHI, would make an immense hit in vaudeville. By the way, if is rather hard on Beuah to hold her all this while and then not let her go on the witness stand
 Do you think the defense would have used her?''
 Certainly. Why not? Had she not been held incommunicado in Henry county jail? am positive MT. Smith would have put her on.
 What do you think of the testimony in rebuttal yesterday"
 ''Nothing to it." laughed the prisoner "The witnesses made absolutely no im- pression on the jury. It's a wonder to me that a certain one of them had not been afraid of being struck dead he lied so unmercifully.''
 At this juncture the sheriff arrived with Henrys dinner, and the interview ended.
 Not Uneasy
 Uneasiness or nervousness were not visi- ble in his countenance or manner. He possessed the same outward calm that has characterized him either in the prisonar's s bar as he heard witness after witness testify against him or In the witness chair when he himself recited in mat ter of fact way. the story of his in discretions with Beulah Bnford and the brutal attack of the alleged highwayman which caused the death of his wife of a year. The courthouse and its pastoral vicinity was clothed in peaceful quiet to- day. The twelve men of impassive face in whose minds is locked the secret of Beattie's future life rose as usual with the break of day and after breakfast in the little hotel here, strolled here on the green singing hymns and the prisoner not far away. heard them. Their friends call them earnest, God-fearing mem and declare they are of the kind to weigh evidence carefully. They now have heard al lthe evidence and it remains only for counsel of both sides to knit together the relevancy on the various testimony into consistent argument Upon the argument, 1t is generally conceded, much will de- pend as the defense expects to make Its strongest plea on the dangers of accept ing circumstantial evidence.
 The prosecuton's main broadsde will re delivered along the same lines as charac- terized its rigid cross examination of he prisoner and will predicate one question -how'did the same gun which Paul Beat tie bought for his cousin. Henry on Sat urday, July 15, came to be in the hands of ihe alleged highwayman on Midlothian turnpike on the night of Tuesday, July is.
 The defense has admitted by its wit nesses that Paul purchased the very gun which later was identified by Henry as the one that killed his wife, but his only reason for the admission was that there was blood on the gun, and 1t was found not far from the scene of the crime.n He has denied how |. before the highwayman levelled it on Midlothian turnpike, because Beattie' s car almost collided with him.
 The defense has attempted to punc- ture the story of Paul Beattie, the cousin of the accused. who not only told of the purchase of the weapon, but the alleged confession of the prisoner to him of having committed the crime Tho defense by numerous witnesses endeav- ored to impeach the veracity of Paul es to his having testified giving the