The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1911-11-29
HENRY CLAY BEATTIF
GOES TO HIS DEATH
Suffers Penalty for Killing
Young Wife.
TRAGIC ENDING
OF FAMOUS CASE
Statement Given to Ministers i'm Which
He Confesses Awful Crime of
Which He was Accused-Electric
Shock Effective in Less than One
Minute.

Shock Effective In Less than One
Minute.
Richmond, Va, Nov. 24.-Henry
Clay Beattie, Jr., went to his death
at dawn today the self-confessed muir
derer of his young wife. The confess
sion was not made public until four
hours after he had paid the toll
eXacted by the law. lie maintained to
the end the remarkable nerve he had
exhibited since first he was accused
of killing his wife OH the lone Mid
lothian turnpike on the night of July
is. His last expression was sneer
when he observed the chair that was
to launch him into eternity.
The confession was made public in
the rotunda of downtown hotel by
the Rev Benz. Dennis, one of the min
listers who had labored with Beattie
to repent. AS matter of fact, it was
acknowledged by the minister that
Beattie first admitted his guilt No
vember 8, the day after be entered
the death cell and before the fruitless
appeal for communication of the cen
tence was made to Gov. Mann. 1t was
not until yesterday that he would
agree to it's being put in writing for
his signature. Then all hope with
Gov, Mann was gone. The extraordi-
nary document follows:
Beattic'S Confession.
Il, Henry Clay Beattie, Jr., de
sirous of standing right before God
and man, do on this. the 23rd day of
November, 1911, confess my guilt of
the crime against me. Much that was
published concerning the details was
not true. but the awful fact, without
the narrowing circumstances. remains.
For this action | am truly sorry, and
believing that / am at peace with God
and am soon to pass into His presence,
this statement is made"
Beattie's confession was followed by
this statement by the attending min
isters
This statement was signed in the
ters and is the only statement that
can and will be made public by them.
"Mr. Beattie desired to thank the
many friends for kind letters and ex-
pressions of interest and the public
for whatever sympathy was felt or ex-
pressed"
An Interested Prisoner.
Beattie's attitude throughout the
trial and the Imprisonment that was
ended only on his death was a study
for physcologist. He read the news
papers avidly. Every reference to his
case and to the fact that he was go
ing to the chair without acknowledge
ing his crime in the hope of saving
his aged father further sorrow, ac-
cording to those who were with him
to the end. seemed to afford him SUI
preme satisfaction. Apparently he
gloated over the notorety his crime
had brought him.
Even after his confession he main
tanned his air of bravado What had
since November been considered
stoicism now is recognized as Gym
icism. His remarkable nerve seems to
have had its basis and support in the
knowledge that he was being applaud
ed as a man of Spartan courage and
inneXible will
The secret of his confession was
held involate by the ministers until
today. Not even the broken-hearted
father knew of it's existence, friends
of the family declare Not until four
hours after he had been pronounced
dead in the death chamber i'm States
prison were the murdererss attorneys
cognizant that he had made clean
breast of his guilt
Went to Chair Gamely.
With the interpidity that had
marked his conduct from the begin
ming. Beattie went to the chair and
brought the sordid story to damatic
end
The shock that killed Beattie was
given at exactly 7:19 o'clock this
morning. Three times the current
was turned on and at 1928 it was shut
off. Doctors w. r. and st. Julien
Oppenheimer minute later an
nounced chat death had been instan-
taneous.
The % persons in the death cham
Der thereupon filed out and the end
of lengthy and costly battle for
Justice had ended
In addition IN tho two nbvsic;onc