The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1911-09-13
! saw IT all
u
9rises That he S.w Battle Club
and Then Shooi BIS Wife.
] IRlBES TIE SCENE

Eas sarily Sensational Turn in
Virginia Murder Trial
ry Rich Man for Killing
Wife on Lonely Road
Night.
all the evidence closed which
stirely of a cihcunstantial
in the famous murder trial
8erfield, Va, of II. c. Beattfe,
the murder of his young and
sd ssSd beautiful wife a fe" months ago
Ss sSS a road some miles from Rich
#Rond, all calculations were upset as
ssSshen the case would end by Spec
Prosecutor Wendeaburg's an
cement on Thursday that he
the court to reopen the case
SSsss drnit the testimony Of man
Z laims to have been an eye wit
the tragedy.
Sssss Wendenburg received the IN
aiop which may change the
whole aspect of the case in recent
snail. The writer, who until few
HAYS after the murder Of Mrs. Beat
He was a farm hand employed on
SIacS near the scene of the crime,
Sthat he actually saw young Beat
ssSs& his wife-saw him knock her
automobile with the butt
gun and shoot her as she
ensible on the ground. He
ss| Beattie had threatened
he found that he had wit
sagggd the deed and the following
day gave him suit Of clothes and
money with which to get away.
Though he kept quiet at first be-
eause he was afraid, the man says
how he does not want Beattie to es-
Aape punishment and is willing to
Nestify. The Chesterfield farmer men-
&soned in the letter Acknowledged
&hats man by the name used by the
SSritsr was employed by him until
eE days after the murder, and fur
sherS declared it was q fact that the
Sarm hand was chasing a runaway
q ssoE on the night of the murder. In
ceiling his story the alleged witness
Said he was looking for COW WheD
he came upon the man and woman IN
an automobile on the Midlothian
furnpike some time after 10 o'clock.
Seattle the accused husband says
that while he and his wife were out
riding on the Midlothian turnpike,
they were held up by man, who
shot at him and killed his wife who
wassseated by his side in the front
scar Of their automobile. This story
wasnot believed, and Beattie was ar
rested and put on trial for numbering
sasswife. The State had made out
ygrsr strong case against him, based
on circumstantiai eTi-
dsSce, and now comes in this new
witness, who says in part:
vas in the pine woods on the
right hand side Of the Midlothian
srrnpike as you go out from Rich
mond and saw light. AS walked
closer to the road I saw an artomo-
Bile standing almost in the middle OF
the road facing toward Richmond,
and there were two people in it-a
man and a woman. They were both
ssrsng in the front seat
31They were quarreling. could
hear them talking loud, so did not
show myself. but waited behind a
Aeesa6out ten feet from the edge OF
the road in the thick pine woods to
hear what they said.
s3:3.eThe woman was pleading with the
mag. She was saying that she wanted
her love back again, and she did not
want the man to be cruel to her. The
man: answered roughly.
.aAtt one time Iheard him say, I'm
- At one time heard him say, I'm
this, Then I heard the woman say,
How are you going to end it.? The
nan said something I could not hear
Nan- said something I could not hear
sou how Pm going to end it.
He got out Of the machine and
walked across the opposite side OF
the road from where was and then
after he had been there minute he
came back with something in his
hand. ] could not see what it was IN
thy dark. The woman was standing
IL the machine in front of the iert
hand seat in the front part Of the au-
tomobile when the man came back.
Both had been sitting in the front
seat before he went away to the side
saf the road.
Just when the man came back
heard the woman scream once. Then
The man who was standing in the
road swung what he had in his hand
and hit the woman on the right side
.oEthe face. She fell from the ma
chine to the road and she did not
make a sound.
For a minute the man stood LOOK
ing at her and then I heard him say.
aDamn you. you're not dead yet. III
sfixyou.' Then he got up with a sun,
which was what he had hit her with,
safA he shot her where she lay in the
road by the front seat Of the auto
noble. / did not see where he shot
hsr. I saw him throw the gun some
where and he began to lift his wife S
BODY in the front seat Of the automo~
bile and I came out from the trees.
The man turned around and saw