The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-09-05

Stumbling and sometimes seeming
to fall so that he hurt himself, Henry
Clay Beattie, Jr., yesterday after
noon forced his way through the
tangles Of cross examination which
began at 3 o'clock and was not I'M
ished when court was adjourned at
6:36 o'clock.
Tortuous though the gruelling was
the prisoner seemed to bear 1t with
out the finch of pain or the flicker
OF an eyeiash, though frequently he
moistened his dry lips with sip or
water or rubbed a handkerchief across
his face to wipe off the perspiration.
One not cogniZant of the fact that
Beattie was on trial for his life might
even have believed he was enjoying
the Questioning, for ofttimes smile
fiickered across his features, gotten
Ing for the time, the hard, almost
cruel lines OF his face.
Seldom did his eyes meet the eyes
OF any one of the twelve Jurors facing
him. barely yard away. almost with
out reach for he kept them fixed on
some object out in the courtyard, agz-
ing through hte open window and
above the thfong gathered without.
Finds No Sympathy.
Several times he scanned the faces
of the jurors. glancing hurriedly along
the two rows of faces, but IL the
juror was looking at him, Beattie
quickly transferred his gaze. tn a
juror whose eyes did not meet his
own. Again Beattie would turn quick
~ TO look at Attorney Wendenburg.
He found no sympathy or encour-
agement in the face Of the lawyer. Mr..
I Wendenburg gazed straight into the
eyes of the prisoner. firing questions
IN q n
when Beattie seemed the least bit ner-
vous the questions came faster.
Into the most minute details the at
torney plunged with blunt directness.
calling on Beattie to explain this or
| that. and then waiting for several
seconds when the prisoner could offer
no explanation. Several times Bsat-
tie seemed hopelessly tangled,
Then slowly and obviously with
deep thought the prisoner would drag
himself from the mire, a bit bespat-
tered. perhaps. but still with that sug-
gestion of smile lurking behind his
| face. smile which seemed to be
eloquent with defiance and a belief
that he still was safe.
Once Beattie's left arm slipped ca =
ressingly about the slim. frail form of
lad of eight or ten years standing
| beside the witness chair, but when
several questions were fired at him in
rapid succession, the prisoner w1t-
| drew his arm. apparently unconscious
II. and folded his hands in his lap.
At intervals OF five or ten minutes
Beattie stretched out his arm, and lift e
| ed a glass of water from the stenog-
rapher's desk Slowly but without the
tremor of nerve or the slightest visi -
BILE shake of his arm or hand he lifted
the glass to his lips, He would sip
| but a swallow,
Placing the glass back on the desk
he would hold the water in his mouth
until 1t became necessary for him 10
swallow 1t, in order that he might an
swer a. question. He soon drank all
the water in the glass, and then nodded
to Sheriff Gin to refill thu tumbler.
| The sheriff filed the glass from a
pitcher before Judge Watson.
From 8 o'clock until the sun had
dipped behind the horizon, and the
/ stenographer had complained that II
was took dark to write, Beattie sat in
the witness chair. as cool. calm and
! collected as though he were In n draw =
ing room. engaged in social chit chat.
Attorney Wendenhurg plainly show
ed the effects of the ordeal and he
! looked worn and tired when court was
adjourned, but Beattie arose from the
chair as though he had been there
hut a few minutes Only once dur
! ing the tnqulsition did the prisoner
lose his temper, But he quickly re-
gained control Of himself before he
had harmed himself.