The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-09-09
MURDERER AND FOOL
BEATTIE IS STYLED
Scahing Denuncaton of WifeSayer by Prosecutor Wen
denburg Climaxed When He Tells Jurors to Acqut
and Apologize to Bones of Cluverus,
McCue and Philips

Special Prosecutor Wendeneurg IN
closing the argument for the Com
munWealth IN the case against Henry
clay Beattia. Jr.. at Chesterfield
Courthouse yesterday, delivered the
following address
"Gentlemen OF the jury. before 1
enter upon my duty OF bringing TINS
case to It's close, wish to extend TO
you my hearty and sincere con-
gratulations that at last after these
weeks of toll you see that your
arduous task is about to end.
You have been called upon by
the Commonwealth to perform huty,
hard duty and thus far you have
performed that duty well. / am
confident You will continue to per
form your duty until the very end.
Iou must bear in mind. gentlemen.
that We are but mere instruments OF
law with solemn. serious and grave
duty to perform.
Il VIII go back a bit TO that dark
night when the silence was broken
| by tho report of II gun, tho report OF
! a gun. gentlemen, which came after
! the screams of a woman. pleading and
/ begging TOR mercy. for life. That
woman WIS pleading for mercy to the
/ man who had sworn IN his marriage
vows to shield, guard and protect her.
/ a man who WAS but tiend incarnate.
God crowned on Crime.
/ An, gentlemen, when the screams
! OF that young wife and mother broke
the ailonce Of that still night. God
! In his heaven above looked down and
1roWned. And when the screams had
/ been stilled forever by that gunshot
and silence again reigned over the
country road, that man, that young
/ husband and father found himself
confronted by two obstacles. two OBJ
jecIs OF which he must dispose.
One was the body of a young
and sweet woman, the object OF his
design, The other was n single bar
reied shotgun, the instrument OF his
design. lie disposed of the object of
his Geslgn 10y pitching it In the
front Of his automobile like a piece
of beef. lie disposed of the instru-
1nent Of his design By piteAtss Il n
the rear Of his automobile.
Now, gentlemen of the Jury, you
have heard the lawyers for the de-
iense say that this young man IS q
, man OF Intelligence, that he woulG
not have resorted to such bunglins
methods in staying his wife, that ht
IL pct thu. kind Of man who could
! commit such an atrocious crime. but
gentlemen. / say that any living mar
on this green earth who would muir
dor MS wife Is not only murderer
but Il fool.
I'VE have heard the evidence from
beginning to end, the whole black
story aud | say to you that there is
/ every indication to convince any man
that this young man is not only a
murderer but a fool What is no,
/ murderer In him is fool not the i'm
1 lln
derer and fool
Wheels of Law Move.
when such an atrocious and re-
voting crime as this Just perpetrated
Is committed in our midst, we are
stunned for the minute. dazed by the
shock. Then slowly hut surely and
relentlessly the machinery of law, the
machinery of Justice, the machinery
! g,f right: begins to Tevoive~ and Il
/ continues until that guilty man Il
caught In its wheels and punished for
the crime staining his soul.
I Gentlemen, that machinery is com.
posed of the policemen and detectives
who have been foully slandered in thi.
courtroom in your hearing. You have
heard these detectives and policemen
called human bloodhounds But, no
gentlemen, they are not hloodhounds
They are but Instruments, parts o,
that machinery which - completed by
the judge, the prosecuting attorneys
and yourselves, the jury.
These men whom you have heard
called human bloodhounds arc mem
bers Of the Police Department OF
Richmond, the authorities OF Henricc
county, with Sheriff Kemp at their
head, and the authorities Of YOUR owr
county. Among those men YOU have
ia ). 4
Mr.. George farrell. who has lahored
indefatigatAy-. 'nebiy. increasingly on
this case. and Magistrate Jacob, who
has been elevated by. the vote OF the
people to a position OF honor and trus,
and grave responsibility which almos,
ranks with that OF your judge.
These mon who have come from
II .f.e-.r-i vurrr trrrty- to ttcive To
the bottom Of this heinous crime will
not receive one cent, one single. soli-
tary penny for their meritorious ser
vices as officers OF the Commonwealth
! in which You live and officers OF the
county which is your home.
Dcnunciation Ruse.
( t'As q lawyer. / probably have nc
right to say what. I am about to say
| hut as n man who wants first to see
! iustice done ] have n right to say IT,
/ / have been on the defensive in sev-
eral cases, and In some of these cases
we have been weak. We feared the
I outcome, and instead OF a better OBJ
+ ject we turned loose denunciation on
the detectives who had worked for
the prosecution. ] know, gentlemen
and when a LAWYER begins tho arraign-
ment OF detectives, mark you. thai
lawyer knows ha has . weak caAo.
lie wishes 70 detrAct your attention