Las Vegas optic. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1908-1921, 1911-11-24
SAID THAT HE WAS AT PEACE
WIFE SLAYER BELIEVED HE HAD
BEEN FORGIVEN AND WAS
WILLING TO ATONE.
DEATH WAS INSTANTANEOUS
CURRENT couRsED THROUGH
HIS FRAME BUT ONE MINUTE
BEFORE LIFE DEPARTED.

Richmond, Va, Nov. 24.-Henry
: Clay Beattie, Jr., before his death In
the electric chair at 1928 o'clock to-
: day, confessed to the murder of his
wife, His statement was:
II, Henry Clay Beattie,' Jr., DESTROYS
of standing right before God and man,
do on this, the twenty-thrd day of No
vember, 1911, confess my guilt of the
cHme charged against me. Much that
was published concerning the details
was not true, but the awful fact, with.
out the narrowing circumstances, re-
mains. For this action. l am trul
sorry and, believing that l 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 made by the attic
ing minister:
"This statement was signed in the
presence of the two attending minis
ters and is the only statement that
can and will be mEde public bys.them.
Mr. Beattie desires 20 thank the many
friends for fsin2 letters and express
ions of interest and the public for
whatever sympathy was felt or ex-
pressed
Throughout the forenoon the city
had been rent with rumors that Beat
tie had confessed. These were denied
at the penitentiary, where in eonnec-
ton with the announcement of the
death it was said the condemned man
had made no statement. The attend
ing ministers would not discuss the
case until they had visited Beattie's
parents in, South Richmond and had
secured their permission to make the
confession public.
The confession evidently was made
at the eleventh hour, when Beattie
finally became convinced that all hope
of escaping the electric chair had
passed. Two days ago, Rev. DR.. Fix
announced that Beattie said he would
not confess. This was ascribed to
the fact that Beattie desired to spare
his father the blow of admitting guilt
after his many protestations of inno-
cence to the aged parent.
There was fight between .filial de-
votion and a desire not to go to his
death with lie on his lips. He was
urged to confess by his spiritual ad-
visers and at last broke down. The
execution was solemnly simple. The
12 legal witnesses heard the warden
read the final summons to Beattie,
after which the march to the death
chamber was begun. The fatal room
was dark save for one light over the
chair that gave CHASTITY radiance TO
the spot of doom.
There was no delay in preparing for
the end. Beattie took his place, the
prison surgeon and the electricians
adjusted the straps, a half dozen
clamps were quickly thrown into
place and snapped.
/ The cap, resembling a leather
football head harness. was adjusted,
and the men stepped back. The war.
der raised his hand Instantly Beat
ties body stiffened with such violence
that the straps creaked with the strain
and the clamps ratified as though they
were eastanets in the hands of death,
and then that which once had been
Henry Clary Beattie, Jr., relaxed. It
was just 1928 o'clock a. m. when the
shock was applied. One minute later
Beattie was dead.
The surgeon had gone forward and
with a stethoscope had listened for
another faint beating of the heart that
: less than so seconds before had lived
He stepped back and whispered. HE
is dead.y
Death was instantaneous. The body
of Beattie was removed from the
] chair and taken to the mortuary room
adjoining. Here it was to await the