The Washington times., 1911-07-22
GIRL WOULDDIE TO
SAVE BEATTE'SLIF
Miss Beulah Binford Tells Coroner She Loves Alleged
Wife Slayer and Would Confess to Murder to Keep
Him From Electric Chair.

neighborhood are known to harbor a
standing grudge against automobile
owners Feeling has sometimes run
high, and the country people have
knew this, ard the police saw the story
he told was generally believed by the
citizens here because OF this known at
titude Of the farmers.
1t is regarded as astonishins nm st that
Beattie should have allowed his cousin
Paul to buy the gun for him, II 1t is
true, as Paul says, that he did buy 1t.
Paul's Wife Aids.
The detectives did not establish the
identity of the gun until yesterday, and
in this they were aided by the wife Of
Paul Beattie. Paul told his wife Of
purchasing the gun, and she was horri-
fed, realizing that her husband would
be brought into the case. Sac begged
him to tell all, and to tell Il immedi-
ately, and sent him to his aged grand
mother, Mrs Elizabeth Black, who gave
him the same advice. 1t was following
the talk with his wife and his grand
mother that he made q signed state
ment to the authorities duplicating his
cousin, Henry.
Paul Beattie is not as widely known
as his cousin, and his environment has
been less important socially. He for
merly was a conductor on a Richmond
street car, and recently has been en-
ployed as watchman. His parents
are dead, and his uncle, Henry Clay
Beattie, ST., is his guardian.
There was one other important point
In the case that demonstrated the weak
ness of Henry Beattie's story of the
tragedy, and proved to an extent the In
20 ~ lkAGC
six hours after the murder the blood
hounds from the State farm in Gooch-
land county, considered the finest pack
in Virginia, were on the scene. They
failed to take up the scent.
In speaking of this feature, Detective
Baldwin, who has had wide expert
ence with bloodhounds, said:
Dogs Baffled.
Il have found that bloodhounds will
take up the scent not more than twenty
hours old, eighty times out Of a hun
dred.
"A hound of the class of those at the
State farm will always follow some
trail II there have been people apOund.
In this Beattie case l have never seen
hounds more eager for the scent, but
when we turned them loose they merely
went around in a circle, ard would
follow no trail. This convinced me ab-
in the road and made of In the woods,
as Beattie claimed the assdilant Of his
wife had done. When the hounds Would
not take the scent in sucn a snort time
after the killing. / began to doubt
Beattie's story"
There have been few more drastic
scenes in Virginia than that late yes
terday afternoon when Beattie was
arrested. He had been a witness be-
fore the coroner's inquest for several
hnuTa and submitted RTillin q
from the lawyers for the common
wealth. In the main he stuck to his
story, but became miXea in some
points. The bottom was knocked out
lice obtained the signed statement
from his cousin connecting him with
the purchase of the gun.
Remains Cool.
When he was arrested he was the
coolest man on the grounds at Cor
oner Loving's Chesterfield place, and
there was not the Quiver of an eye
lash. He retired to a position under
tree in custody of two officers and
quietly read the real proceedings of
the inquest in a Richmond afternoon
newspaper. He continued to smoke
cigarettes In rapid succession. one
after the other.
How long will that fellows nerve
hold up" was the question asked on
every hand.
1t was not so, however, with his
cousin, who Is several years younger.
Paul Beattie had much less at stake,
but he went to pieces Immediately
and suffered a complete collapse. All
the available physicians nearby were
pressed into service to aid in bring
Ing him around.
Squire Lovings lawn was filed with
officials witnesses and spectators
and the excitement was intense.