The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1911-09-15

OneSIeFuelu court House, "a, sept.
S.-For five hours yesterday in a hot
court room, Attorney Hill Carter, with
a pathetic plea and argument sought
to convince twelve jurors that Henry
Clay Beattie, Jr., is not guilty of the
murder of his wife, who was shot to
death while motoring with her hus-
band last July. At sunset, Mr.. Carter
concluded and today the great battle of
the trial, the clash between Harry NJ.
Smith, Jr., of the defense, and l.. o.
Wendenberg of the commonwealth,
both friends and notable lawyers, is
scheduled. The case probably will go
to the jury this afternoon.
From the depths of an argument in
which he unsparingly denounced Paul
Beattie, cousin of the accused, and
principal witness against him, as a
weakling and falsifier, Mr.. Carter at
times fairly shouted to the jury as he
leaned over the bar, but when the day
was drawing to close, his voice sank
to a whisper of impassioned appeal.
IF you gentlemen of the jury" he
said in measured tones, "can, within
the sanctity of your oath, present the
pressing of the poisoned chalice to hte
lips of the aged father, his heart al
ready bleeding fro mthe stab of the
dagger which took away life-if you
can, | say, spare him the son whom
he loves so dearly, | ask you, within
mercy, to bring in verdict Of not
guilty"
The lean man of wrinkled brow and
sunken cheeks, who sat beside his
accused son, dropped his eyes and
raised fan to conceal the trembling
of his lips and the quick gulp of emo
ton that followed Young Beattie star
ed hard at the jury with his face white
and set.
For a moment there was silence in
the court room. Then Judge Watson
looked at his watch, then through the
window at the long shadows on the
green, and adjourned court until 8
o'clock this morning.
Yesterday began with the reading by
Judge Watson of the instructions to
the jury in which attention was drawn
to the frailty of the alleged confess
sion of Henry to Paul and the manner
in which it was made. Other points
in, m4n Of IN hn
meeting of the two cousins alone, un-
supported by witnesses, was held up
as requiring a careful scrutiny
J. M. Gregory, who opened the ar
gument for the prosecution, laid par
ticular stress upon the awfulness of
the crime; the admission of the ac-
cused himself on the witness stand
as to his illegal relations with Beulah
Binford, II years old, and his con-
tinuance of them, Notwithstanding his
marriage and the birth of an illegiti-
mate child. The prosecutor appealed
to the moral and religious senses of
the jurors, and spoke in bitter terms
of depression, sobriety, and station in
life, to tht life of dissipation as pic
tured by young Beattie Witness Samp-
son, and numerous other witnesses.
Quoting from the scripture and
pointing out wherein the character of
Beattie had been most revolving, in
it's departure from the details of the
accused, he held forth that Beulah
Binford the girl of the underworld,
was the motive for the crime He
concluded with the question of how
the gun bought by Paul Beattie last
July, for his cousin, happened to be
the identical weapon that, by the pris-
oner's own admission, was used in kill
ing Mrs. Beattie His speech occupied
barely an hour and half The plea
of Mr.. Carter, who followed, was many
times as long, but more impassioned.
A man of immense stature, with
towering the bar, at times interspersed
his remarks with sweeping gestures
and a loud voice Most vigorous was
his invictive against the testimony of
Paul Beattie. He characterized as
childish the collapse of Paul Beattie
at the coroner's inquest, and showed
that the boys grandfather testified as
to Paul's poor reputation for truth
and veracity.
Many were the questions propound
ed to indicate how such a murder by
the young husband would appear.
why" he asked in rhetorical sur
prise, should the young man, if we
are to believe all stories of someone
else, buy shot gun and go about the
attack of his wife in this bundering
reckless fashion; Why could he not
have employed pistol, less visible
weapon and one to which he had easy
aceess2 And does he look to you like