The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-08-14
GRAND JURY To
HAVE BEATT|E
CASE UP TO-DAY
Only Three Witnesses VIII
be Used to Secure the
Indictment
PAUL TO TELL STORY
OF PURCHASE OF GUN
Scherer and Wren VIII De-
scribe Events of lnvesti-
CATION and Then July
VIII Act
To-day Will mark the writing Of
another chapter In tho Beattie trAG<

To-day Will mark the writing 81
another chapter IN thu Beattie tra8<
edy.
A grand Jury VIII hear the oft-told
story OF tho murder of Mrs HAnr1
Clay Beattie, Jr.
The scene Of the famous DRAMA
which has held the attention at th1
nation Tor weeks will shift from Hem
rico county jail to Chesterfield Court<
house.
Judge Watson. Of the Circuit Court
OF Chesterfield county. Will set the
day for the beginning of the trial Of
Henry Clay Beattis, Jr., on the charge
of numbering his wife.
That the grand jury composed %
citizens of Chesterfield county. will res
turn true bill against Beattts, ins
dieting him for wife murder, IL re-
garded as a certainty.
But three witnesses wifi testify beA
fore the grand Jury. Paul D. Bsattias
cousin OF the alleged murderer; D.
tective Luther l.. Schsrer, who dtreot<
ca LAO AstFcSLIHatiOu "a tiio I1Ay0A0Ky0
and one OF his aides. Detective Ser
geant Thomas Wren. OF the Richmond
Police Department..
Though there are several other crime
inal cases to be presented to the grand
Jury. preference will be given the
Beattie case, and disposition will be
made Of It before the Jurors begin this
a A. 49,
are of minor Importance.
1t will be al 10 O'Clock this morns
ing that the grand Jury will be pres
sented with the Beattte case, and It II
believed an indictment will be return.
ed speedily. probably before the Jurors
take an adjournment for the midday
meal.
VIII AK Early Trial.
After the Indictment against BeatA
tie is returned Judge Watson will bd
asked to name the date for beginninE
the trial. Commonwealth Attorney
J. NJ. Gregory and his associate, At
torney l.. Q. Wenden burg. will requesA
that the trial begin Thursday or Frt@
day.
1t Is hoped by the attorneys for thu
prosecution that, Thursday or Friday
will be named IN order that the legal
fight over the selection OF Jury may
be finished this week If the jury ID
chosen by Saturday. the trial can be-
gin Monday morning.
Despite the denials Of attorneys for
the defense that there VIII be Il
postponament Of the trial. II would
/ not be surprise to those who have
followed the case. II IL is postponed
to "a special term
| Legal. exnarts. say that every dsJ
which elapses before the beginning
of the trial is an advantage for the
defense, and 1t Is we'll to rememb eN
the statements OF prominent lawyer4
that the attorneys for the defense
would destroy their best argument In
favor Of postponement IL they ans
nounced that they win request tho
delay. I.
Precedence, which has come to be-
regarded as a courtesy in murden
trials. favors the attorneys for the
defense II they do seek postponca
ment. Seldom in the history Of vir@
gtnfa has q man charged with murS
| der been denied one postponement1
| Paul d. Beattie Is the only pris-
| oner who will be removed from
! Henrieo county Jail to Chesterfield
! Courthouse to-day. He probably will
start on the Journey about o'clock
/ this morning Ia order to arrive be-
/ fore the grand jury convenes at ia
; o'clock Paul has been out of tho
county Jail only once since being
taken into custody on July %.
+ =. Paul Out Once. Bulah Twice.
ON that day he was locked In +
( cell at the Henrico jail as a WITT
ness after coroner's jury had re-
turrred a verdict holding Henry Claw
Z Beattie. Jr,. for appearance befora
! the grand Jury for the murder of hts
wife on the night, of July IS. On
/ last Friday Paul's grandmother ac~
/ companied him and a jailer to g
\ clothers in Main street and a new
suit was purchased.
4 Henry Clay Beattia- Jr., has NOT
/ been outside tho jail once since the
I day of the inquest. but Bulah Bin
ford. sha principal witness for the
I Commonwealth, has enjoyed two 10y
rides" allowed her In order that she.
might visit a dentist
Z Henry Clay Beattie. Jr., and Bulah
Binford will remain at Henrico coun.
/ ty Jail until the day preceding the
/ beginning of the trial. Neither Will
appear before the grand Jury to-day.
Roth are anxious to be removed -
the monotony is growing irksomA
each day.
All Eyes on Chesterfield.
From to-day until that day when
Henry Clay Beattie. Jr.. Is acquitted
or declared guilty OF wife-murder the
/ eyes OF the nation will be focused
on Chesterfield county courthouse, q
little red brick structure. situated
about sixteen miles from Richmond,
about two miles from Centralia and
nearly in the center Of Chesterfield
/ county.
! From this tiny building. butte
/ scores of years ago with brick nroughe
/ to America from England. and typt-
| cal as a email county courthouse
more than a score of newspaper mem
some Of them the most famous 1ewos
| paper writer's In the country, WIN
send out to the world over te1eGRnp&
and telephone w1rps tho A1coun1D =
tia famous TRIAL, -