Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-09-08
RICHMOND MURDER CASE.
Proceedings In Case of H. C. Beattie
For Assassinating His Wife.


commonwealth and the defense in the
trial Of Henry Clay Beattie, Jr, in
dicted for the murder OF his wife,
closed the evidence in the case shortly
after o'clock tonight. Judge Watson
stretched his arms wearily, yawned
nounced that court would adjourn un-
til Thursday morning, tomorrow to be
devoted to argument of counsel with
the court as to the instructions to be
given the jury before the argument
proper is begun on Thursday.
When court adjourned tonight, Beu-
lah Binford, the so-called girl In the
case" alleged by the prosecution to
have been the motive for the murder
by Beattie Of his young wife, still was
in Jail without having uttered a single
word Of testimony. Scarcely an hour
had passed in the eleven days Of testi-
mony when her name was not on the
lips Of witnesses or counsel for either
side.
Admittedly fearing tnat she would
scrupulously avoid injuring the case
of her former companion at any cost,
though statements and interviews
| galore had fortified the prosecution
with what it regarded as all neces-
sary information, the commonwealth
did not put her on the stand.
I'VE have proved that she was the
motive for the crime" said Prosecutor
Wendenburg tonight, without hearing
her testimony as our witnesses and
the admissions Of the prisoner himself
have told the jury enough"
Another figure, Paul Beattie. cousin
of the accused, whose confession con-
cerning the purchase Of shotgun for
Henry four days before the homicide
led to the building of the case for the
prosecution, likewise was kept in jail,
but both he and the Binford girl are
likely to be released tomorrow. Judge
Watson explained his attitude toward
her continued Imprisonment by saying
in the court room yesterday that unless
the girl was to be put on the witness
stand he wished ito turn her loose"
The closing of the case was sudden.
Attorneys Harry M. Smith and Hill
Garter for the defense first announced
that they had few witnesses for the
sur-rebuttal, but IL the commonwealth
would agree to rest its case, they
would do likewise The agreement was
accepted and Judge Watson arranged
to meet counsel for both sides In Rich
mond tomorrow In a conference con-
cerning instructions to be given the
l6ury. The prisoner will be kept In con-
finement in the jail at Chesterfield and
the jury also will remain in that ham
let.
The taking of evidence today was
along no well-connected line, the pros
ecution after completing its short
cross examination of the prisoner TAX
ing up scattered points in the evidence.
From one feature Of the case to anoth-
er the prosecution SKINNED in its eff
fort to corroborate certain points in
the case it had built up previously, but
most conspicuous was the direct attack
on the testimony of the prisoner.
The single question Of Importance
that the prosecution put to the ac-
cused in its brief cross examination
early today was the one on which the
commonwealth has been basing practi-
cally its whole case against him. The
prosecution wanted to know how 1t
happened that q gun admittedly pur-
chased by a cousin Of Henry c. Beat
tie, Jr, and corroborated by witnesses
chased on the Saturday before the
murder came to be in the hands Of the
very highwayman who killed Mrs.
Beattie on the Midlothian turnpike four
days later.
The prisoner answered simply that
he knew nothing of the purchase OF
any gun by Paul and did not see the
weapon till 1t was raised Dy the lone
highwayman. The prosecution here
rested the examination and thereupon
began the introduction Of witnesses to
discredit testimony Of the accused.
The attack, 1t was evident, was con-
Quoted by the prosecution on the the
ory that If one or two important points
in the story of the prisoner could be
discredited, the case would be estab-
| lished.
The commonwealth introduced sew
eral witnesses, including members OF
Paul Beattie's family, to prove that
the two cousins, Henry and Paul, were
together on Thursday night as well as
on Saturday night preceding the muir
der, which contention was denied by
the prisoner on the stand. 1t was on
Thursday night that Paul declared his
cousin first asked him to buy shot
gun. Not only were witnesses brought
to the stand who testified that Paul
was called on the telephone by his
cousin Henry that night and requested
to meet him at a certain street corner,
but witnesses who said they saw the
pair on the corner as we'll as In bar
room later corroborated the story OF
Paul Beattie as to his movements on
the Thursday night in question.
| Witnesses also were introduced with
the object Of discrediting the testimony
of E. H. Neblitt, who declared he saw
Paul with a shotgun on the bridge
where Nebltt worked day after Paul
Beattie's story alleges that he transfer
red the fatal gun to Henry.
Two men said they were on the
bridge while Neblitt was there and
they declared that Paul had no shot
gun. The commonwealth attempted
to cast some doubt, too, on the evil
dence of Charles H. Kestleberg, who
said It was he who was motoring on
Midlothian turnpike on the night Of
the murder and who stopped his ma
chine while woman stood on the run
ming board. Roland Lassiter, one OF
the group of boys who saw the car
with the woman on the running board
and a man crouched before the hood,
declared that he knew Kestleberg as
| well as the make of his car and that