The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1911-09-01
BEATTIE'S STORY
IS CORROBORATED
Prosecution is Ready at Time For Re-
buttaI to Produce Man Seen
Walking Along Railroad.

Chesterfield Courthouse, Va, Aug
Testimony corroborative of the
story told by Henry Clay Beattie, Jr,
that a bearded highwayman killed his
wife with a shotgun, was introduced
by the defense in the Beattie trial yes
terday, when w. r. Holland, who lives
in the vicinity of the Midlothian turn
pike, where the murder occurred, de-
clared that he had seen bearded man
with a shotgun there about five hours
before the tragedy
It was the first move of the de-
tense after the prosecution rested its
case at noon yesterday to establish the
yeracity Of the prisoner, and besides
Hollands statement concerning man
with shotgun, Eugene Henshaw,
farmer, who travels the Midlothian
turnpike daily, testified that he saw
strange looking man prowling around
on three different days before the muir
der
1t is reported that the prosecution is
ready when it's time for rebuttal ar
rives to put on the stand the man who
passed along the railroad tracks, where
Holland said he saw a man with shot
gun, and that the new witness will say
he was squirrel hunting that day,
The defense summoned many wit
nesses. Besides the testimony regard
ing the bearded man, expert testimony
was introduced as to the bouncing
qualities of an automobile similar to
that driven by Beattie, thereby ac-
counting for the jolting out from the
car of the shotgun placed in a rear
seat by Beattie after the encounter
with the alleged highwayman.
The prosecution attacked this line
Of evidence on cross-examination. 1t
eontended that the railroad crossing,
where Beattie claims the gun. must
nave been elected from the car. was
smooth one and that the jolt which
might have resulted from crossing the
trackc where the rails are necessarily
exposed, would have tossed the wea-
pom forward of the crossing instead
of directly sideways parallel with the
track, where the gun was found. The
idea of the prosecution has been to in
dicate that Beattie himself slowed
down at the crossing and threw the
gun to one side on his way to the Owen
home with his dead wife.
The defense sought to show that
being held up by highwaymen while
motoring in this vicinity was not an
uncommon occurrence and put on the
stand chauffeur, who related an ex
perience with a highwayman a year
ago The commonwealth attorneys OBJ
jected to the testimony ar Irrelevant
Judge Watson ruled that unless a
great many instances could be pointed
to showing hold-ups of a 81 ilar char
acter to the one described by the pris
oner evidence as to a single incident
of the kind would be ruled out. The
defense announced that it intended tt
give other instances later
Beattie's counsel attacked the dec
laration of Sam Talley that he hearC
on the night of the murder a shot ant
the screams of a woman on the Mid
lothian turnpike. Several witnesses
testified that the morning after tn
murder, when Beattie talked will
Talley and others, nothing was sal,
about a woman screaming.
An amusing incident occurred whel
the defense put on the stand William
Pem5erton, a man As years old, t
attack the truthfulness and characte
Of Talley Pembertons own mentalit
was questioned by Prosecutor Wender
burg
Are you right in your mind?" aske
the prosecutor.
What 20 you mean; am crazy?
Pemberton asked.
We'll no."
Did you have nine cats chained i
one room in your house once?" aske
the prosecutor.
mo"
well, were not pictures taken {
t ose cats?" p =
Maybe"
Now the witnesa stgF5eted and bega
to show signs Of Rbarrassment. H
turned on Mr. Wendenburg 1savagel
exclaiming
Look here, man, are you trying
cross-examine me? You are talkin
out of your head"
The witness continued talking ral
idly, but his remarks were browne
in the laughter of the courtroom, an
even after Judge Watson had restore
order the witness talked on in light
ing-like speed until the court ordere
him to stop. Even the prisoner joine
=. 4bo Iouphtpr and was thp last in ri