Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1911-08-21
.BEATTIE TRIAL
STARTS TODAY
Virginia Youth Faces Jury
for Murder of His Wife
for First Time.
NO SIGN OF EMOTION
Farmers Crowd the Court
House and Discuss Crops
Like at County Fair.

I Specidt ~ United Press Wire.
Chesterfield Court House. Va
Aug. 21:-Seven temporary iuryr.ar'
/ TO try Henry Clay Beattfe. Jr for
the murder of his young wife. we're
/ selected within three hours after
Beattie was placed on trial TO-DAY.
only one of the venires, (32 tails
mem was exhausted In filling the
seventh seat and II was believed this
afternoon that the entire jury NAV
be obtained before court adjourns to-
day
AT the noon recess the following
had been temporary accepted subject
TO peremptory challenges by the de-
fense;
R. Cleveland Woodbridge, H. w.
Farley, R. Henry Covington, E. L.
Wilson, A. L. Fetterolf, Irvingtou
M Bass, Jr., V. W. Suqua.
Judge Watson asked each tails
man If he had formed an opinion in
the case. Five out of the first
twelve declared they believed Beat
tie guilty.
"I don't think it proper" said
Prosecutor Windeburg that these
taiismen should be allowed to state
what their opinion is. All thew
should be asked is If they had formed
any opinion at ALL" but Judge Wat
son persisted in his inquiry.
| Despite the earnest efforts for fur
ther delay by his lawyers, Beattie
| was placed on trial this morning.
! Judge Watson denied the application
for another weeks delay, and order
ed Beattie to the box. The usual
motion to quash the indictment was
/ quickly overruled.
Henry Clay Beattie, Jr., stand
up" shouted the clerk Of the court
and with a smile the accused man
arose leaning heavily on the desk
before him. While the clerL in a
droning voice, read +hsc accusations
In the Indictment the court room was
hushed, Beattie standing motionless
the center of interest
How do you plead" demanded
the clerk.
Not guilty" said Beattie in q low
voice, and his fight for life was on.
The Chez field court house, hid
den away in thickest of oaks and
hemloeks, was noisy and gay in prep
zes 2,z:' nurcvr s f' II ai n irs aFsrory m
stringy- bear dss1s s1es eAe&ing far
mers cauA< IopaCCU
- t4 cot" as fr~-
wagged their shagg
ehins and discussed crops and IA
weather, as the pale and anaemf,
youth, who has spent the last month";
in Renrick county jail, was unload.
ed from an automobile under hea W
guard TO take his place in the doC5..
3eattie was as debonair as he has
been since mis- arrest, when Detective
Sherer lead him from the automobile
to the court room. He seemingly en-
1oyed the gaping-mouth attention be-
slowed upon him by his countrym en-.
He pushed through the line of men
formed for him, smiling in his su-
pertor way.
A Richmond tad-cab company es-
tabltshed q regular automobile SER
vice between the trolley terminal and
the court house four miles away.
It became know ntoday that when
| his cousin was indicted Paul Beattie
who WAS & Catholic summoned a
priest to his cell. Lawyers for the
defense may call the contessor to
the stand and place before the Jury
the moral effect of the priests re-
fusal to tell the story related by Paul
Beattie
This began one of the most sensa
donaI trials on a murder charge that
has occurred in Virginia in Q decade
and the setting of this trial will be one
of the strangest in the history Of
American jurisprudence. Henry c.
Beattie will fight for his Hfe In which
at what waE known as the Wilderness
viii house the scene of justice is near
Tly $50 years old. II lies at crossing
Of two country roads buried in The
forest. The prisoner, who Is nov in a
cell IN the Henrico county jdl here ii
Richmond. viii ride eighteen miles TO
face the jnry that is TO try him.
Walter A. Watson, the presiding
Judge, will have TO make fifteen uiles
through the woods TO mount the bcnck.
Sheriff GIL. court officer, will hitch
his buckskin TO wagon and trav
miles to his post. The nearest town,
Centralia, is FIVE miles away from the
courthouse on the railroad and trains
stop there about as often as the free
delivery postman. All OF this plunge
into the wilderness because the Beat
ties lawyers count on getting q jury of
Chesterfield county men, who know
the father Of the prisoner and who
might be more favorable in their dis
position toward Beattie, Jr. Though
young Beattie's home is just across
the James river from Richmond he
crime charged against him occurred
In the forest shaded roads of Chester
field and no change of venue viii take
the prisoner away from the Isolated
Htue old courthouse where, in colonial
Fronfypoe0 IN p,y4