The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1911-09-15
Jury Quickly Finds He Shot
Bride on Auto Ride.
70 DIE ON NOVEMBER "a
Prisoner Keeps His NerVe-"I Have
Not Lost Yet" He Tells Friends
Defense Gets Time for
an Appeal.

/ Henry Clay Beattie, Jr., was founC
/ guilty of numbering his wife, Louis'
/ Wexford owen Beattie, while on al
automobile ride with her on the Mid
/ lothian Turnpike, on the night O
April Is. The jury retired TO consid
er its verdict at 500 o'clock in the
afternoon and returned in fifty-eight
minutes In their first verdict the
jurors failed to specify the degree oil
murder of which they found the de-
fendant guilty and Judge Watson
ordered them back TO their room 10
revise their findings. In a few min
utes the jurors returned and an
nounced that they found the defendant
guilty of murder in the fire degree.
Beattie stood rigidly before the bar
as the verdict was read his face
flushed and his cheeks twitching ner-
vously. The foreman's announce
ment rang out in the quiet courtroom,
the other eleven jurymen calling out
with him guilty" when that part Of
the verdict was reached
After the customary motions on the
part of counsel for the defense look
ing to an appeal the court sentenced
Beattie to be put to death by electric
ity on November "a.
After the trial was over it was
learned that the jurors, on retiring to
their room to consider the verdict, had
knelt in prayer to ask guidance in
their declarations. Young Beattie,
after the first shock of the verdict,
attempted TO console his father. 81
haven't lost yet" he told friends as
he was led out of the courtroom.
Immediately upon the announce
ment of the verdict counsel for the
defense moved to set it aside, on the
ground that it was contrary to law
and the evidence. The defense also
objected to the directions by the court
to the jury. The court overruled the
motion for new trial. Judge Watson
stated that the trial consisted almost
entirely on questions OF fact and that
no questions OF law entered material
ly into the decision OF the jury
The defense asked for ninety days
to file a petition for a writ Of error TO
the Supreme Court OF Appeals Of Vir-
ginia. Judge Watson decided that the
request Of counsel for the accused
man was reasonable, and granted a
stay of execution for ninety days.
Beattie was then brought before the
bar OF the court for sentence. Asked
If he had anything to say why he
should not be ?entenced the prisoner
replied:
II have nothing TO say"
The Judge stated as a preliminary
to passing sentence that he desired to
add nothing to the anxiety Of the con-
victed man.
The jury has found you guilty OF
murder in the first degree" he said,
"and, therefore, your life is forfeited
and the judgment of this court is that
on Novemmer "a, you be delivered
into the custody OF the superintendent
of the penitentiary and that between
the hours of sunrise and sunset your
life shall be eXtinguished and may
God have mercy on your soul
Beattie's father buried his face in
his hands and appeared overcome, but
the prisoner smilingly shook hands
with several acquaintances Court ad-
journed az 7:22 p. N.
The jury had heard evidence for
eleven days, and for two days
speeches. but the words Of Wenden-
burg rang i'm their ears as they left
the courtroom TO find their verdict.
Let that man so free," he cried.
What, le that man 90 free!" he cried.
the motherhood of Virginia, the wo-
manhood of the Nation, will shudder
i'm terror as the security of its life is
threatened let this man 20 free?
Gentlemen, ! merely ao's you, in the
name of Justice 20 do your duty"
After the verdict the crowd lnger-
Cd AT the Jail and peercd into the con
demned mans cell Illuminated by a
single lamp On the bed, with his
head I'm his hands. sat Beattie, his
father and brother beside him. Iailor
Cogbiu sent the curious crowd away,
and only a few saw the prisoner break
down and weep I'm the solitude OF the
c,ll.
An hour later the hamlet was de-
serted. a few hundred yards away
from the Jail in a small hotel twelve
men gathered their belongings to-
gether in silence and one by one they
drove away into the darkness TO the
/ homes from which for fortnight
/ they had been absent.