The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-08-26
Some Of the Star Witnesses
For the Commonwealth
Testify.
oAIRYMAN HEARD THE SCREAM
or A WOMAN, THEN a SHOT,
FOLLOWED BY AN AUTOMOBILE
AUTOMOBILE HALT-THIRp SAW
WOMAN STANDING ON RUNNING
BOARD AND MAN IN ROAD.
" AssoeIassd Prsss.


Chesterfield Court House. Va. Aug.
s5.--R 4. sydnor. a dairyman. Sam
Tally. a day laborer. and A. X. Briggs.
the ffteen-s 'ear-old son Of a Richmond
contractor, were witnesses in the Beat
tic trial today and gave what the
prosecution regards as the most I'M
portant and most dramatic testimony
80 far introduced. In all, twelve wit
nesses were heard, but Paul Beat
tie, the star witness for the common
wealth. was not among them he may
be called tomorrow afternoon,
This mornings witnesses rehearsed
considerable Of the testimony which
came out at the coroner's inquest The
'dafryrnan swore that between sunset
ana dark on the night Of the murder
he saw an automobile similar to Beat
tleRa halt az the roadside, near the
scene OF the crime. lone man step
ped out, he said, and this man the
prosecution will attempt to show was
Beattie, concealing the gun with which
1t Is alleged he shot his wife
Tally swore that about eleven O'Clock
that night, while sitting on the back
porch OF his home. he heard the scream
OF q woman and then a shot and nnal-
" the noise Of an automcbile start
The Briggs boy testified that some
time between 1890 and IL o'clock on
the same night he and q number Of
companions In an automobile passed
car at the roadside and within Q
stones throw OF where the murder was
committed. The man. he said. was ap-
parentIy fixing the tire and q woman
was standing on the running board.
EIe said he passed no other car on the
remaining part Of the trip 70 Rich
THE FIRST WITNESS.
Georgsa 2sE u RisnmssEaa l,g eessez ssi-
80 8 En- the stand to complete for
the prosecution the description of the
scene Of the crime, the prisoners de-
meanor and his story OF the bearded
hiEhwaynan-
l. L. Scherer, claim agent for the
Chesapeake & Ohio railway, who has
q considerable reputation as a special
investigator. came next In the list OF
witnesses. He has had almost entire
charge OF the Beattie case and through
him the state hopes to review all that
a months investigation has disclosed.
Mandy Alexander, negress. who
found the single e-barrelled shot gun
with which Mrs. Beattie was shot, was
in readiness to tell the jurors OF her
discovery. T. p. Pettigrew, to whom
Mandy took the gun, will follow her
on the stand. Then will come Paul
Beattie. the prisoners cousin. who has
sworn that he purchased the gun for
Beattie at the 1atter's direction.
While Beattie slept In the Jail here
last night, his blood-soaked automobile
stood under the sycamores in the
court house yard to be examined by
the jurors today with view to as
certaining whether the blood could
have dripped through TO the roadway.
The commonwealth charges that the
- r4n ~. aV.k - L
could not have been made unless Mrs.
Beattie was taken from the car. The
defense pleads otherwise and the uues-
tion IL to be determined by the jurors
themselves
Court convened at 1880. The crowd
was even larger than yesterday and
hundreds gathered sbout the yard to
glimpse OF Paul Beattie, the common
wealth's chief witness
The prisoner was dressed in q neat
blue suit. having discarded the gray
one he has worn heretofore.
VIII Admit Letter.
Before any witnesses were called II.
M. Smith, Jr.. for the defense. OBJ
jected to the Introduction yesterday Of
Beattie's letter to Beulah Binford,
identified by the prisoner at the coro-
ner's inquest AS Beattie at that time
was not under arrest the defense cited
q ruling barring the use at trial OF
testimony not in the defendants own
behalf and given by him while q wit
ness previously.
Notwithstanding Mr.. Smiths argu-
ment. the court ruled that the letter
should not be excluded.
Hill Carter, for the defense, then
took up the point that the indictment
against Beattie refers to the wound
in Louise Beaftie's face rather than
to the skull or brain, and that all tes-
timony relating to a wound other than
in the face should be excluded The
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