Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1911-08-24
BEATTIf SELECTS
HIS own JURY
RICH YOING MAN ACCUSED OF
WIFE'S MURDER DISPLAYS
NERVE At TRIAL.
TESTIMONY TODAY
Defense Will Likely Say There Was
No Motive For the Crime
Jury Complete.

Chesterfield Court House, Rich
mond, Va, Aug 23.-Young Henry
Clay Beattie took charge of his own
affairs this afternoon when the first
vital moment arrived in his trial for
his life.
He, not his lawyers, decided which
jurors should consider the evidence
against him and who should not. He
analyzed man after man, staring at
each carefully in his mentality. and
it was his pencil. not his lawyers thai
cross off the names of those he did
not want
Virginia law has it that sixteen men
shall be seated in the box and the
defense shall strike out four, leaving
the customary twelve. II Was when
matters progressed 10 tbe striking
out point that the rich youth accused
of Staying his wife asserted his amaz=
ing nerve and self-eonceit
"I'll do this myself" he whispered
to Harry Smith, his chief counsellor
and he rose calmly and looked over
the sixteen men sitting in the corner
of the little room. The 1ittl ID court
was damned 10 the door - very
eye was upon the boy Blu .Darent-
ly he was neither embarg- sd non
frightened, He held in HI hand Il
list OF names, with notes he had pre-
viously made beside each. He mar
rowed his eyes and gazed for min
utes at time at one juror after an
other. There was absolute silence. II
was impossible to tell from the ac-
tons of Beattie's gaze just what man
in the box he was Analysing. He came
to man in his forties-a heavy brow
ed individual who from all appear
ances would be stern.
/ That one goes" he was seen to
whisper to his attorneys, and the
stroke of the pencil wiped one name
off the list.
Then he came to a young man, lit
tie more than his own age, 80 This
man had seemed trifle too easy of
manner, with constant smile on his
rather weak face, and an air almost of
pride having been chosen as a pos
sible actor in the great drama.
Il can't stand for him minute,
said Beattie. Here he goes off.
The two others he struck were far
mers Of no pronounced characteris-
tics, favorable or unfavorable Why
he dismissed them was not apparent
When he was asked later he said:
ooh, I got a bunch, somebody had
to go and they might as we'll be the
ones"
Then he handed over his list OF
names to Attorney Smith and remain
ed standing beside his lawyer as the
latter read off the names of those
scratched" There was a trace of a
smile on Beattie's face as he saw the
four victims of his judgment take
their hats and-rather regretfully, it
seemed-depart.
81 like the twelve we've got now,
ne said as he chatted with his law
yers when court adjourned, which was
in mid afternoon. Il think they are
all fair men and that we will make
rapid progress.
But brave as were his words there
was no doubling that Young Beattie
was pretty badly worried When
prospective jurors were asked ques-
tons in which appeared the words
Death" Electric chair, "Ca1ital
punishment" those who sat facing
Beattie could observe the twitching OF
the muscles of his cheeks, a tighten
ing of the chords in his throat, a grip
ping of lhis chair arms. When nc
must keep silent and sit still, he un-
doubtedly was frightened.
Tomorrow morning the taking O
testimony will begin as soon as cour
convenes A coroner, to prove tn
corpus delicti," and doctor, to tel
lust how Louise Owen Beattie me
death by gunshot wound, will be thu
early witnesses. Attorney Wendan
burg, who has charge of the case c
the state, says his side will be cor
plete in two or at the outside, thre