The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-08-25
BEATTIE PUTS
UP HARD FIGHT
Lawyer Picks Flaw In Mur-
der Indictment.
PUTS JUDGE in QUANDRY

iolS JUDuL iN VUAlNDNl
Document Drafted by Prosecutor Does
Not State That Shot Penetrated
Farther Than Flesh OF Cheek--son
Of Wealthy vrginlan Seems Little
Perturbed as He Faces Murder
Charge on First Wedding Anniver.
sary-Blnford Girl toTestlfy Today.
Chesterfield c. H., Va, Aug. 25.-
1t was as II the sanctlty of the green
wilderness was being profaned when,
In the little red brick house OF jus
tice. under the shade of the giant
sycamores and with the smell of
ripening corn and light wood smoke
all about, garments. drenched with
the blood of a murdered woman were
brought from secret places and an
automobile, toy of wealthy mans
son. all stained as the garments were
stained puffed its way through the
forest aisles to be an exhibit in the
trial of Henry Clay Deattie, Jr, ac-
cused of wife murder.
1t was the first anniversary OF the
wedding OF Beattie and his bride,
Louise owen, for the taking CT whose
life he stands accused and a prisoner
at the bar He listened to the law.
yer for the commonwealth say to q
witness: And now, doctor. how
much blood do you think woman
the size of Mrs. Beattie would have
in her body?" And again he heard
the lawyer say: "And do you think
that IL this woman were shot in the
automobile there could have been the
mass Of blood in the middle Of the
Midlothian turnpike that you have
described?"
Examine Blood Stains.
Before court convened Beattie and
his father made close inspection
of the bloodstained automobile which
had been brought over from Rich
mond. The prisoner seemed perfect
ly unconcerned as he examined the
stains beneath the drivers seat.
murdered girl, and Detective Ser.
geant Ben Wronn or the Richmond
police force. in repeating the story
Beattie told after the homicide, of
how strange bearded man had
risen out of the shadows by the road.
side and shot Mrs, Beattio on the,
night of July IS, narrated the CIR
cumstancc cited by Beattie that he
had driven home with his right hand
at the automobile wheel and his left
supporting the body of his dead wife.
Attorney Wendenburg for the com.
monwealtb had drawn from each
medical expert a detailed statement
of the great amount of blood that
had poured from the wound.
This done, the prosecuting attor-
ney brought out the shirt Beattie had
worn the night of the fatal cutomo-
bile ride, the jacket and a chair
cover upon which he had sat after
his return TO Thomas +. owens
house with his wife's body. The
chair cover was dyed red on the
back of the jacket between the
shoulders and on the right shoulder
there were splotches Of blood. The
jurymen turned the left sleeve OF
the jacket inside out when 1t was
handed to them; that was the sleeve
that should have been around the
blood-drenched body of Mrs. Beattie,
according to the defendants story.
There was not stain of bloood in
There was not stain of blood I'm,
side or outside of the left coat sleeve.
There was no blood on the left shirt
sleeve, but there was a great stain
at the back Of the shirt, near the
bottom.
Asked TO See Document.
After medical experts had testified
20 the nature OF Mrs. Beattie's
wounds, Attorney Smith for the de-
fense asked the clerk to let him see
the Indictment which had been drawn
against Beattie by the grand Jury of
Chesterfield county, under the direc.
tion OF commemorative attorney,
James NJ. Gregory. With the docu.
ment in his hand. Smith and his
brother counsel put their heads to-
gether for five minutes. Then Attor-
ney Smith arose to address the court
on this remarkable proposition.
The indictment reads that Henry
Clay Beattie, Jr., had fired off and
exploded a gun, causing the charge
10 strike the face of Louise owen
Beattie, etc. etc, but II did not say
anything about the charge having
been caused 10 go farther than the
face OF said Louise Owen Beattle,
and into her skull. On this ground
Smith moved the court that all the
testimony OF the doctors appertain-
ing to the hole in the murdered WON
ans skull be stricken out as irrele-
want and immaterial. Smith then
asked Coroner Loving, who happened
to be on the stand II he we're willing
10 swear that charge of shot enter
ing the cheek OF person and no
further In the manner set forth IN