The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-09-09
Counsel For Convicted Prisoner
Tell His Aged Father, Bowed
Down With Grief, to
Have Courage
JURY'S VERDICT IS GUILTY
Decision Speedily Reached by Jurors.
All Farmers, and Sentence
Is Death by EIec-
- troeution.

Chesterfield Court House Va. Sept
"a heavy guard patrolled the little
stone Jail last night and today lone
guardsmen and newspaper men were
the only persons Henry Clay Beattie
Jr., convicted last night of the murder
of his wife saw as he looked out from
his cell window.
Jailer Coghill brought the prisoner
his breakfast. He ate IL in silence.
His thin pallid face wore nickering
smile as he gazed through the barred
window.
Some time today 1t was expected
Beattie would be taken to the state
penitentiary at Richmond to await his
electrocution on November "a or the
granting of a new trial by the court
OF appeals, which meets early that
month.
Public feeling over the crime stil
runs high in this section, and in Rich
mond, where Beattie lived, the verdict
was received with little surprise by
the community.
Expressions of sympathy were heard
everywhere for the aged father of the
prisoner, a prominent merchant and
highly respected citizen. His grief to-
day was heartrending. II was the theo-
ry of the prosecution that fear lest his
father might learn from the lips of
Henry's wife of his renewed indiscre-
tion with the Binford girl prompted
young Beattie to commit the crime and
fabricate the tale of the bearded high
wayman,
Somewhat hopeful yet bent down in
sorrow at the awfulness of the blow,
the elder Beattie visited the prisoner
today. Counsel had told him not to
lose hope. that they yet might save the
boys life. The sallow and wrlnkled
face of the old man starred vacantly
into the morning sun light as he ut
tered a prayer that this might be so.
When the jurymen, all farmers, re-
tired last night to consider the case
they knelt I'm the obscurlty of the
small jury room of the Chesterfield
Courthouse, praying fervently that
they might pass judgment Alright on
Beattie. Grimly determined. they arose
a moment later, and silently, one by
one recorded a unanimous verdict OF
guilty. Pausing in solemn contempla-
tion for So minutes, weighing careful
ly the meaning of their decision and
once more on bended knees beseach-
ing divine assistance that they might
not err they filed into the hushed still
ness of crowded courtroom and with
startling suddenness twelve voices. in
stead of the usual one of the foreman,
spoke the single word, Guilty" II was
almost a shout.
The spectre of death which stalked
Midlothian turnpike on July Is last
when the life of Mrs. L~llse owen
Beattie was taken away with the sin
gle report OF a shotgun, stared hard
at the young husband, ready to claim
its victim by electrocution on Friday,
November "a next. But the prisoner
returned the gaze answering and un-
afraid.
The jury had for eleven days heard
evidence. for two days speeches, but
the words OF Prosecutor Wendenbers
rang I'm their ears as they left the
courtroom to find their verdict.
Let that man go frec?" he cried.
What. let that man go free? Why,
the motherhood of Virginia. the wo-
manhood of this nation, will shudder
I'm terror as the security of It's life Is
threatened. Let this man go free?-
the man who basked In the degraded
sunshine of another woman while at
his home young wife nursed his
child. Gentlemen, merely ask you In
the name OF Justice to do your duty"
Unversed I'm law and the forms of
murder trial, the jurymcn had not
specified what degree of murder. Ask
ed what degree. the foreman answered
simply, Guilty as indicted"
Under Virginia practice murder Is
presumed to be second degree unless
otherwise specified. II was incumbent
upon the jury to fix the degree, so
Judge Watson advised the Jurymen
to confer again on the point and seven
minutes later they appeared, this time
with the verdict Of murder In the
first degree"
The prisoner stood erect and mo-
tionless. In steady gaze he held his
eyes on the faces of the twelve men
who had pronounced his punishment
" was not resentful expression
however and when the court asked II
the prisoner had anything to say. he
answered. II have nothing to say
and sat down.
Beattie Makes Statement.
Beattle made statement today con-
cerning his conviction. The statement
was n severe reputation OF Beuiah
I'inford as girl from whom he de-
clared he vainly tried to detach him.