Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1911-09-09
armer Jury in Triple Chorus Finds Young Virginian Guilty of Wife Murder After Deliberatng for
 Less Than An Hour
YOUTH NOT AFFECTED
 # November 24-verdict Was Popular One-Demonsradon Among Spectators

A buzz of speculation sounded
 Queer stories were whispered about
 The elder Beattie held $4,OOO mort
 gage advanced one of the jurors, some
 said. Others declared that from in.
 tangible sources had come repor
 that the first ballot was nine for con.
 viction; three for acquittal. Stil
 others vowed that they knew two
 jurors who would hold out forever fo1
 verdict of not guilty
 It began to grow dark. Old Sher- if Gill, with his paint-brush beard
 moved slowly and lighted the foul little oil lamps, backed by ten reflec- tors, which provided all the illumina- tion this place has. They flickered in the strong Southern breeze and cast dancing shadows on the whitewashed ceiling.
 After half an hour of inaction Young Beattie went out with his law yers, Harry Smith and Hill Carter, to the jail to smoke his perpetual cigarette. The outside crowd edged away from. him as he passed and did not follow on the short journey as usual. In the occasional period of silence in the court room no sound could be heard from the jurors di- rectly above, not even a 2footstep nor a loud voice. It began to be apparent |that whatever the verdict might be there was no wrangling about it.
 At 6:26 o'clock the chatter of feet on the stairway and a sudden hustle at the rear door announced that the jurors were returning A hurry call was sent out for Beattie and he stepp- ed briskley in through side entrance, exhaling cloud of cigarette smoke.
 There was a moment of silence as he and the jurors took seats. The telegraph instruments which had been run right into the court room, ceased their chatter. There was only the noise of the katydids in the old trees.
 The Judge asked the foreman of the jury, Ben w. Farley, if a ver- dict had been reached. Farley gulped and nodded nervously. Then came the ancient formula:
 Henry Clay Beattie IT,, stand up. Prisoner, look you upon the jurors. Jurors, look you upon the prisoner. how find you, guilty or not guilty?"
 The unanimous chorus-the triple chorus Guilty! Guilty!! Guily!!!" in a dozen different voices has perhaps never been heard before in any Ameri- can court house.
 Young Beattie remained standing. His father, who sat beside him, placed an arm about his waist, buried his face against the side of the youths dark coat and said:
 My poor little boy"
 Urchins carrying newspaper mes sages dashed out of the room. The instruments within began to click. One man in the court house clapped his hands just once; then was re- by his neighbors. A voice was heard on the lawn to shout:
 Well, they got him."
 From far away could be heard the cries "Beattie's guilty!."
 His father, his brother, Douglas. and ms counsel, Smith and Carter. all wept openly. But there was not a ear in Young Henry's eyes. Judge Watson asked then if the jurors had found the defendant guilty in the first degree. It develop "a that they had not named the de- gree in their signed return, so they were sent out again to do so.
 It appeared again that there might e some hope: for they could return ny degree of guilty down to assault nd battery. The boys relatives and oumel frightened up. but his face ld not change. In ten minutes the urors returned with the properly 1ade out document. After the usual motion to set aside.