The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1911-09-07
BEATT|E SLIGHTLY
CORR0b0RATEO
WITNESS TELLS OF SEEING AN
ARMED MAN GOING TOWARD
SCENE OF CRIME,
FIVE HOURS BEFORE SHOOTING
ant Lowers Head and Weeps
When Recital ls
Over.
Chesterfield Court House.

Chesterfield Court House.
Was there not really tall, bearded
stranger, armed with single-bar-
relied shotgun on the Midlothian turn
pike on the night of July 10? Could
not such man have been present at
1920 o'clock and shot Mrs. Beattie
while aiming at her husband, Henry
Clay Beattie, Jr., in fit of anger be-
cause Beattie's automobile nearly ran
him down?
These questions began to formulate
themselves in the minds of the Jurors,
when the defense opened and showed
plainly that it was going to stick to
young Beattie's original explanation
Of the killing and put him on the
stand to repeat it.
But, asks the prosecution, even
granting that there was strange
man about with a gun, how could it
be possible that he had Henry Beat
ties gun?
For Henry Beattie has declared
that he wrested away the weapon Of
his assailant, placed it in the back of
his machine, and that it was jolted
cut while he was crossing a railroad
track on his way home with his wifes
body. and the gun found near the
tracks was that, undoubtedly, which
Paul Beattie, his cousin, bought for
Henry.
Story of Man With Gun.
The one witness who told clear
story of having seen an armed strang-
er on July 1S was w. R. Holland, a
young man of 80, who owns quarry
along the line of the Southern rail-
way, about two miles from the scene
of the murder. He said:
"About $50 that afternoon I was
standing along the tracks when
man with a gun over his shoulder
approached. It was single-barreled
shotgun. He was headed in the direc-
ton of the Midlothian turnpike. He
was man about SO or 40, about 6
feet tall. and weighing about $50 or
100 pounds. He had on black SLOUGH
hat and dark clothing. He Gid not stop
and we exchanged no words. He had
kind of beard-that is, he hadn't
shaved for ten days or So"
On cross-examination Holland stuck
to his story. and added the informa-
ton that he had thought he had seen
the same man about a year ago in the
South Richmond police station, among
others arraigned there on suspicion of
having robbed Southern railroad cars.
At the making of this point young
Beattie should have been much
pleased Hitherto he has smiled and
patted his counsel upon the back aft
err much less important victories, but
now, for some inexplicable reason,
face lost it's pallor and flushed. He
buried his head in his hands beside
small travelling bag he had on the
desk in front of him. He wept so
bitterly that his shoulders heaved and
the tears streamed from between his
fingers.
Defense's Strongest Point.
This placing of strange armed
man couple of miles from the scene
of the tragedy five hours before it
occurred was the best point the de.
Tense made, though it was not very
strong one. Their only other real
point was when they made it appear
that Paul Beattie (who previously told
Of having bought the brass-tacked
gun for Henry, and Of Henry's having
confessed the Staying to him) was in
fluenced to make his statements by
prejudice against the rich members
of the family.
w. T. Baker, chauffeur, said that
he had carried Paul to Jail in his car
after the coroner's inquest in July
and that he had overheard Paul say
to some others in the machine:
"Well, I'm going to tell everything
I know about this affair because Uncle
Henry (the defendants father) locked
my grandmother in room once and
made her sign away to him all her
property"
Paul himself, called as witness by
the defense in an effort to make him
admit this, denied that he had said
any such thing.