Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1911-08-29
BEATTIE WILL
Be A WITNESS
Prisoner to Testify in Effort
to Break Damaging Story
of Paul Beattie.
THE COUSINS TESTIMONY
Belief Now Strong that
BeuIah Binford Will Not
Be Called to the Stand.
Special by United Press Wire.

Special bg United Press Wire.
Chesterfield Court House, Va, Aug.
29:-After two hours of vain battling
to break down the damaging evidence
of Paul Beattie, counsel for Henry
Clay Beattie, Jr., today announced that
his client would take the stand to
make a personal fight to escape the
electric chair.
When the resourceful attorney
Harry M. Smith, chief counsel for
the defense sank back into his chair
after pounding at the slight, nervous
| youthful cousin of the accused man,
the damaging story related by Paul
yesterday stood practically unchang-
ed. For two hours Smith had ragged
at the witness, shaking his fingers at
him, waving the record In his face,
and fred questions full of-vitupera-
ton and sarcasm. But the youth sat
right through 1t all with no trace OF
the weakness that caused his collapse
at the inquest He answered clearly,
admitting contradictions in his tes-
timony but blaming them on his state
of mind and the strain just after the
murder.
Beattie to Deny Story.
Beattie's testimony will undoubt-
edly embrace an entire denial of
Pauls story. In anticipation of this
the defense today began to build up
reputation for veracity and high
moral character for him. John Fan
difar and Luther Wells, friends OF
Beattie, who were called by the state
to corroborate a part of PauPs story
were asked as to the prisoners rep
utation.
With the testimony corroborative
of Paul Beattie's dramatic story, the
state will close It's case today.
1t may be that the defense will
have to fall back on the insanity plea
to save the prisoner from the electric
chair.
Following yesterdays dramatic
session of the trial the lawyer for
the defense took up seriously the
question Of pleading the question Of
insanity for their client. Harry NJ.
Smith, chief counsel for Beattie, ar
rived on the scene today prepared
| for an elaborate assault on Paul
Beattie, whose testimony yesterday
made the final link in the chain of
circumstantial evidence forced by
| the state.
wifi close their case today, and it is
not probable that Beulah Binford
the much talked of woman in the
case, will be called to the stand.
Paul Beattie testified that on
July 10, the prisoner con-
fessed to him that he had killed his
wife, asked him to Keep the confes-
sion a secret and told him that he
never would regret doing so.
| The declaration threw the entire
courtroom into an uproar. Judge
Watson had to pound his gavel with
| all his might to restore order, and dep
uty sherifes forced their way through
the Jam Of people in the little en-
Iosure to Quell the excitement. 1t
began when Attorney Wendenberg Of
the prosecution addressed this ques-
ton to Paul Beattie:
| when you saw Henry that second
day after the murder Of Mrs. Beattie
had been committed, what did he say
to you, If anything?"
1.-THE next day 1 saw Henry" the
young man answered slowly, "he was
sitting on the back porch drinking a
bottle of beer. / told him things looked
black and l was sorry for him.
az wish to God 1 hadn't done it,
| Paul. he said, though 1 know she
never loved me and she married me
only for my money.
| It'd give a million dollars to have
| this thing undone. l wonder how those
detectives found out there was No. 6
shot in that gum"
The words Of the witness trailed off
into silence. Then over the packed
! heads in the little courtroom there
| passed a quick intaking of breath.
Henry G. Beattie, Jr., had been listen
ing to the previous preliminary testi-
mony Of his cousin with the flicker of
a tolerant smile about the corners Of
| his mouth When this speech was
given his eyes suddenly dilated so that
all the white showed his fingers curled
and the nails bit into the palms of his
| hands.
1t was evident that neither the boys
father nor his two lawyers had expect
ed anything like this straight drive
from the lips Of Paul. A fair guess
would have 1t that the accused man
| least of all expected 1t.
And now go on" the voice of the
commonwealth's prosecutor broke the
| tense silence in the courtroom. What
else did he say to you at that ttme?"
| 81 said to him, I'm sorry you got me
into this business, Henry He an
! swered quickly, You're not in half as
| bad a fix as l am and then when
started to go away he grabbed me and
| spoke TO me hurriedly. Paul he said,
L want you to stick by me. You will
never regret it. You would not go
| back on me, would you? You keep
your mouth shut about all this and
stick by me- Then l said to him: Il
| won't stick anywhere. If they come
after me I'll tell them all know"
BY these words the commemorative
attorneys drove into a case that had
been purely one Of circumstantial evi-
dence a tremendous lever of fact, a
practical confession.
When the name of the cousin was
called the whole courtroom rustled
with expectancy. Men who had been
standing banked In sweltering rows
along the walls caught a new grip on
fatigue and pricked their ears. A
hauah ot7fctia Npa oS ha frcr,