The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-08-13
Chesterfield Grand Jury
Will Return Indict-
ment TOM orrow.
JUDGE WATSON TO
DETERMINE DATE
Not Expected That Any Pro-
longed Delay Will Be Granted
by Court, nor Will Any
Such Request Be Made.
History of Case, Which
Stands Alone.

Aready convicted by the people 81,
ms own state. Henry Clay Beattie. Jr
oetore the grand jury of Chess
terheih county tomorrow morning "a
race an Indictment charging that ~
tne night of July is he deliberatelvl y
shot to death the wife he had sworn ri
nonor and protect. He Is either fhat
most unfortunate misrepresented. mai
iisnea man OF the decade or the most
of Cluverius 10y
Locked In the Henrico County Jail
Tor the past three weeks. Beattie haai
been silent While that tremendousl
storm of indignation was sweeping over
ms mead. In cell nearby sits Paul.
Dea'ie' MS cousin. on whose confess
SION the hand of tho law reached out
In It's cry for vengeance And in an
o.her cell upstairs sits n girl, for love-
Oh Whom the Commonwealth charrea
mat aenry Beattie murdered his wife
Public Verdict Came Quickly.
EVEN before detectives at work on
the case had established n chain oft
evidence which may send tho prisonerl
to the death chair. the publio-non
only In Richmond, but throughout Vtr-l
Sihla as weli-rendcred Its verdict ofs
guilty. Not one word has come from,
the defensc to change that view. Bet
lore the actual arrest of Beattie-be-
=.
.ype the VIII street talk OF wife-mur-i
aer-the public WAS clamoring as wild-Ss
~ aga'nst the accused For ono eriof
day the tide of opinion turned against
raul the cousin. weak, helpless
creature who confessed that he bought
the gun with which the mother of
henry Beutties infant was slain Butt
while the finger OF scorn and hate
pointed toward Paul. 1t was not lifted
away from Henry; the multitude sim
ply changed its verdict to brand the
Two Now the husband is branded
alone.
Sympathy for Father.
There is no sympathy for the trio
In the county Jail. There Is, however.
wave OF sympathy for that gray
haired. honored man-the father of
the accused. Henry C. Beattie. Srf
stands second to none in the eye OF
his countrymen. He has lived an up-
right life.
To-day that old man is steadfast In
his belief of his sons innocence. He,
Will not forsake him. Though crushed,
by the whlrlwind of evidence. though
crushed by that popular verdict which
must have reached his ears, he is still,
hShtinG gamely to wipe from a family
name stain that was never there be-
fore. And he is lighting to save his
boy from the chair of death. SIS
The whole thing is piuful-heart-
breaking.
Those closest to Henry Bcattie have
hoped and prayed that some fact will
be Forthcoming to clear him; that
some evidence hitherto unpublished
may be found to put the proof OF
guilt on other hands.
Demand Speedy Trial.
Tomorrow the grand jury will send
the accused before jury OF his peers.
10 vista
early trial. There Is every chance
that the CHASTITY thing will soon be-
done. II the jury. which must act
upon the evidence alone. convicts him,
then tho lawyers will take the case to
the highest court Then. IL the SUI
prome Court denies a writ OF error.
Beattie must pay for his crime with
his life. for no Governor of Virginia.
however tender hearted. could save
him from his fate Should that Ches.
terrified fury declare that Beattie must
die. the months Of his life may be
counted upon the fingers OF his hand
And many hearts will break. even as
other hearts were broken when that
fendish shot sent a wife into another
world, away from her babe
virginia justice has moved swiftly
in this year of our Lord The case sia
ready for tho court. There NAV be
difficulty In securing n jury. for wher-
ever men read they have formed their
own conclusions. But there are men
in Nirginia-in Chesterfield county,
who can sweep aside all that has eona
before and bring In verdict based Il
upon the facts and the evidence. There 81
has been nothing to Justify the claim
that the defense would plead insanity
which In Itself would be an admission
of guilt
Case VIII De Memorable. b
Tha
defense will undertake to show to the
court that the Commonwealth has
failed to prove It's charge beyond tbs
peradventure OF doubt. How long the
trial may last no man can say. Once
the jury Is sworn, II Will move quickly &
There may be long delays and argu-
ments over technical points. It viii
be a memorable battle in that iittIe
court room, yet the Commonwealth
Will yield often and willingly to save
the possibility OF a new trial becausa s.
OF any technicalIty. SO II would seem M
therefore that Reattie Will only ia
tried once. The whole comm,,nity i
prays that this may be true senH-
ment demands an early end OF IT. fog
the murder and what has followed dex
moralized the town as nothing has
done In years. Whatever conolut,ay, ~
may be reached by tho court. 1t cannoe s
come too soon, ~
Shocking to q Degree.
The details OF the murder OF Mrn
Louise Wexford Owen Beattfe. wha
-,