The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1911-09-02
WITNESS FOR DEFENSE
One Saw Man With Beard Near
Murder Scene.
OTHER TESTIMONY-.-ETC., ETC., ETC.

Was there not really n tall,
beared stranger, armed with a sin
glo-barreled shotgun, on the Mid
lothian turnpike on the night Of
July IS?
Could not such man have
been present at 1890 o'clock and
shot Mrs. Louise Owen Beattie
while aiming at her husband. II. C..
Beattie, jr., I'm a fit OF anger be-
cause Beattie's automobile near
ly ran him down?
Is It not possible, at least. that
the original story OF the rich youth
on trial for his life is true?
That this beared stranger, almost
bowled over, blaZed away at him
after an exchange OF heated words?
These questions Wednesday be
gan to formulate themselves in the
minds of the jurors. when the de-
Tense opened and showed plainly
that It was going to stick to young
original explanation of the kill
ing, and put him upon the stand
to repeat It,
The defense put forth one plaus-
lDle witness as TO a strange man,
and others who were far from
plausible.
But, asks the prosecution, even
granting that there was a strange
man about with a gun, how could
It be possible that he had Henry
Beattie's gum. For Henry has
declared that he wrested away
the weapon OF his assailant. placed
It I'm the back OF his machine. and
that It was jolted out while he
was crossing the railroad track on
his way TO the Owen home with
his wifes body. And the gun
found near the tracks was that.
undoubtedly, which Paul Beattie
his cousin, bought for Henry.
The one witness who told a clear
story OF having seen an armed
stranger on July Is was W. X.
Holland. a man of 80. who owns
quarry along the line OF the South
crn Railway, about two miles from
the scene of the murder He said.
About $50 that afternoon | was
standing along the tracks when
man with a gun over his shoulder
approached. II was a single-barrel-
ed shot gun He was headed In
the direction OF the Midlothian turn
pike He was a man about IS
or 40. about six feet tail and weigh
ing $50 or 175 pounds. He had
black slouch hat and dark cloth
ing. He didn't stop. and We eX-
changed no words. He had kind OF
a beard-that is he hadn't shay
ed for ten days or So
Was there any hunting at that
time of year. so that man natur-
ally might carry a gum asked
Attorney Smith. for the defense.
There's nothing to shoot that
know of, replied Holland. Il
wondered why the man was carry
ing the gun. -,
On cross-examination Holland
stuck to his story, and added the
information that he 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.
During the day Beattie buried
his head in his hands and wept
bitterly.
w. T. Baker. a chauffeur. said
that he had carried Paul to jail In
his car after the coroner's inquest
in July. and that he had over
heard Paul say TO some others in
the machine: well, I'm going to
tell everything | know about this
affair. because Uncle Henry tthe
defendants father locked my grand
mother in a room once and made
her sign away to him all her prop
erty."
Paul himself, called as a wit
ness by the defense in an effort to
make him admit this. denied that
he had said any such thing. Paul
has made apparently a splendid inn
preston upon the jury. and has
shown himself to be anything but
the dullard he was supposed TO be
before he took the stand
A third point which the defense
strove to make was that there had
been other cases along the Mid
lothian turnpike where men walk
ing along the lonely road with shot
guns had become angry when mo
tors came close to them. and had
threatened to shoot the drivers.
Herbert Richardson, a chauffeur,
and Carroll Montague. his employ
or. said that one night-though this
was over a year ago and the point
was fifteen miles from the scene
of the Beattie tragedy man
had attempted TO shoot him. He,
couldn't have been a dangerous
man, however. for they said they
pacified i'm by giving him a Tide
in the n..chine.
Miss Louise Reams, a brides
maid OF Louise Owen when she be-
came Henry Beattie's bride. identi-
fled a yellow-shell hairpin found
at the scene OF the crime as OF
the sort Mrs. Beattie wore, but she
had to admit that thousands Of
other women wore similar ones.
Then nearly a dozen witnesses
we're called to deny a trifling point
made by boy witness, to the effect
that there had been two large blood
stains I'm the road, instead of one.
After this the State rested its
case.
Besides the one intelligent wit
ness, telling of the strange man
with the gun, the defense present.
ed another. Eugene Henshaw, a
straggly- bearded incoherent old
farmer, who proudly declared that
he was a Mormon. His story, in
stead of helping that OF the
quarryman, Holland, spoiled the de-
lenses plans. Henshaw saw man
he said six feet tall and strange
to the region, near the scene OF
the crime. but on cross-examination
brought out the fact that this
man was about 60 years old, and
had a gray stubble of beard instead
of the sandy one described by Hol-
IIonobavr hadn't