The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1911-09-07

LUTHER L.
gucsswork or prevarication. though
the line of questioning pursued by
| the prisoners lawyers certainly mani
tested much astUteness.
Jealous Detectives.
1t cannot be denied that detectives.
like all the rest of US poor frau NOR
tails. hate failure and that they 90
great lengths to find the guilty. but
once they oVerstep the bounds of pro-
priety, they are apt TO find sympathy
Veerlng away from them.
Those who know Luther l.. Scherer
could never believe that ne would
stoop to any irregularities. but if the
/ jurors could he made 10 think that
/ the railroad secret service man was
bounding Beatde, it might materially
help the accused
Mr.. Scherer's testimony. as given
/ ON the direct examination Saturday.
certainly showed that he had pom
/ dered every detail of the case and that
ne had bestowed hours of time upon
/ Some were afterwards heard to say
/ that he was too glib; others insisted
! that his fiuency was due TO his perfect
mastery Of all the details
| The REORGANIZATION OF Mr.
Scherer ought to prove most inter
esting. If the defense lawyers fail
! 10 puncture his story il Will be bad for
/ Beattie: if they do puncture it. this
! feat will he achieved only bv the NJ
most skill, for the Chesapeake and
| Ohio agent is a calm. cool man of eN-
! ceptiOnal intelligence
And right here, it may not be amiss
! To say that there is not the slightest
suggestion OF the cold-blooded or pitt
! less IN Mr.. Scherer. He is amiabilitY
I itself, and appears 10 be the friend of
all humankind. But when he gets
on case he works il indefatigably
night and day, and with the best of
/ judgment
Above all things. one would call
him a hrst-class business man. which
/ he undoubtedly is. rather than mere
-.',n hunter. But Will the jury take
tho same view after MesSrs Smith
ana Garter have had their inning with
him?
Difficulties of the Defense.
The defense lawyers are beSet with
many difficulties. Aside from manag-
ins the case judiciously and keeping
alive 90 the various points OF law
ever arising, they are called upon TO
/ exercise the utmost tact.
They know fun well that attorneys
/ as well as detectives. can oVerdo
! things and thereby create a bad i'm
! preston. on the one hand. they have
! 10 watch every Inconsistency on the
part of witnesses, yet they cannot eX-
. pose contradictions too vigorously lest
they be charged with badgering those
on the stand.
And while they are expected to
/ look carefully after the legal rights
/ of their client. a too frequent ten
! dcncN TO except to the rulings Of the
court. makes them appear buffers
I Nor does II ever do to show actual
+ UncaSiness or to give any hint that
the testimony is not satisfactory.
Last of all, the jury seems as un-
. readable to the lawyers as il does TO
/ .aNmen.
As matters now stand. the State
/ has Yet 90 establish the motive for the
! crime, for without that its entire case
! viii iou absolutely fiat.
And thousands will wish to know
/ why the accused was SO careless as to
/ let his cousin, Paul into his secret
! ny buying the supposedly tell-tale gun.
/ Whatever may he said against Henry
! {. Reatte, Jr., he is no fool, yet, &C
/ cording To the ALLEGATIONS of his kins-
man, ne certainly toek desperate
/ chances in delegaung Paul to pur-
/ chase the weapon.
And those who examine the scene
Of the crime are nearly all struck at
the spot selected-if selected it was
: lady IS Judge Watson calls Mrs.
seattle. Other parts of the Midlo-
THAN Road are far more secluded.
Several habitations are almost
within call, while three or four miles
! farther up there are lonely sections
whore solitude reigns undisturbed.
| Would not these have been better
Tor the preparation of so dark a
( deed?
ON the other hand. the evidence to
| tho effect that the prisoner made no
cry for help and failed to stop at
any of the habitations mentioned does
not look good for him.
But 10 the mind of this writer, the
gun feature of the case is the most
puZzling of all. Looking at the mat
/ ter one way. it seems that Beattie
really wanted it found. but looking at
il another way, it would appear that
ne hoped the Belt Line train would
mutiIate il beyond Identification. yet
il ne actually did wish it crushed be-
rond identification, why did he in
the beginning. ask Cousin Paul 20 buy
il Tor him?
Prudence in one direction ought to
Sr"sest prudence in another.
80, the case still has its elements
/ 1T mystery and the trial is still in its
! inCipiency. 1t may be several days
Vet before the public has its curiosity
7 satisfied; indeed. the public may never
have all its questions answered.
! The DreSent indications are that the
trial will last at least ten days more
l1nd probably longer. And until Paul
'Beattie and Beulah Binford have
their say and set themselves up as
targets for \the defense, it might he
Wen 20 defer predictions the
outcome Of the famous inQuisition.
4 Meanwhile Henry c. Beattie. what
ever be his morals, is at least theo-
.oretic3lly innocent of wife-murder.