The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-05
Eight Witnesses Examined
in Effort to Show
Beach Guilty
CASE MAY GO TO
THE JURY TODAY
Testimony of Witnesses Agrees in
Main Facts-PrOsecution Directs
Efforts to Attempting to Pick
Flaws in Beach's Story

! Aiken. $. c.. February 4.-With the ex-
animation of eight witnesses the prosecu-
ton late today practically finished the
construction of its cireumstantlal case
against Frederick o. Beach of New York.
charged with attacking his wife. Two
or three minor witnesses probably viii
be called early tomorrow.
Mrs. Beach tomorrow will take the
stand to testify that it was a negro and
not her husband who slashed her throat
at the Beach winter home here last Feb
ruary.
Not one of the witnesses whose testi-
mony consumed the first day of the trial
could give details of the assault. Four
members of the Wyman family, living
across the street, told of a series of
screams from different parts of the Beach
premises about $3.50 O'clock on the night of
February 26. Two of them testified that
the dying echo of the last scream was
quickly followed by loud rapping on a
door and the sound of a mans voice ex-
claiming:
This is Beach, let me in
Through DR. Marion Wyinan. the de-
fense brought out the fact that Beach
had explained to him the next day that
after finding his wife prostrated, the vic
tim of n negro assaiant and after car
rying her into the house, he had gone
out again in search of the man. Re
/ turning, unsuccessful, Beach told him he
had knocked on the door to be admit
/ ted.
Attitude Not Strained
I Vr tSy,r,,,o, and ,ic "a thar 1or lin sf Ia, oe
| Wyn fi-s' outsiders TO see Mrs.
Beaet f.sr sha al lese s5ets .
mittee re Naafisa tne aa at.
| titude "et aud aiS ss4fe laHaHa facl
other N-- ana q atte sos 1aes fsee1ra
the room into which Mrs. Beacn lstu sseli
carried while blood was streaming from
wound in her neck, Just under the right
ear and Beach told them the story he
has since reiterated--that his wife was
attacked IN front OF their cottage by an
unknown negro while he was outside Civ
ing her dogs an airing.
Every effort of the prosecution today
appeared to be directed at picking flaws
| in Beaeh's story rather than at support
! ing its own contention that Beach at
tackled his wife after he had failed to
overtake white man he was pursuing.
Mrs Beach was the most conspicuous
| figure i'm the court room today She sat
| through the two long sessions taking an
| occasional note from the testimony and
chatting with her husband and friends
who surrounded her When she smiled
she displayed two rows of perfect pearl
white teeth Her sad brown eyes. alone
betrayed whatever anxiety she may have
felt
| She and her husband were almost the
! first ones to enter the court room and
| the last to leave it, At no time during
| the proceedings did Beach consult with
| his counsel. He seemed to think the ar
ray OF legal talent, both local and from
New York, was able to look out for his
interests.
Jury of COuntrymen
A jury of countrymen will decide the
guilt or innocence of the wealthy New
( Yorker. Seven of them are farmers and
one merchant and the others cotton mill
men. Each man answered unhesitatingly
| when asked If he could give the accused
fair and impartial trial.
| The jury was secured In % minutes
| Few of the members of the wealthy win
| ter colony appeared in the court room for
| the proceedings. Mrs. Beach kept hei
of the Indictment. while her husband
stared straight ahead of him, apparently
paying little attention to the proceedings.
Mr.. and Mrs. Beach heard the prose
cutting attorney attempt to prove to a
jury of countrymen that the New York
society man mad made murderous at
tack upon his wife with a penknife IN
Aiken last winter. Eleven witnesses were
called by the commonwealth and a slow
start was made In the examination. Pros
ecutor Gunter directed his efforts to at
tacking the story told by Beach and sub
stantiated by his wife, to the effect that
Mrs. Beach had been attacked by a ne
| gro when she left the house 10 give her
| dogs an airing. DR.. Hastings Wyman and
! his son, DR.. Marion Wyman, who at
| tended Mrs. Beach and dressed the wound
soon after Mrs. Beach was cut. expressed
| the opinion that the stab was inflicted
| from behind. The theory OF the prosecu-
! tion Is that Beach attacked his wife while
she was running away from him.
Physicians Examined
when court reconvened after luncheon
| the two physicians were the only wit
nesses who had been examined. Colonel
| Henderson indicated that he would ask
later to have the Jury inspect the prenl-
ICES of the Beach home. Mrs. Beach took
/ a keen interest in the examination Of the
witnesses and frequently dotted down
tContinued On Page Eighth
a DNnNA TEC