The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1913-02-12
NOT GUILTY.

a . - . GO
NOT GUILTY. !.
News was flashed from
3" Aiken that the jury bad &C
quilted Frederick O. Beach On
the charge of murderouslyl as
seulting bis wife year ago,
Beach and his wife accusing
an unknown negro Of tho bru-
= tai crime.
. - . .
The State rested its case Wednes-
day In the sensational Beach trial
over at Aiken. The introduction Of
Beach,s jeweled Npenknife, upon
which one Of the States witnesses
claimed to have found traces OF
blood corpuscles, was tsld by the
prosecution until the last. It had
been anticipated BY the defense and
they were prepared to meet expert
testimony with expert testimony ev-
en- to the extent OF presenting a wit
ness who had examined the knife and
had failed, as he swore, to find any
blood cells.
Four Of the defense's witnesses
were examined during the afternoon
session OF the court and the testi-
mony of all OF them concerned the
knife. DR.. D. Hastings Wyman Jr.,
the third person Of the same family
to appear az q witness, testified at
the morning session that he had
made a microscopic examination Of
the knife q. the request Of Mayor
Giles and had found traces Of blood.
Later he said he took the knife to
Augusta, Ga, and submitted It to Dr..
c. D. Partridge Of the University OF
Georgia, an expert in microscopic
work, who. he claimed, refused to
express an opinion as to the presence
Of blood. Then he went to Coluu'
bia and obtained written opinion
there from Boy6en Nims, an analyu-
cal chemist, that there was blood on
the knife.
When the prosecutor announced at
the opening Of the afternoon session
that the State had presented its case,
the defense Immediately offered Dr..
Partridge as witness. DR.. Partridge
testified that he had examined the
knife and had informed Dr.. Wyman
that there was no blood there.
He gave the jury very technical
explanation Of the manner in which
he made his examination and was
making a very good witness for the
defense until Solicitor Gunter sot
hold Of him and begun suG!scting
him to searching questioning. I'm
mediately he became so confused
that he was unable to answer with
out long hesitation questions on the
subject which he has made 9 life
time study.
Didn't you refuse to put the Ne
suit Of your examination down in
~riting?" demanded the solicitor.
The witness did not answer.
Didn't you:" repeated the solici-
tor. There was a litter through the
court room when the witness eontin-
aed to remain silent. Finally he said
that he did not wish to make q writ
ten report.
"You were afraid it would fall IN
the hands Of the State, weren't your"
"No. I was unbiased- that
time"
But you have become biased since
then haven't you?"
"No."
DR.. Partridge again became ansled
when the prosecutor questioned him
about his direct testimony that the
knife had no broken blades when he
examined It.
"will you swear tha. the knife had
two blades?"
The witness hesitated then said:
"No. don't think can swear to It"
"But you did Just now." prodded the
prosecutor.
The witness remained silent for
long time.
"I think it's safe to leave out the
other blade" be then declared amid
lsughter.
On his direct examination Dr.. Par
fridge said that Dr.. Wyman brought
the knife to him on the morning Of
March 20 with request for an ea-ly
report because he wanted to stop q
man going out Of town who was &C
ing to leave at three" DR.. Wyman
on cross-exanination had denied
making any such statements.
Expert testimony was given for he
defense by DR.. T. F. Ortell Of Au-
gusta, formerly professor Of pathol-
ogy and microscopy at the University
of Georgia. DR.. Ortell declared that
he could not find flaws in the tech
nique employed by DR.. Partridge in
his examination as described in the
latter's testimony.
"Csn you dud Jaws IN the tecn-
nique used by DR.. Wyman?" asked
Attorney Fuller OF the defense.
eyes" he replied.
Anticipating that Solicitor Gunter
might contend in his summing up ar
gunent that one blade OF the knife
had been broken of by q blow at
Mrs. Beach's throat, the defense ask
ed the witness II in his opinion 1t
could have been broken In this mar
ner.
DR.. ortell said that he had made
an experiment on teh body Of a negro
with a similar knife, infscting such
wornd as had been made IN Mrs.
Feach's neck without damage to the