Newspapers / The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, … / Sept. 8, 1911, edition 1 / Page 1
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't . 1 drf g earning ONE CENT S3 0 VOL. IT. NO. 59 WEAT3EEER: Probably fair to-night CHARLOtTE, JT. C, FR7 1 5T, SEPTEMBER 8, 1911. an ndSaturday. PT?Tmm nxnr. mnxrnr on Trains wvju j-j i Cents to p OF THE BEATTIE THE GINNiNG OF COTTON UP TO TRIAL DRAWS NEAR V 1 , - - TTTVTTTiV SEPTEMBER Attorney Smith Ends The Argument For The Defendant At IflE aSE MkY GO TO (wealth's Attorney Wendenburg To Use Remainder Of Day In Last Argument For Prosecution- Ver dict May Possibly Conle Some Time To-Night & Associated Press. CHESTERFIELD C. H., Va., Sept. t -Henry Clay Beattie, Jr., on trial f07 the murder of his wife today jeirched with unbroken gaze for hours the expressionless faces of the 12 country folk who hold his fate for some manifestation, however re mote, of yielding to the deep voiced l5peal of his attorney, Harry M. Smith. Jr. It was a stare of manifest anx uty. But the jurors held their' se jrt Some of the eyes in the jury joj followed carefully the full ges tured speech of the tall man at the jar, earnestly beseeching them to consider the past good character of accused and the inconceivability ,(the murder being committed "by tman of Beattie's alertness and in telligence" Others of the jury look ed distantly through the window op josite them, wearied of meeting the ms of a gaping crowd which for a formifht had concentrated its ob jerrauon on them. Mr. Smith reviewed the evidence in detail and continued the impeach ment of Paul Beattie's testimony as tie kevstone of his argument. He ipoiefor four hourf, concluding just Wore the luncheon recess. L. O. "Kesiaiburg of the prosecution be gja'ie closing speech in the trial this jternoon. lire you not thought," said Mr. Mk !n conclusion, "that a verdict of pita? ' means also the death of tlw lather and the disgrace of the ltd steer. Moreover, near here there i a little boy who cannot even lisp .3 prayers. Its mother is gone mix you are asked to brand the fckr as the coldest blooded assas fi of the twentieth century. May God give you wisdom to do your dor?.'' The ending of the argument for the defense at the recess hour indi ated that the case would go to the Jury about 3 or 6 o'clock tonight. Prosecutor Wendenburg said at noon that he would occupy the rest of the afternoon with his speech. To Know Fate By Midnight. Before midnight to-night Henry flay Beattie, Jr., indicted for foe murder of his wife, prob will know his fate. Before sun set Ham- M. Smith. Jr., counsel' for the defense, and L,. O. Wendenburg, prosecuUng attorney for the Common eal:h of Virginia, will have conclud d their battle of words and the evi nce will be in the hands of the 12 ftrymen, who. it is expected, will find a verdict to-night. The final argu ments began earlier than usual and though they were expected to end at ftndovn this was by no means an fcsured fact. todge Thinks Ca-e "Will End To-Day "1 expect the case to go to the jury to-night." said Judse Watsnn hfnre ft, court convened this morning'. but cannot Vv. i ttent has not been limited as to time. epect Mr. Carter, for instance, not occupy all afternoon yesterday, (uthe did so and its possible that 1 Mr. Smith uses the greater part of t0"(3a" Mr. Wer.denburgs concluding Jemarks may have to go over until -morrow. i knoTV the Jurymen are nxious l get to their homes and if e can Possibly get through to-night snail urge the lawyers to endeavor to do so." A Bitter Fight. the- fT&3 a bUter fight env,6l0Plnff a11 ivas 'ietails of criminal law that toi-Sta?ed at lhe historic courthouse to J betWeen Attrneys Smith and "aenburg, close friends and stud leakers they fought to-day for fc -sa.nst the life of young Beattie. Boun mith' a man of 50, of pro last C, Southern dialect, began the ineaea f0r the prisoner with but a 8 6 crowd the court room. Smith Sneaks. contir h hiD K ne llne of attack begun day "sue, win carter, yester- against the veracity of Paul -A cousin of ti o .i 6 most sontatlA.. l Li itiRt tt "-'vuo4 leniunony Bmith 9 Ilay Beattie, Mr. 6 nnr Q away at the story of PUrch; antai f the chain of rcm iUon eviQence forged by the prose- '-fare 0 T57Wendenl?tl'g Prepare. nourg, state's attorney,, Noon To-Day JURY BY 6 O'CLOCK a spectacled man of .florid face, sat calmly at the bar, carefully taking notes preparatory to his rply which will close the case and leave it with the jury. . Prisoner Assists Counsel. Henry Beattie, in a light suit and sl whip: cravat, sat close to Mr. Smith while he spoke and assisted him con stantly in finding pages in the thick typewritten records of the testimony, He followed the argument closely and with interest. Mr. Smith began speaking at 9.20 o'clock. Mr. Smith Begins. "I congratulate and thank you," he said, addressing the jury, "for the very manifest patience with which, you have conducted yourselves dur ing "this trial and the attention you have given the evidence. I am sure that whatever the evrdict may be, it will be a conscientious one. Mr. Carter's Speech Referred to. "The masterful argument of Mr. Carter yesterday has made it unnec essary for me to detain you with a protracted argument. Of his argu ment I am sure there found a lodg ment in your heart that he was en deavoring to throw light on this case, that he was not appealing to your passions or prejudices but to' your intellect and conscience. We feeJ that this is a case filled with a great deal of food- for reflection. ' We know full well that upright, intelli gent men may well differ as to cer tain features of the evidence. We do not anticipate and do not fear at your hands a conviction. What we are troubled about is those of you who are satisfied that you cannot bring in a verdict of guilty and yet cannot assent to a verdict of not guilty. Yet we will endeavor to show you that if that Is your frame of mind we are entitled to an acquit tal. That proposition is made plain to youjby the instructions." Cites Kestleberg Incident as Danger ous. " He cited the Kestleberg incident as an instance of the danger of circum stantial evidence. "You heard the boys testify," he continued, "of their trip from Ben Air, how they saw a man in front of an automobile and a woman on the running board. How must you have felt when Mr. Kestleberg himself came forward and thrust . aside all suspicion that Henry Beattie or his wife were in that machine. This, gentlemen, illustrates the danger of making up your minds until a case is closed, a pit into which many Jury men and even Judges often have fal len. ' Don't Know Theory of Prosecution. "With all due respect to the gen tlemen who opened the case for the Commonwealth we do not yet knn the theory of the prosecution. He who closes for the Commonwealth, therefore, has a distinct advantage in weaving together theories from facts we have not known. What can have been the purpose of Mr. Syd nor's testimony that he saw a young man alone on the Midlothian turn pike early on the evening of the trag edy? It must be that they think the accused went to the stump they have talked about and placed the gun there a few hours before the crime. But here is a man of intelligence, who, on the witness stand, must have impressed you, man of kind j waB guilty of this crime. The ques disposition andyyet they want you to tion nas probably occurred to you believe that he prepared in this blun- as to what our theory is. But the in dering fashion for the crime, the i gtruetions distinctly point out that It more hellish and brutish has seldom been heard of." Mr. Smith dwelt at length on the question of reasonable doubt re treading the instructions to the jury on this point. Beattie's Days at Home. It is inconceivable, he added, "that thi6 young man could for three days live in. the same house with his dear father and loving family, could kiss rhem each niglit with this terrible Crime on his mind. It's inconceivable gentlemen. "In taking away a human life, you face to face with God Almighty and unless you are cemvinved to a moral certainty that this young man committed r.thto dtfll!X- must of necessity bring in a verdict of not guilty. Must Have Been An Idiot "You have been shown- the dan gers of circumstantial evidenc but I will show you that the accused must have been only a blundering idiot to have committed the murder. For he then picked out a much trav elled road where everybody could see him. In full view he hides a gun. I may as well say that if he thought out or planned this crime why, can you tell me should he have used a shotgun when a pistol, . easily pro- l cured and easily concealed without taking anybody into his confidence could have been used." Morji Than One Life at Stake, jj "Gentlemen, ;there is more than one human life at stake not only the life of this young man but that gray haired father, the future of the bro ther and the- good name of a sister. They all appeal to you, clarion tongued, to give them the benefit of the doubt. I want to say here what I am glad to say of an old friend that I would be glad to rest this case on the testimony of Tom Owen, uncle of the dead woman., who was the fairest man I ever saw on the witness stand. Tom Owen was the first person to whom this boy opened his lips when he brought in his dead wife. Gentle men, if there were any discrepancies in his story they would have appear ed before and I offer to rest your judgment with that testimony alone." Called by the Court. "Our mail has been flooded." said Mr. Smith, "with newspaper clippings and letters from people from allAjver the United States telling of the dan gers of circumstantial evidence." "I don't think you should have mentioned that," interjected Mr. Wendenburg. "Well, if it is wrong, I hope hi honor will rule it out for I want to secue a verdict only : by fair and rightful means." Mr. Smith's argument was a close review of the evidence with partic ular stress on the reluctantly given testimony of Kestleberg as a spectre of circumstantial evidence. Danger of Circumstantial Evidence. "I don't ask you," said Mr. Smith, "to believe all the' testimony of Kes tleberg. I don't ask you to believe that he didn't know the woman he was out with that night. He said that to save trouble in two homes, but what , you must believe tB that !t was his car and not Henry Beattie's which the boys saw." Characterizing Paul Beattie as a "moral wreck" the lawyer held up the testimony of the cousin as influ enced by stronger minded detectives. Doesn't Think Paul Beattie Guilty. "I do not believe that Paul Seattle is no necessary for us to locate, the criminal agent. It isn't our duty to do it. Suppose Paul Beattie did buy" that gun to use on Mayo's bridge. Suppose Nebim is telling the truth and Paul Beattie did have a gun in the cement house on Sunday morning. Suppose that gun was stolen by some tramp and the tramp killed Mrs. Beattie and suppose that Paul Beattie was afraid to tell the story for fear that the crime would be fastened on him-r-I ask you does that seem a good reason for the shifting of the burden by this. weakling, Paul Beattie?" NEW YORK, Sept. 8. -All. grades of refined ' sugar were a.dvancel ten SWANSON AND MARTIN WIN, BY A WALK OVER RICHMOND, Va.t Sept 8. Fur ther returns received this morning from yesterday's Democratic primary (equivalent to an election indicate that last night's estimated majoity of 30.000 for Senators Martin and Svanson over, their oppwientk, Con gressmen Jones and. Glass,, will not be reduced mere fhan 1,000 by com plete returns.. . , , .. The, so-callo 'rganizaft0 is re joicing to-day vIh the victory of its leaders and is ' busy analyzing the legislative results. .... A surprise feature-of the returns is the defeat of Roscwell Page, of Han over, brother of Thomas "Nelson Page, by W. B. Walton, for .the House of Delegates by- 100 majority. An incident remarked upon is the election to the State Senate of Louis O. Wendenburg, associate prosecut ing attorney in the Beattie case, to the State Senate in spite of his ina bilty to make a campaign because of the trial. Judge J. M. Gregory, pros cutlng the Beattie case, was defeat ed for the office of Commonwealth's attorney. Dowager Queen Margherita of Italy, who . according to rumor, is soon to marry the greatest of Italian -poets, Carducci. SinceV the . death of King Humbert, the Queen has-been discon solate until lately the visits of the poet - to her ...began.- . The , matter Is the topic of discussion - throughout Italy and in royal and' court -circles all'ftvs-Europ s Mil aHfEtB B BLPBJ BJ BOLD ATTEMPT AT BANK ROBBERY IS , FOILED QUICKLY By Associated Press. LAUREL, Maryland, Sept. 8. A masked man entered the Citizens Na tional Bank here shortly after the opening hour this morning and at the point of a pistol demanded that the receiving teller hand over, all the money lying on the desk beside him The would-be robber wa- forced to fight before he could secure the mon- y by Cashier Waters, who flred- two hots at the fleeing man. -So far as known the cashier's shots did not take effect. When the stranger appeared in the bank only the receiving teller, A. R. Devans-anoV a customer were in the. outer office. Presenting his pistol he commanded both to throw up their hands following with a demand to the teller that he put thp money on the desk into a small sack which the hold-up man thrust through the win dow. vAt this point Cashier Waters, whose attention had been attracted by the sound of loud voices appeared in the doorway of his office, revolver in hand. He too, was ordered to throw up his hands and his response was a couple quickly fired shots. The maurauder did not reply in kind but dashed out into the street, dropping his mask and cap as he ran. He was chased through the streets but out distanced his pursuers and gained the shelter of the woods. A posse is searching for him. NEW ORLEANS IS PLANNING FOR CANAL OPENING NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 8, G. Gros venor Dawe, director general of the Southern Commercial Congress with headquarters in Washington and the executive committee of the United Americas 1913 cabinet discussed plans yesterday by which the Congress will invite the convention to this city dur ing 1913. "The celebration will be national in scope," said Mr. Dawe, "because the turning of, the water into the ca nal in the summer of 1913 will be in Itself a national event. The interest of the Southern Commercial Congress in the matter is logical and Wt- regard the completion of the canal as a means of carrying on our work." Mr, Dawe left last night for Port Arthur, Texas. He will arrive in El Paso September 11 to meet Col. B. C. Collier, director general of the San Diego Ipanama-Cahfornia Exposition. They will make a five thousand mile trip over the Southern ' States in the interest of the Memphis Congress Oc tober 19 MOURNED OVER BINFORD TRIED TO KILL HERSELF. y Associated Press. PENSACOLA, Fla., Sept. 8. After reading a story in in a newspaper that Beulah Binford would probably be prosecuted in connection with the Beattie murder in Virginia, Mrs. au ra Sullivan became despondent yes terday and swallowed laudanum with suicidal intent. The poison not prov ing fatal. Mrs, Sullivan thereupon stabbed herself in the side and head ! and tried to blow out her brains, tho bullet only making a scalp wound. She will recover. NEW YORK, Sept. . 8. It was an nounced' in - racing- circles, here to day that James A. Keene's Ballot, a son of Voiter, avid one of the leading horses in training here two or three years ago, has been sold to the Ger man imperial stud. The price is. said to he somejta-;i&(ftJ0r,' r SEPTEMBER CROP REPORT ANNOUNCED Department Of Agriculture Gives Monthly Estinate Of Crop Conditions GENERAL DECREASE AS TO FORMER YEARS s Report Also Gives an Estimate of the Amount of All Crop Productions for the Year as Estimated from Comparisons With Similar Condi tions for Former Years Acreage Yield Shows a Slight Decrease on Nearly All Crops Reported. WASHINGTON, Sept. 8. The Sep tember crop report of the United States Department of Agriculture Crop Reporting Board, issued at 2:15 p. m., to-day, shows the condition on September 1 and the yield per acre, as indicated by the condition on that date, of the, principal farm crops of the country, and the preliminary estimate of the total yield of hay, as follows: Corn: Condition, 70.3 per cent, of a normal, compared with 69.6 per cent, on August 1, 78.2 per cent, on Sept. 1, 1910, and 79.3 per cent, the ten-year Sept. 1 average. Indicated yield per acre, 73.6 bushels, com pared with 27.4 bushels, the 1910 final yield, and 27.1 bushels, the -average for the past five years. Spring Wheat: Condition, 56.7 per cent, of a normal at time of harvest, compared with 59.8 per cent, on Aug. 1, 63.1 per' cent, at time of harvest last year and 78.7 per cent, at time of hardest for the past ten years, in dicated yield per acre, 9.8 bushels, compared with 11.7 bushels, the 1910 .final yield, and 13. 5 bushels, the average for the past five years. , All Wheat. Indicated yield per acre, 12.6 bushels, compared with 14.1 bushels, the lSlO final yield, and 14,7 the average yield for the past five years- Oats: Condition, 64.5 "per cent of normal at time of harvest, compared with 65.7 per cent, on Aug. 1, 83.3 per cent, at time of harvest in 1910, and 79.5 per cent, the ten-year aver age. Indicated yield per acre, 23.9 bushels, compared with 31.9 bushels, in 1910, and 28.4 bushels, the aver age yield for the past five years. "Barley. Condition, 65.5 per cent, of a normal at time of harvest, com pared with 66.2 per cent, on Aug. 1, 69.8 per cent, at time of harvest in 1910, and 83.0 per cent, the ten year average. Indicated yield1 per acre, 20.3 bushels, compared with 22.4 bushels, the 1910 final yield and "24.8 bushels, the average yield for the past five years. 4 , Buckwheat. Condition, 83.8 per cent ,of a normal, compared with 82.9 per cent, on Aug. 1, 82.3 per cent, in 1910, and 87.1 per cent, the ten-year average. Indicated yield per acre, 19.6 bushels, compared with 20.9 bushels, the 1910 final yield, and 19.6 bushels, the average yield for the past five years. Potatoes: Condition, 59.8 per cent, of a normal, compared with 62.3 per cent, on Aug. 1, 70.5 per cent, in 1910, and 78.9 per cent, the ten-year average. Indicated yield per acre 74.2 bushels, -compared with 94.4 bushels, the 1910 final yield, and 96.9 bushels, the average yield for the past five years. Tobacco: Condition, 71.1 per cent, of a normal, compared with 68.0 per cent, on Aug. 1, 77.7 per cent, in 1910 and 82.3 per cent, the ten-year average. Indicated yield per acre 714.6 pounds, compared with 797.8 pounds, the 1910 final yield, and 826.0 pounds, the average yield for the past five years. Flax: Condition. 68.4 per cent, of a -hormal, compared with 71.0 per cent, on Aug. 1, 48.3 per cent, in 1910, and 81.8 per cent, on Aug. 1, 48.8 per cent, in 1910, and 81.8 per cent, the eight-year average. In dicated yield per acre 7.7 bushels, compared with 4.8 bushels, the 1910 final yield, and .9.9 bushels,; the av erage yield for the past four years. Ttice: Condition, 87.2 per cent, of a normal, compared with 88.3 per cent, on Aug. 1, 88.8 per cent. In 1910, and 88.3 per cent, the ten-year Continued on page 9 CHARLOTTE TO GET POSTAL SAVINGS BANS WASHINGTON, Sept. 8. Fifty postofHcee of the first-class to-day designated by Postmaster General Hitchcock as postal savings hanks to begin business October 7, in cluded: Mobile, Ala.; Fort Smith. Ark.; Augusta, Ga.; Charlotte, and Durham, N. C, and Beaumont and Waco, Texas. Record Reporf Given Out By Bureau Of The Census I Shows 771.415 Bales 300,000 BALES MORE THAN THE RECORD Report Shows That Ginning Opera tions Have Been More Active Up to This T.me YSris Yoar Than in Any Similar Period in the History of tho Industry Texas Leads With tho Number of Bales-Ginned and This Condition i Atb-muted to The Fact That The Weather Has Been Such That the Staple Matured Faster. By Associated Press. WASHINGTON, Sept. 8. The gin ning of cotton of the growth of 1911 was carried on more actively through out the cotton belt to September i this year than in any similar period in the history of the. industry, at least as far as accurate ginnings records have been kept. This is shown by the first ginning report of the season compiled by the census bureau from reports of its correspondents in the cotton growing States. A total of 771,415 bales had been ginned up to a week ago.. This is greater by al most three thousand bales than the previous record made in 1905, Dry Hot Weather Responsible. The continued dry and hot weather in a greater portiorkof the belt, espe cially in Texas, was chiefly responsible for the increase. These conditions meant the early maturing of the crop but this alone is considered not the cause of the greater ginning. Farm ers have been more active in getting their crop to the ginneries and, it is said, in some counties of Texas, where-the bulk of the increased gin nings was reported the entire crop practically already has been gin ned. Little Relation to Total Product. Little relation appears to exist, ac cording to census . bureau experts, be tween the size tof the crop and the quantity of cotton ginned during any period of the season. This is shown in the big crop years of 1904, 1906 and 1908, each of which produced more than thirteen million bales. In these years the total percentage of the crop ginned to September 1 was 2.8, 3.1 and 3.1, per cent respective ly, while In 1905, when the crop was 10,800,000 , 4.5 per cent of it was ginned by September 1. Last year 8.1 per cent of the total crop was ginned to September 1. The Report in Full. The first cotton ginning report of the season, issued to-day by Director E. Dana Durand, of the bureau of the census, Department of Commerce and Labor, shows that 771,415 bales, counting round as half bales, had been ginned from the growth of 1911 to September 1, compared with ,353,011 , bales of jthe growth of 1910 ginned to September 1, 1910, 388,242' bales for 1909, and 402,229 bales for 1908. Round bales included this year are 6,994 compared with 10,976 for 1910, 11.587 for 1909, and 20,84? for 1908. The number bt Sea Island bales In cluded is 539, for 1911, 218 for 1910, 1,236 for 1909 and 1,221 for 1908. Comparisons of the number of bales counting round as half bales, sinned to September 1 for the past four years, fol low. States 1911 1910 1909 1908 Alabama .. 40,500 4,196 13,535 26,298 Arkansas .. 170 28 449 333 Florida .... 3,764 608 3,542 2.624 Geirgia ... 134,075 20,499 106.301 64,639 Louisiana .. 7616 1,101 3,450 4,618 Mississippi .. 1,849 538 1,670 4,330 XN. Carolina 1,209 4 1,070 101 Oklahoma .. 4,205 398 1,370 S. Carolina 18,907 . 208 18,949 9,399 Tennessee .5 4 Texas .. .. 559,114 325,435 237,901 289,928 All other States 1 4 1 1 n V THE ASTOR-FORCE WEDDING BUT A FEW DAYS OFF (NEW YORK, Sept. 8. Friends of Col. John Jacob Astor were quoted to-day as authority forthe statement that his marriage to Miss Madeline Force will not be delayed more than a few days longer. The Astor yacht Noma was hurriedly coaled and pro visioned yesterday as they arrived at the Force home during the late af ternoon with sundry big boxes con taining various articles of the trous seau and purchases made by Miss Force during the day. v It is reported that a clergyman has been found willing to perform the ceremony, and- that it will probably take place in Connecticut, but no rec ords of, a license has been traced in that State. Hi sbIbhbI
The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Sept. 8, 1911, edition 1
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