The Camden chronicle. (Camden, S.C.) 1888-1981, December 01, 1911, Image 8
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ALOCPTl
v? i ? ? :
TCOrtONC
?ILLY CALOWKLL. I
"Th? Bwiiatth" ?M his Indian
tula. He was better known to r?d
and whit# men alike aa "Oapt Billy
Caldwell." h? waa half P&Uwnt?
mie, half white. Hla immediate na
tionality ?u ?vm mora mixed than
hie ancestry. On hie mother's aide ha
came of the blueet Pottawatomie ln>
dlan stock. His father wae an Irish
offloer. He was brought up a French
man, received a oeptaJnoy from the
British government, and wae a civic
official In the United Statea. rirat
and last, however, by hla own ehotoe.
he regained an Indian ohla/.
Caldwell waa bom In XTiO la Can
ada. As a child he fell under the
wise, kindly Influence of the Detroit
Jesuits, From tbera he received an
excellent education and became maa*
tor of both the Frenoh and Knglleb
languages lu addition to his knowl
edge of many native Indian dlalecta.
When only a lad be met the great
recumseh aud Instantly enrolled him
He'f ?b that Shawnee spellbinder's ad
mirer and disciple. The two wero dear
friends until Tecumseh's death. But
the Shawnee could never Imbue. Cald
well with hli* bitter haired against the
white men. Although Caldwell pro
claimed himself a loyal Indian he
could never wholly forget that he was I
half Kngllsh. He fought for the Brit- 1
Ish against the United States In the
war of 1812. Rising rapidly In rank
he became captain In Groat Britain's
"Indian department" Though he
lived In the United States after the
war was over, he never renounced bis
allegiance to tho British orown. He
held office under our government; but
wan proudest of his rank of captain In
England's army. Apart from this cap
taincy, he whh also a chief of the Ot
tawim and tho Pottawatoraies.
The Chloago Msssaore.
Caldwell Is said by somo historians
to have been florcost of the Indian as
sallants at the "Chicago maBsacro" In
1812. Others say ho refusod to take
Part In the conflict.
When tho prisoners there who had
escaped the hatchots and rifles of tho
attacking Indians wore dragged to an
open squaro for torture and death,
Caldwell hurled himself between them
nnd their bloodthirsty captors. By
pleas, throats and cajolery he saved
many of tho holpleos prisoners from
? ho fate that usually overtook such
unfortunates as foil Into hostile In
dian hands.
,( Henceforth, Caldwell was known as
tho white man's friend." This fact
umd9 some of his Indian comrades
hnto him; and inoro than one plot
was formed for his assassination. Yet.
undisturbed by pralno or hate, ho con
tinued to befriond the Bottlers and to
administer wisely tho affairs of - his
own people.
? By 1820 Chicago had becomo a
thriving settlement for what was thon
known as "the far west." And, leav
ing tho wild life of his people, Cald
well weijt to Chicago to llvo ua tho
white man did. This caused otlll
further ill-feeling among tjio Pottai
wntomies and Ottawr.s. But tho man's
!r?n will dominated tho situation,
hven as ho was half white and half
Indian by birth, so ho lived among the
white townsfolk and at tho same tlmo
held liis rank among the savages.
So readily did Caldwell take to the
ways of his adopted people and so
quickly did he demand the 'respect
and trust of tho western pioneers that
in 1826 ho waa sworn In as a Juatioe
?f peaco. Ho sat In Judgment on
countless Involved frontier cases
where his ehrewd common sense and
Ideas of right more than counterbal
acted hla partial lgnoranoe of law.
Tho End of a Career.
8o many clashoa between settler*
and Indiana did he avert that the gov
ernment decided to reward him Ac
cordingly, in 1838, the Indian depart
ment built for him the first frame
house evor erected In Chicago. It waa
situated near the corner of Chloago
avenue and North State street. There
Caldwell lived until 1886. Then he
went back to the Indians of hla own
tribes and settled with them at Coun
cil Bluffs, la. In tho meantime the
government had presented him with
a 1.240-acro tract of land on the north
branch of the Chicago river. He sold
this for a trifling sum before he turn
ed hi* back on civilisation.
Aftor a 16-yoar sojourn wtth white
men. the old Sauganaah found rough
Indian life less to his taste than he
had hoped. Yot he stayod with hie
tilbcBmen at Council Bluffe until hla
death on Sept. 28, 1841.
Billy Caldwell, the Saug*nash. had
a less melodramatic career than did
niaity other famous Indiana. Yet ha
d d more than most of them to help
a ong tho cause of progress and civil
ization in the far west. To him. In
groat measure, waa due the usually
peaceful relations between settlers
and savages In the semi-lawless sec
tion whore ho waa so feared and hon
ored. ^
Heavy Weights Transported.
At Swlnton, near Manchester, Kng
laiid, many years afro, during a deluge
of rain, lightning suddenly filled a
brick building, in which coal was
stored, full of pestilential, sulphurous
vapor. Suddenly the building, the
walls Of which measured nearly a foot
In thickness, was torn out of the
ground, the foundation being noarly
two feet deep, and transported in an
upright position to a distance of near
ly 33 feet. The weight moved vm
? I.*. nui tod at more than eleren tons.
H. C. BEATT1E PUT TO DEATH
LEFT WRITTEN CONFESSION
? .. !?. t
MAN'H IlKMAIUiAULI NKKV1G UK
NAINKU WITH HIM TI LL THE
KND. ? HI;rIK!> IN MAUKIQY
(JKMKTKIiy HI NIIAV MOWN I KG
AT DUNKIlUh-FKW 1'HKMKNT.
Richmond, Va., Nov. 14. ? Henry
Clay BoattJe. Jr., wont t4 ble
death at 4?wn today the eeif-?on
(Mied murderer of hie young wife.
?he confession wee not made PV*>
o until- tour hour* #. luut
paid the toll exacted by the lew.
He maintained to the end the re
markable nerre he had eahlblted
since first he was aceueed of kill
ing till wife on the lone Midlothian
turnpike on the night of July 18.
Hid last expression wee a eneer as
he observed tho chair that wae to
lauuch blm Into eternity.
The confession wae made public
lu the rotunda of a down-town ho
tel by the Hev. BenJ. Dennis, one
of tho ministers who had labored
with Beattle to repent. As a mat
ter of faot, It wus acknowledged by
the minister that Beattte first ad
mitted his guilt November 9, the
day after he entered the death cell
and before the fruitless appeal for
a commutation of the sentence was
made to Gov. Mann. It was not
until yesterday that he would ^gree
to Its being put In (writing for his
signature. Then all hope with Oov.
Mann waB gone. The extraordina
ry document follows:
"I, Henry Clay Beattle, Jr., de
sirous of standing right before
God and man, do on this, the 23rd
day of November, 1911, confess my
guilt of tho crime against me.
MUch that was published concern
ing the detf*yis was not tru^, but
the awful fact, without the har
rowing circumstances, remains. For
this action I am truly sorry, and
belj^vlug that 1 am at peace with
Uod and am soon to pass Into His
presence, this stutement Is made."
Beattlo's confession was followed
by this statement by the attending
ministers:1
"ThlH statomont was signed in
the presence of tho two attending
ministers and Is the only statement
that can and will bei mndo publlo
by them.
"Mr. Beattio deslrod to thank tho
many frlendB for kind lotters aiul
expressions of Interest and the
public for whatever sympathy was
felt or expressed."
Seattle's attitude throughout tho
trial and tho Imprisonment that was
ended only- on his death was u stu
dy for a psychologist. Ho read the
newspapers avidly. Every refer
ence to Mb cubo and to tho fact
t?iat ho was going to the chair with
out acknowledging his crime in the
hope of saving his) aged father fur
tlio.* sorrow, according to those
wto were with' him to tho end,
seemed to afford him supreme sat
isfaction. Apparently he gloated
over the notoriety his crime had
brought him.
Even after his confession he
maintained his air of bravado.
What had since November 9th
been considered stoicism now is
recognised as cynicism. His re
markable nerve seems to have had
its basin and support in the know
ledge that he was being applauded
tve a man of Spartan courags and
Inflexible will.
The secret of his confession was
held inviolate by tho ministers un
til today. Not even the broken
hearted father knew of Its exist
ence, friends of the family declare.
Not until four hours after he had
beer> pronounced dead in the death
chamber of the state's prison were
the murderer's attorneys cognisant
that he had made a clean breast of
his guilt.
With the Intrepidity that had
marked his conduct from the be
ginning, Beattle wont to the chair
and brought the sordid story to a
dramatic end.
The shock that killed was given
at oxactly 7:19 o'clock. Three
tlmeB the current wus turned on
and at 7:23 It was shut off. Doc
tors W. T. and St. Jullen Oppenhel
mor a minute later announced that
death had been Instantaneous.
The 2 2 person b fa the dpath
chambor thereupon filed out and
tho end of a lengthy and costly bat
tle* for Justice had ended.
In addition to the two physi
cians thero were gathered in the
death house when Beattle appear
ed tho 12 witnesses to the execu
tion ad roqulred by law, the Rev.
John J. Fix, tho Rev. BenJ. Den
nis, MaJ. James B. Woods, superin
tendent of the penitentiary, tho
electrician and four deputy ward-j
nns. The room was flooded with
light from a group of incandeecent
lamptf set in the low ceiling and a
light that ewung on its cord Imme
diately above the chair.
There was no conversation. The
witnesses labored under too grsst
a strata and all, even the prison at
tendants, seemed 111 at mum and
anxloua to toe dona. Tha electrician
f brought) a board atuddad w|tb eiao
trlc bulb* add laid It a?roaa tba
arm A of tba chair. Tha lamps bias
ad brightly. Then lu other wa ys
tha instrument of daath waa taatad
and finally at a algnal attandanta
want over the apparatus, attaching
tha deadly eleetrodea and teatlng
tvary strap and olamp.
Wluu the preUuiiuarlee were ov
er, Maj. Wood*, accompanied by
tvo deputlee, threw back an Iron
atuddad door and atarted for the
death oell.
Instantly the death chamber waa
plunged in blackneea with the aft
cefrftion of a vivid circle of light
from the hooded and powerful
lamps above the chair, The chair,
au oaken bit of furniture, which,
except for atrapa aud ateel bands,
might grace any library, waa on a
rubber mat, All but it waa obscur
ad, the daullng raya from the low
awlnging lamp throwing everything
else Into darkness ho dense as al
most to be felt.
The little party in tho chamber
(heard the superintendent a few
feet away droning out the death
warrant. Deattle listened to It
with Intensity, but did not flinch.
He stood during tho reading as is
the oustom, and when it was ended
he swayed just a trifle but quickly
recovered. **
Then, without assistance, he took
his place between the guards and
began his march to tho unknown.
His entrance to tho death oham
ber was as flramatlc as anything he
ha'd done sincei first he commanded
tho public eyo. He halted for a
moment on tho threshold, looked
on tho chair with an inscrutable
Hmile that had in it' the hint of a
sneer, and then walked briskly for
<ward. Not once did he deign to
Btrlvo to pierce the blackness out
side his circle of glowing light.
It had been feared that the pris
oner would flinch when the moment
Icamo to seat himself in the chair.
There was* no trepidition and not a
hint of hesitation in Beattle's atti
tude. Still wearing his peculiar
smile, half amused and half cynical,
he stepped lightly into tho seat,
?Mtled himself M though he had
Mn looking forward to the raat,
end drifted the attendant* in ad
Justing th? strap* and clampe by
placing hla i.rma and hand* in the
proper position*. The only Indica
tion that he wai undar a ttarvoua
?train waa dlacloeed by bia tightly!
clenched taatb. purine tha faw aa
oonds praoedlng tha turning on of
tha currant BaatUa moved once.
? While tha attendant* wara etep
plng back, ha equeeaed hla feet
back aa though to aaak a ?till mora
comfortable position. At tha aaina
tlma ha raiaed hla haad. now al
most completely bidden by tha
iaathar halmat that covered tha up
par part of hia head and faoe. The
bant aacond tha shock cam*.
Whan tha lavt waa avenged and
tha wltnaaaaa wara gona tha prison
attendants removed tha body to tha
toaortuary room which adjoins tha
'death chamber. There it lay for;
four hours until an undertaker, au
thoilced by tha Baattia family to
prepare it for burial, removed it to
hla morgue. Later It waa taken to
the Seattle home.
Events moved so rapidly during
the day that Richmond still la gaap
ing. The sudden production of the
murderer's* confession caused a
profound sensation. There had
been rumors of the existence of
touch u document, but the rumors
were based on nothing tangible.
?arly and persistently they were de
nied, the family of the slayer, by
the attorneys who had taken part
to the caae and by the prison au
morltles. The ministers refused
to discuss the reports, putting off
all Interrogators with the simple
'statement that they hoped for a
confession.
The acknowledgement of his
crime by Beattle was nowhere ra
celved with more satisfaction than
In the executive mansion. Governor
Mann, who resisted all pressure
brought to bear upon him to com
(raute the sentence or to issue a
reprieve has worried himself Into a
state bordering on a nervous break
down, thi*u entertaining the fear
that b,o might be permitting an In
nocent man; to go to his doom.
, The same deep satisfaction is
fehared by! the Jurors who convicted
Beattle, the attorneys who prosecu
ted him and by the witnesses whose
evidence 'sent bftn to the chair.
Beattle was convicted solely on
circumstantial evidence. There was
no one found wlio had seen the fa
tal shot fired nor any person who
could d eay e?fhMM?y the Illog
ical ?tory of the tall, bearded MjB(
the mythical pereon whom Seattle
(chatrjtod with the warder. tfklu
<U*ibt, Ip. the fa oe of dfemnlag ctr
eamstentlsr evidence, so linked, m
to bo practically conclusive, thus Is
sleared away by the >layer? pothu
Sus acknowledgement of a mur
? tbat baa held the interest 0 f
whole country.
, Bsuied at HooiIm,
I Richmond, Va., Not. SC. ? By the
fltrt of tka wfffc wbom ha murder
ed on July It, tUo body of Henry
Clay Beatlla, J9, waa burled la
Maury oemetery gMU? attar eon
rise today. Theiw ?as a brief mp
lift at the Neitfii^ attended ou
ly by members of the family and
el*ht friend* who aerved as pall
bearer*. aful then the Pfoeesslon 1
adored through the ellent etreete of
SOtith Richmond. Rev. John J, rox,
who prayed with Beattle Just be
fore . ho waa lad , 1a the dtath
chamber on Friday inernlng, read
tho servloe of tha Presbyterian
church, his voice being, broken at
tlmee by sobs, *
To' guard against possible an
noyanoe, the exact hour of J:he fu
neral was kept secret until mid
night last night, and consequently
there were no morbid crowds at
the Beattle home or cemetery. Two
police officers In plain clothes, were
on duty, but the hearse and seven
carriages had reached the grave be
fore the cRy waa astir. When the
burial waa concluded, Henry Clay
Beattle, Sr., left with Douglas, his
ton, and Haxel, his daughter, and
two aunts of the murderer. The
aged father's grief was Intense.
The pallbearers, boyhood friends
of Beattle, were asked by him to
derve. Several of them had testi
fied In his defeuhe at the trial and
one was his best' man when he and
Louise Wellford Owen were married
exactly one year from the date he
pleaded not guilty; of her murder
In court. A florists' wagon, com
pletely filled with flowers, entered
the cemetery gates Just after day
light, and today the mound of
earth waB hidden beneath chrysan
themums and Immortelles.
| After It beoame known that the ,
funeral had already been held, a
tremendous crowd visited Maury
cemetery, t Double ropes were plac
ed around the Beattle section, and
two mounted policemen, In addition
to officers afoot, kept the crowds
back. There was riro disorder, how
^ - 1 ? impn
?fir, and oo attempt to Ukt ?W?qr
tu? flotwr*
ji" of '? .' v* ( y-^jW
*8? &J5F& V3& <?
.71
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