The Horry herald. (Conway, S.C.) 1886-1923, September 14, 1911, Image 3

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NOTED TRIAL Elds ia Ciiiictin ef Rich Yaaeg Mai ** far Mirdeiiog His Yaarg Wife. CASE WAS FOUGHT HARD The Jury Which Was Composed of 4 Farmers Sought Divine Guidance in lleaching Verdict?Prisoner and His Attorney Gives Notice of Their Intention to Appeal. Twelve Virginia farmers knelt at dusk Friday night in the obscurity of the small jury room of Chesterfield court house, praying fervently that they might pass Judgment aright on Henry Clay Beattle, Jr., Indicted for the murder of hie wifeu Grimly determined they arose a moment later and silently, one by one, recorded , a unanimous verdict of guilty. Pausing in solemn contemplation for 58 minutes, weighing carefully the meaning of their decision and once more on bended knees beseeching divine assistance that they might I not err, they filed into the hushed stillness of a crowded court room and with startling suddenness, 12 voices dnAtAAd of the usual one of the fore man, spoke the solemn word "guilt'y." f It was almost a dhout. The spectre of death which stalked the Midlothian turnpike July 18, last, when the life of Mrs. Louise Owen Beattie was taken away with the single report of a shotgun, stared hard at the young husband and, ready to claim Its victim of electrocution on Friday, November 24th, next.But the prisoner returned the gaze unswerving and unafraid. The court of appeals to be sure, will be asked to grant a writ of error and a lew trial. Young Beattie, cognizant of the legal weapons yet at his disposal, did not surrender. Instead he consoled his broken down father, white-haired and wrinkled, and comforted him as he whispered, "I have nrt lost yet, father." Unusual as has been the tragedy f and the grewsome stage where it oc> curred, the 12 juymen did not hesi' tate to admit to their friend that they etood in judgment not only over th& nnU klnn/lnJ milvjA* knit KnAn Vila VUlU'l/iUVIUCU I iiuiuui I/U t u^/v/u ?t iu martial Infidelity as well. It perhaift was the dramatic climax of Virginia justice Which in the last half century has swiftly sent to death such famous murderers as Cluverius, Phillips, and McCue. % At the close of a powerful argument by L. O. Wendenburg, the voluntary assistant of the Commonwealth in the case, the suspense was felt not alone in the court room but in Richmond where thousands of people waited the outcome. The jury had for eleven days heard evidence, for two days speeches, but the "words of Wendenburg rang in t their ears as they left the court room to find their verdict. "Let that man go free!" he crieu. "What! Let that man go free! Why the motherhood of Virginia, the womanhood of this nation, will shudder in terror as the security of its life is threatened. Let this man go free! The man who basked in the degraded 4 sunshine of another woman while at his home a young wife nursed his child? "Gentlemen, I merely ask you in the name of justice to do your duty." Mr Wendenburg concluded his address a few minutes after 5 p. m., a * brief respite was given the jury, and at 5:28 o'clock it began consideration of the case. For 58 minutes they were together in deep consultation, a jury of farmers, who each morning eanjg: hymns, and strove <to forget the story of dissipation, with its filthy chapters as related day after day on the witness stand. What had been generally predicted was true?their minds were well made up before they left the court room. W. L. Burgess, a square jawed man with an earnest 41 face, was elected foreman. They balloted and it was no surprise, they afterward declared, that all voted for conviction. They prayed that 'they might not take a life in vain, and they opened | their consciences to one another for nearly an hour, so that they might go back to the court room firmly convinced of their duty and of one mind. In the court room sat Henry Clay Benttie, Jr., the sporting page of a newspaper spread before him. But he did not read long. He folded the paper and concealed his face in it. T^ose who sat near the young man of iron nerve observed a twitching of his lips as though murmuring a prayer as he sat with closed eyes awaling the return of the jury. n?> raised nis neaa ror a mummix, uiuir ped the paper and again began reading. Then he whispered a few words to his father and brother. It was for them he felt and to them he coiinsel1 ed cheerfulness. ^ It was nearly dark In the court room when the Jury returned. Three oil lamps gave meagre lustre to the scene. Sunset's red rays still streaked through the windows. On every sill rested a telegraph Instrument and operators tensely waited for the announcement of the veiict. Masses of upturned faces stared at the Jurymen. Famous jurists looked down, too, from fly-specked paintings. In the minds of the eroir& remained the thought of the powerful speeea the prosecutor and his denounciation of the man who exchanged the glow of virtue for passion's ieeble taper." The court asked the prisoner to rise. He drew himself up calmly and waited. Have you gentlemen agreed on a verdict?" asked Judge Watson. "We have," said 'Mr. 'Burgess, the foreman. ? Ihe prisoner had confidently expected a hung jury, nor acquittal nor conviction. The court requested the audience not to manifest its approval or disapproval, whatever the verdict. "And what is your verdict?" asked Judge Watson turning again to Mr. Burgess. "Guilty," answered Burgees, but his voice was swelled by the shout of 11 others. Unversed in the law or forms of murder trials the jurymen had not specified what degree of murder. Asked what degree, Mr. Burgess answered simply, "guilty as indicted." Under Virginia practice murder is presumed to be second degee unless otherwise specified. It was incumbent on the Jury to fix the degree so Judge Watson addressed the Jurymen to confer again on the point and seven minutes later they conformed this time with the verdict of "murder in the first degree." The prisoner stood erect and motionless. His face, in color yellowish green throughout the day, was immobile. The light of the lamp cast a dreary shadow on his upturned chin as he faced the jury. His eyelids sagged but '11 ^ Va 11 n lr T r\ aloorltr OQ o A ho foot ? UJU UUt U1 1 II IV All O tV/ClU J gunv i<\> l?*0bened his eyes on the faces of the 12 men who had pronounced his punishment as If to penetrate their minds and determine the reason why. It was not a resentful expression, however, and when the court asked if the pisoner had anything to say he answered: "I have nothing to say." Then he sat down. , The perfunctory motions for a new trial were made by counsel for the defense. The usual granting of permission even to argue the point was denied, as Judge Watson, in a stern voire declared that all rulings of the court were on comparatively unimpotant details and in no way could have influenced the verdict. A stay of execution of 90 days was granted, however, in order to give counsel an i opportunity to apply for writ of error i when the court of appeals meets in < November. * ] i ? ? < SAVED TWO LIVES IN STORM. ! , ' i Ladies Rescued in Storm Give Proof of Their Gratitude. The News and Courier says to show their appreciation of his services Mrs. S. Eloesser and her daughter, Miss Rosabel Eloesser, of St. Matthews, S. C., have presented 'Mr. A. H. Aimers, Jr., of No. 402 Meeting street, with a pair of gold cuff buttons and a monogram scarf pin. Mr. Aimers saved the lives of these two ladies when the Mount Pleasant Ferry bridge was washed away dur- 1 img the storm. i It will be remembered that the Consolidated Ferry boat Lawrence left Charleston at 6 o'clock Sunday evening to bring a second load or passengers from the Island, but after reaching Mount Pleasant th? officers of the boat found it impossible to return. Mrs. Eloesser and her daughter were among those who had boarded the Lawrence in the hopse of being brought back to the city. When the alarm was sounded that the Ferry bridge was going there was a mad rush to the shore. Mr. Aimers, noticing that Mrs. Eloesser and her 1 daughter were among the last and might be too late to cross, picked them up in his arms and rushed over the bridge. Just as they left the bridge it gave way behind them. Mr. Aimers carried the ladies from house to house on 'Mount Pleasant, until finally they were taken in and given shelter at the home of Mr. G. H. Darby. The buttons and pin presented to Mr. Aimers are of the finest Quality. The tokens were accompanied by a note, in which both mother and daughter reiterated their thanks to Mr. Aimers. Mr. Aimers, being a very modest 'young man, nothing would ever have been known by the public of his heroic service on the night of the storm had not a personal friend told of the incident and exhibited the token to a reporter. 0 ? ? ? v Mistaken for llurglar. ( At Annlston, Ala., Dr. T. L. Smith, a well known dentist was shot an^ probably fatally wounded early Fr day by his roommate Joe S. Thom| son, who mistook him for a bu glar. Thompson was asleep wh< Smith returned from an entertain nient and fired before he recognized him. Negroes Go to Liberia. Becase he believes that under present conditions it is impossible for the negro to prosper in southern Ok lahomn, since- the recent race trouble there, Dovey Costner, a negro farmer, has announced that he will head a band of fifty negroes in an expedition to colonize in Liberia. Price Has Been Fixed. The National Farmers' Union has fixed the price of cotton for the months of September and October at 14 cents, and 15 cents for the balance of the crop not sold in those months. Now let ws all pull to carry out the wishes of the fanners as expressed by the Farmers' Union. 5: K -v: , LIQUOR FIGURES MORE BEER DRANK THAN WAS EVER DRANK BEFORE. Hud It Not Iken for the Prohibition Movement It Might Have Been Worse. There is mighty little encouragement for radical legislative temperance avocates to be derived from the recent figures given out by the internal revenue omce. rviiowing the high mark of 1907 there was a decline for a couple of years and it appeared that the great areas oi legislatively dry territory were having some effect upon the traffic. Then the tide changed the other way and for the fiscal year that ended on the 30th of June reached the enormous total of 134,600,193 gallone of whiskey, an increase over the preceding year of more than 8,000,000 gallons. The consumption of heer increased from 59,544,775 barrels in 1910 to 63,216,851 barrels in 1911 ? making a total combined increase for the year 121,049,823 gallons. Not only is the aggregate consumption greater but the per capita consumption would have been but for the ardent efforts of the prohibitions and those who think temperance is to be promoted by legislation of that character, no one can tell. It might have been more, though we are rather inclined to think that the law-making has been without appreciable effect, upon the whole. It may have been salutary and beneficial in some communities and it may have been just the reverse in others. This much is certain, if the sumptuary legislation has reduced consumption in the area to which it applies, the folks beyond its reach have suddenly developed an appetite and capacity for ardent spirits that is little short of alarming. Because of the increased per capita consumption this latter conclusion does not seem reasonable and in accordance with the facts. We know, of course, the figures are sometimes misleading but in this Instance we can see nothing in them more striking that the suggestion with which this article started, that there is mighty little in them that is encouraging to the advocates of extreme legislative temperance measures. REASON THEY WON'T SERVE. Women l?alk at Being Locked Up as Jurors With Met. A dispatch from Seattle, Wash., says mere men in those parts are jumping to the conclusion that the cause of woman suffrage gave itself an awful wallop because out of Uia f nr^ntv.U>raa nrnman whn ti n r n vug w TT I-1AI VV TV TV i?vy '? VI V drawn for jury duty In King County twenty-two avoided ae:vice on the ground that their sex permitted that they be exempt. Seattle men are saying that the women seek the glory of the ballot but don't want to assume its responsibilities. The women objected to being locked up all night with men jurors. The one woman out of twenty-three who was game did jury duty for three days. She said frankly she needed the pay that a juror receives She was excused after several days because the court found it inconvenient to lock her up with her eleven male colleagues. The woman jury system has been inaugurated in the State of Washington nevertheless. Out in the country the women are not called on to any ?reat extent as yet because the time intervening between the election which qualified them as jurors and the installment of the new system has not been attended by an election through which the names of women voters were placed in the general roll from which the names of jurors are drawn. In Tacoma the jury room has been divided by a curtain which does duty at night. In some of the other cities the men and the women have been escorted to separate rooms at night. In Gellingham the six men and six women chosen for a case were evenly divided on a verdict and after holding them for a day or so they were dismissed. Perisli in Collapse. The restaurant connected with the Eldorado, the largest theatre in Nice, France, collapsed Friday night burying a number of Italians in the debris. Late that night 11 dead and 16 severely injured persons had been taken from the ruins, but it was feared more persons still remained beneath the wreckage. It is said the building in which reinforced concrete was used was being hurried by the contractors, who were liable to a t K1 * ~ Jnli. ?kA<. AVAAA/1 IH'livy iu:u iui enun uivy iiicj1 cAtccued the contract time for finishing the structure. ? ? Charge Attempted Assault. Huford Young, a prominent young armer of the Walnut Grove section of Spartanburg county, charged with attempted criminal assault on a girl 14 years of age, was granted bail by Judge Hydrick of the supreme court Friday. Young spent last night in jail here, having been arrested on a warrant Issued by Magistrate J. Walter West of Walnut Grove. / 4 BREAKS THE RECORD TWICE AS MUCH COTTON GINNED NOW AS LAST YEAR THIS TIME. Continued Hot and Dry Weather in Southeastern Section of Belt Responsible for Increase. The first cotton ginning report of the season, isued Friday 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 Sentember 1. com oared with 3 53. Oil bales of the growth of 1911, ginned to September 1, 1910, 388,242 for 1909, and 402,229 bales for 1908. Round bales this year are 6,994, compared with 10,976 for 1910, 11, 587 for 1910 and 20,862 for 1908. The number of sea island bales included Is 539 for 1911, 218 for 1910, 1,236 for 1909 and 1,221 for 1908. Comparisons of the number of bales, counting round bales as half bales, ginned to September 1, for the past four years follows: Alabama, 40,5000; Arkansas, 170; Flerida, 3,764; Georgia, 134,075; Louisiana, 7,616; Mississippi, 1,849; North Carolina, 1,209; Oklahoma, 4,205; South to oat . Tt ^ ^ r . m ? /Uiuiiuu. io,9vi, Jtfiiueasee, i>, ic&uj, 559,114; other states, 1. The ginning of cotton of the growth of 1911 was carried on more actively throughout the cotton belt to September 1 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 reports of the season compiled by the census bureau from reports of its correspondents in the cotton growing States. A total of 7 71,415 bales has been ginned up to a week ago. This is greater by almost 300,000 bales than the previous record made in 1905. The continued hot and dry weather in a greater portion of the belt, especially in Texas, was chiefly responsible for the Increase. These conditions meant the early maturing of the crop, but this alone is considered a cause of greater ginning. Farmers 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 ginning was reported, the entire crop practically already has been ginned. Little relaxation appears to exist, acording to the census bureau experts between the size of the crop and the quantity of cotton ginned during any period of the season. This is shown in the bis: cron of 1904. 1906 and 1908, each of which produced more than 13,000,000 bales. In these years the percentage of the total crop iginned to Sept. 1 was 2.8, 3.1, and 3.1 per cent respectively, while in 1905 when the crop was 10,800,000, 4.5 per cent of it was ginned by September 1. Last year 3.1 per cent of the total crop was ginned to September 1. CLAIMS TWO MORE VICTIMS. Aeroplane Tank E.xplodqp Killing Two in Mid Air. Two more names were added to the long roll of persons killed this year in aeroplane accidents. Lieut. Newman, a German military aviator, started from Mulhansen, Germany, inursaay morning in me airecuuu 01 Strassburg, carrying a passenger M. Leconte, a French aeronaut. The aeroplane hardly had gone 15 miles when the gasoline tank exploded. The report of the explosion was audible for a distance of several miles. The machine dropped at Blizheim from an altitude of 60 feet and both aviators were instantly killed. Their skulls were 'broken and they were frightfully injured about the body. * ? GAVE MORPHINE FOR QUININE. The Wrong Medicine Proved Fatal to Young Woman, Miss Hattie Stogner, about 18 years old, daughter of J. W. Stogner, a well-known citizen of the Tabernacle section of Lancaster county, died Thursday evening from the effects of morphine given her by mistake for quinine by her father, the quantity given being about four igrains. The girl had complained of not feeling well and her father thought that a dose of quinine would relieve her. Unfortunately, however, he got hold of the wrong powder, which caused the deplorable accident. Reveals Secret in Sleep. At Oklahoma City, Okla., by talk ing In his sleep, Walter Hamilton revealed that he was an escaped convict and was arrested Friday. He escaped from the penitentiary at Huntville, Texas, five years ago, and has been living here for two years under the name of Jack Rogers. ? ? 0 ' . Mills Close Down. A dispatch from Fall River, Mass., says the cotton manufacturing plants closed until September 11. Seven mills were Idle tl}is week and others are on short time. The total curtailment tMs week amounted to 295,000 per cent of the usual output. THEY OPPOSE TAFT CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED FOK SEXATOD LA FOLLETTE. Democrats Will Carry Minnesota if the President is Denominated, Said One of the Speakers. Senator La Follette found an ard nt champion and President Taft an avenging insurgent In Congressman Lenroot of Wisconsin at a banquet of'Minnesota Progressive Republicans at Minneapolis Thursday night. The Wisconsin congressman and Prof. C. E. Merriam, of Ch'cago, late Republican candidate for mayor of that city, were the principal speakers, although State Senator Ole O. Sageng, of Ottertial County, "a La Follette man.' stood in the lime light long enough to say that a "clean Democrat in all probability would carry Minnesota if Taft were renominated." The banquet formaly opened the La Follette campaign in Minnesota for the nomination for president on the Republican ticket. "The United States senate for years," said Congresman Lenroot in the course of his address, "has been looked upon as the very citadel of special privileges." Having paid exalted tribute to Senator La Follette as a constructive statesman and an indefatigable foe of "the interests." the sneaker said; "Great progress has been made, but it has been under difficulty." Here he arraigned President Taft for alleged unfaithfulness to the people. "Since March 4, 1909,'" he said, "it has been difficult to tell who was the president of the United States or where he should be placed." "Elected as a progressive Republican, President Taft chose a reactionary cabinet. Before election he condemned reactionaries and espoused the Roosevelt policies. After election he appointed IValliniger and retired Garfield and Pinchot. Every progressive Republican in the senate and the house incurred his displeasure, and Aldrich and Cannon became his advisers. "He then attempted to punish the progressive Republicans in the house and senate by depriving them of- all control over federal patronage. This act conclusively shows how little conception the president has for the character of the progressive Republi cans and what they are lighting for. If any progressive Republican had been coerced by this attempt of the president he would have been a traitor to the country." WOMAN RUNS GAMING HOUSE ? Minneapolis Society Ladies Lose Large Sums in Resort. At Minneapolis. Minn., an ultra fashionable gambling house has been closed by the police, after running for sevral weeks, during whilh time hundreds of women have been squandering their time and money in the place. A highly respectable society woman of the city ran the place. She was sitccesful in her enterprise and the curb at 723 Nicollet avenue was constantly lined with limousines and the town cars of the rich women. All sorts of games were played, the police say, a general raid would have been made, but for the select quality of the customers of the placo. The closing of the house was caused by the wrath of an irate well-to-do grocer at the city, who discovered that his wife had disipated a large portion of his bank .account In the beautifully furnished rooms at 723 Nichollet avenue. The owner was "brought up on the carpet" immediately, and closed the doors of the establishment to avoid troulbe with the police. FARMERS FIX COTTON PRICE. Fourteen Cents Until November and Then Fifteen Cent*. This year's cotton crop will be sold for 14 cents during September and October, 15 cents after that. This was the agreement reached Tuesday night by the cotton growers of the South attending the National Farmers union meeting at Shawnee, Oklahoma. Little of the proceedings of the union was made public, although the price the farmers ask for their cotton, good roads, parcels post and dabbling in cotton futures were discussed by the convention. Shot Four Times. At Natchez, Miss., Fred Dyers, a married man was shot and killed at 2 o'clock Friday morning by L. C. Spencer at the latter's home. Spencer re turned from Mobile unexpectedly and when he reached home he found Dyers in a room with his wife. He shot four times, each ball taking effect. Dyers' wife and daughter are visiting his brother in Washington, D. C. Stranded Steamer Saved. The steamer Lexicon, which was driven ashore at the mouth of the Edisto River, in the hurricane of last week has been floated by tugs and is now in a safe position. She had not taken any water and is not believed to be seriously damaged. ATTACK PURSER Big Ape Firieasljr Fights Officer the Deck ef the Steaaihip. CUMGS TO MAN'S NECK Sneaking I'p Stealthily, Orang-Outang Leaps on Man, and Is Strangling Him When Aid Comes.? Brute's Skull Crushed Before Its Paws Can lie Ix>osened. The New York World says an orang-outang four and a half feet tall, whose arms reached down to its ankles, made a savage attempt to choke the life out of Purser Pedd'y of the British freight steamship Pathan on the voyage which ended Saturday, when the vessel docked in South Brooklyn. The fierce brute relaxed its strangling hold on the [ purser's neck only when it was killed. The Pathan touched at several ports in the Far East, and in the cargo she took on were boxes and crates containing wild animals. In a crate was the orang-outang, fierce but sullen, seemingly brooding on revenge on those who had torn it from its jungle in Borneo. The Pathan steamed through the Suez Canal and t \e Mediterranean, then ran into a gale on the Atlantic soon after passing Gibraltar. As she pitched and rolled the crate prisoning the orang-outang was thrown across the hold and smashed. The anthropoid ape found itself at liberty. l.VIore silently than ever moved hu mtiii aoDtionui, tut; ftit'ai iiiuiiKuy uru[>t to the deck, where the purser was standing. Stealing up behind him, the ape sprang on him. "The first I knew that the orang had escaped was when its big, hairy paws closed around my neck," said Mr. Pedday Saturday. "I had just time to yell for help when the brute clutched me so tightly that it shut oft my wind. Second Officer Wilcox and some of the crew rushed to my rescue, but before they could reach me the orang had thrown >me on the deck and was strangling me. The instant Mr. Wilcox reached the deck he had grabbed an Iron bar and brought It down with all his strength on the orang-outang's head. Even such a terrific blow did not make the monkey relax its hold. Making fierce noises and snapping its bared teeth it held on until Mr. Wilcox caved in its skull with the bar. We threw its body overboard." The purser said his throat was badly bruised and cut by the orang's paws and nails and was sore for days. Besides, the attack was so sudden, so demoniac, that he suffered from shock for awhile. * ATTEMPT TO WRECK TRAIN. Obstruction on Track Between LatU and IHUon. A bold attempt was made to wreck a through passenger train on the short cut division of the Coast Line Wednesday night at or near the Buck Swamp aiding, between Latta and Dillon, where about six years ago Train 8 6, the Palmetto Limited, northbound, was completely wrecked. The switch light had been put out and a log chain was found wrapped around the rail and fastened to the ties. Had any of the trains hit the obstruction they would have been derailed and wrecked. At that point all trains usually speed along at about fifty miles the hour. The obstruction was found by the switch tender, he having noticed that the switch light was out and went to relight it. The Coast Line officials have ordered all trains to reduce speed and for engineers to run slowly between Dillon and Latta until further orders, and to keep a sharp lookout for obstructions on the track. Woman Badly Burned. At Sumerton a negro woman was horibly and perhaps fatally burned Thursday afternoon in the explosion of a kerosene can which she had in her hand while starting a fire in the stove at the home of J. W Lesesne, for whom she cooked. Enveloped in flames the woman ran screaming to a cabin 150 yards away, where the flames were extinguished after about half the surface of the skin of her body had been burned. The house of Mr.Lesesne was saved from burn- 0 ing only by hard work. Cause of Pellagra. The Buffalo gnat has been fixed upon by Henry Gar man, a government bacterologist and entomologist, as the cause of pellagra. Just how the great communicates the disease is not known, but scientists believe they are on the right track 8nd eventually will find a cure for the disease The Buffalo gnat exists in great numbers all through the South. Train (Joes Through Trestle. A train load of pipe, en route from Bessemer, Ala., to San Diego, Cal., went through a 60-foot treetle on the Frisco railroad, near Cardova, Ala.. Thursday and killed a brakeman and injured other trainmen. The treetle was demolished, as well aa a large portion of the pipe. %