MILLIONAIRE ON TRIAL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 74, 18 September 1911, Page 2

MILLIONAIRE ON TRIAL

CASE THAT HAS AROUSED AMERICA. New York, September 10. Interest in the Virginian murder eascj increases daily. All through tiie United States people are clamoring for the latest news oi the trial of Henry Clay Beattie, the millionaire banker, who is alleged to have shot his wife dead while they were out motoring. Yesterday, counsel for the defence, in the course of his cross-examination of a witness, nourished a telegram announcing that evidence had been found to account for the solitary car with the woman standing on the step while, a man stopped to crank the macliine. , The trial was halted for half an hour while this disclosure was made. The time and place coincided with the alleged crime, anil was taken as rebutting some of the evidence already given. Cross-examining the prisoner's juvenile brother, the prosecution strove to fasten upon him tlie' fact, that he had destroyed evidence by washing blood from the car. The Public Prosecutor extracted from this witness the admission that he would have done it had he known a crime lay against his brother. There was an intense period when David Beattie, grandfather of the witness Paul Beattie, and the uncle of the accused, testified that Paul's character was not good., The old man told of the shortcomings of his nephew, but added that there was a strong attachment between the latter and his wife. "When the baby was born," said witness, It drew us all together. For me it was like starting life over again." EVIDENCE FOR THE DEFENCE.

Further evidence was called on behalf of the defence, chiefly with the object of discrediting the testimony of Paul Beattio, the accused's man cousin. The superintendent of a. paper mill deposed to having seen Paul Beattie with a gun the day after he claimed to have delivered the weapon to his cousin Henry. The fourteen-year-old son of the pawnbroker from whom Paul Beattie purchased the gun denied having separated some of its parts before handing it over. He further stated that Paul Beattie had visited the pawnshop, not once, as the latter hid declared, but four or five times. During the proceedings this morning tho allegation was made that one of the jury was a friend of the prisoner. Leaning over towards the reporters, Beattie remarked, "This is only another attempt to raise, a prejudice against me." The Public Prosecutor intimated that the jury was quite acceptable to him, and the hearing of the case proceeded. An amusing incident occurred when the Public Prosecutor said something concerning the mental condition of a witness for the defence, one Pemberton. When questioned as to whether he kept nine cats chained in a room in his house, Pemberton turned savagely upon the Public Prosecutor and exclaimed, "Look here, man, are you trying to cross-examine? You'ae talking through your head!" The court shrieked with laughter, and even the judge's composure gave way.