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and drove his wife's lifeless body to the home of her uncle.
Beattie was arrested a few days later, and his story was torn apart by investigators who could not reconcile his lack of wounds, the blood splatter patterns and the cryptic story of the purchase of a gun by Beattie that turned out to be the murder weapon. In the words of the Richmond newspaper of Sept. 10, 1911, "Though even before the hands of the law were laid upon his shoulders, the world believed that Henry Beattie was the guilty man, and so said in general voice, the young husband had a fair trial. Every chance was afforded him to plead his cause. The law was allowed to take its course, for here in Virginia, it was believed that law would have its way."
What was his motive? The handsome and debonair Beattie had a secret life. Beulah Binford, age 17, met Beattie in 1907. Two years later, Beulah gave birth to a son by Beattie, named Henry Clay Beattie III. Soon afterward, she left the infant in the care of a relative while she pursued a baseball player in Martinsville. The child died within the year "of poor health." Married to Louise Owen in 1910, Beattie soon after resumed intimacy with Beulah, meeting her in Norfolk. On May 31, 1911, a second Henry Clay Beattie III was born to Beattie and his wife.
Did Beulah give her married lover an ultimatum? No one will likely ever know. What is known is that in mid-July, Beattie asked his cousin to buy him a shotgun and that the same gun was found at the murder scene days later. Meanwhile, the night before she was murdered, Louise was again being cheated on by Beattie, who was with Beulah until well after midnight. Beattie was tried, convicted and executed on Nov. 24, 1911. One of the most highly publicized crimes of the time, the Beattie murder was even featured in a tune written by country singer Kelly Harrel in 1927, who sang, "You don't confess that you killed her, you'll spend eternity in hell."
Some felt that the case against Beattie was based more on the illicit relationship than on the facts. Beattie himself laid the verdict on his relationship with Beulah, declaring, "These country folks cannot understand how a woman of the underworld can be crazy about a man. They don't know when that happens how very hard it is to get rid of her." Not long after the verdict, Beulah and Beattie's cousin Paul were reported to be negotiating with a film magnate to do a movie/play about the case.
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