“Henry Clay Beattie”
Description
Beattie is convicted of murdering a girl, but denies his guilt. His family tries to get him to confess, lest he "go to [his] doom with a lie." At last he confesses. On a Friday morning he is executed in the electric chair
Notes
The use of the electric chair as a means of execution obviously dates this song to the few decades before Harrell's recording. This would seem to imply that it is based on actual events. But I found no references to Beattie until Paul Stamler found an online auction of a publication entitled _The Great Beattie Murder Case: Henry C. Beattie Jr., Life and Crime. Sensational story of the life of Beulah Binford, 'the woman in the case.'"_
How far one can trust anything with a title like that is an open question, but apparently Beattie (1884-1911) lived in Richmond, Virginia, with his wife when he took Beulah Binford as his mistress (supposedly she did not know he was married). Beattie then murdered his wife with a shotgun. He claimed she was killed by a highwayman, but was tried and executed. - RBW
Historical references
- 1911 - Execution of Henry Clay Beattie
Recordings
- Kelly Harrell, "Henry Clay Beattie" (Victor 20797, 1927; on KHarrell02)
References
- Roud #13147
- BI, RcHCB