The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-02-04
HELEN POTTS'S POISONER
Career of Carlyle W. Harris One of Lech-
cry and Unexampled Villainy.
Married at Sixteen lie Soon Tired Of His Child
Bride, Deserted Her for Another and
Finally Welded the Girl He Killed.

NEW YORK. Feb. a-The counsel for
Carlyle w. Harris, the WIFE poisoner. con-
victed last night. did not place him on the
Sitness-stand in bis own behalf during the
trial, and the reason was made apparent to-
day. when. having fastened on Harris tho
murder of the beautiful and confidinR
young woman, the prosecuting attorneys
made public a statement of the murderers
double life for the past half dozen years
Assistant District Attorneys Wellman and
SIMS. on whom devolved tho labor OF
gathering together the mass of facts that
proved Harris's guilt TO the jury. were pre-
pared TO bring out the sad details OF a bad
record had Harris gone on the stand. Fol-
lowing are briefly stated some OF these al
legged clearly-ascertained facts IN the
young mans career:
Toward the end of the first week of Har-
ris's trial q gentleman living IN Connect
cut sent q letter to MI. Wellman. telling
him that he was greatly interested IN the
newspaper reports of the trial. and that he
could narrate some peculiar stories about a
young man named Harris which might be
of use in the trial. Mr.. Wellman at once
telegraphed. the Connecticut man. whose
h0tltO 30 u COsiO W 4tO" -
which the latter did, arriving in the city
last Saturday week. He told DIR. Wllman
that about seven years ago he was ac-
guainted with q young girl named Lulu
sanZandt. who had been married at the
age OF fourteen TO q young man named
Charles Harris. who was then sixteen years
old. and that the marriage took place In
this city. Within a fortnight the gIrl-wIfe
discovered that her husbands tirstname was
Carlyle. He took her to Brooklyn 70 live.
Her parents were residents of PlaintleId. N.
j. The Connecticut man said that Harris
was well born and had an uncle VINO was q
famous physician, (Harris's grandfather,
DIR. McCready, was probably the physician
referred to- The pair. it is affirmed. left
Brooklyn soon afterwards and went TO live
IN Connecticut. when the young wife. 1t Is
said, soon detected her husband In an IN
trigue with another girl. In disgust she
left him and returned 10 this city when,
afterwards. q criminal operation was per-
formed. She subsequently consulted a
lawyer here about obtaining O divorce
from Harris. who had then disappeared.
A search was made for this girl and 1t
was found that she had been living with
her mother In East Ninety second street,
for three years. but had left there a year
ago. Ii was also discovered that other
parties had been looking for this girl a few
days previously. These are supposed to be
the emissaries of the defendant then upon
the trial Inspector Byrnes's detectives
finally discovered the girl at Perth Amboy,
49, - 90 AO1Alb ~
wreck from the operation performed on
her. Nothing. however. could indnce her
to come to New York to testify against
Harris. who had threatened her so that she
lived IN perfect terror of him.
To the district attorney it was also
affirmed that Harris became engaged to
the daughter of q Kentucky clergyman
about two or three months after his secret
marriage to Helen Potts. A letter was re-
ceived at the district attorneys office TO-
day from a ~well-known citizen. who stated
that at about the time of Helen Potts's
death ne saw Harris flirting with q girl on
one morning.
During Harris's engagement to Helen
Potts he wanted to engage himself to q
young girl IN Asbury Park who was aware
of his prlor engagement. She said 10 him.
What are you going to do about Helen
Pottsi'
Harris replied: "Oh. l am tired of her
and want to shake herr
About tue same time Harris is said to
have wronged q girl az Asbury Park. 1t Is
stated that he was also engaged TO marry a
young woman living in Brooklyn who was
q close friend of his mother. lie has also
been learned that Harris wr0nged O serv-
ant girl in this city. who. in 1850. gave
birth TO q child in one of the city hospitals.
When she got well enough to leave the in
stitution she was penniless. and appealed
TO Harris. who had meantime been secretly
married to Helen Potts. Harris gave her q
trifie. and told her to get rid of the child"
Dv leaving il on some doorstep.
In July. 1890. Harris is said to have gone
to q lawyer and ought his advice about
getting O divorce from Helen Potts. This
is about the time he performed the opera
tion which nearly caused her death. Harris
was at one time employed as q purser on
the Old Dominion steamship line. and the
officers tell many tales about his habits.
1t is said that his mother once told Mrs.
Potts. Helen's mother, that Carlyle had
been q constant source of trouble to her all
his life. and his brother. McCready Harris,
told Mrs. Potts that Carlyle was q polished
villain and that he could not be trusted.