New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-01-26
PART II.
JAN. &c, 1892.
THE AUTOPSY ON MISS POTTS
DIR. A. Mel. HAMlLION'e olOh1 Ot IL.
EXPERT TESTIMONY IN TIE TRIAL OF CARLYLE
w. HARRIS.

The
car,Ie " Harris charged with poisoning his srlwife,
s OF no great interest the greater part of yesterday
IT.. ~ the witnesses were called to cOrrObOIate the
statements made by persons who had already given
evidence The last witness, however, told a story
that WAS listened to with breathleSs attention. This
narrator was DR.. Allan McLane Hamilton, who has
taken leading part in the investigation of the
NJ Helen Pottss death. lie made an admirable Wit
ness speaking distinctly, rapidly. His
such A. 10 win the utmost confidence in every word
which he uttered. He gave an nunt OF the autopsy
OIL the young girl in matter fact, vet not unsympa
thetic terms. and declared that evidence of any
weakness Of the organs discovered. His descrip
ton of the corpse Of the fair young woman was drs
matte In It's simplicity. When he told OF the long
braided hair and the green mould Oh the eyes and
mouth a shudder through the audience
There d repetition of the great anxiety to OBJ
tain admission into the courtroom, and the usual large
proportion OF weldressed women was noticeable In
the audience. The prisoner had evidently benefited
by his rest from Friday evening until Monday morn
ing and his face better color than it did when
he faced the jury last week.
The first witness was DIR. Byron V. Tompkins. of
No. GO West sixty -frst-st who WAS called by the
prosecution to corroboIate DIR. Fowlers testimony That
Helen Potts did not have any heart trouble The
witness attended the young woman on December IA,
1850 John A. Taylor, Of counsel for Harris, objected
TO his testifyng. declaring that his lips were sealed
by law unless the prisoner. who was the dead slrls
nearest relative. permitted him to speak Recorder
Smyth reiterated his former decisions on this point OF
law and admitted the testimony. DIR. Thompson had
examined the young woman's heart and found 1t per
fectly normal.
Dr. james r. Napes of the staff Of the New York
Hospital was next called He attended the Col
lcgo of Physicians and surgeons Win h"rlis
and became acquainted with him there. lie
met the prisoner day or two after the eris
DEATH ana tlev talked about the occurrence Harris
was to blame for her death. Mrs. Potts knew that
her daughter suffered heart disease. and did not
tell him of it when he prescribed for her Ihere "ds
q stir in the courtroom at this.
Even Mcintyre, jr. Is member Of the hrm OF
druggists ut whose Harris had his prescription
filed He testified that he never saw Harris until he
met him At the coroner's inquest on February 20
The witness remarked to him then that it was pity
that so much publicity had been given 10 the aialr.
Harris answered that it did not affect his own pro-
fessionsl standing any. but ne had lost frend.
Mr. Mcintyre was asked by Mr. jerome if he had
ever known of error being made IN his store Ill
putting up Il prescription. Tie witness said that as
far as he knew nothing of the kind had occurred in
the fifteen or sixteen years that he had been In inc
business.
DO YOU remember mistake made in yonr drug
store about ten yoais ago. in which hydr0chlorc acd
used instead of hydrlbNlnic' d. rope "roe
the prescription asked Mr. Jerome
i
Even MCINTYRE senior member Of the firm. was
next summoned to the stand lie said that he h'"i
been druggist for about fifty years. for 'hi''ee"
years he president of the College OF fhari"'oF'
lie did not know that serious mistake was ever
made I'm his store. He had not heard OF the SUP
stjtution OF hydrochlOrc for hydrobrofnic acld Oh
which Mr. Jerome spoke Neither had he heard OF Il
grave error made on about April Is l7o". "nen
his store was at Eghteenth-st and Bio"d"aS. Inc
prescription WAS written by the elder Dr. oaoihe' anu
was for lady who lived at No. 80 west N'ne'een"'
ST added Mr. Jerome. Mr.. Mcintyre could r.cah
-, incident of the kind but promised to look up the
prescription. 1t was inferred that the medicine was
for a member of Mr.. JerOme's own family.
DR. Adolphe Tsheppe, who with Dr. Ptngsten an
avzed the contents OF the capsule gwen by arils "
DEPUTY Coroner Weston, was then asked 10 tame 'io
witness-stand. lie lives at No. 800 PafkaVe'' "ne'e
Ia h.s a drugstore. lie studied pharmacy IN Ger
many and received the degree of Pm. u. al inc '"'
versty of Heidelberg. Dr. Tsheppe told IN oe'ai' a
Dr. Pfngsten had previously DONE the way III "'"o
4be ANALYSIS of the powder was made Tic o'u o'o'
step 20 clearly that most OF the lay ns'e"or' "''0'
stood him perfectly. lie said thai the capsule o"i
.,a o,o siYth of a grain OF morphine or to be ex
act one-tMrtieth of a grain less than thst amount
There were about four and a half grains Oh q''ii"o "
the capsule. No other drugs were present
ur Jerome then took the learned witness IN manu-
and wre,ted with him for over hall an houi' INC
xnung LAWYER evidently studied chemistry as part OF
hi college course Amherst for his ho"Ieoee VI "'0
subject was more intelligent than "Oun nave p' Wv
case had he merely absorbed recently the co"'h' Vi
,.rious textbooks. Mr.. Jerome attacked the ho'"ou
- ,no tyo chemists at many points, but DE- IshepPe
100 ,r.e good lie told OF making al idehtihcS-
49,. ,ast Gar morphine with erric sesquichl0''oe' ih'
oy-ecr turned a dark color first and theh srF''S
green said tie witness o,r ,,hsn
WIN moi other substances give green coior Wien
,ed with ferrie se,svchloride :! ASKED MI 'eio"'s
Not that particular shade of green. All eAPo.'
clared the chemist. M - D, s ,,e
nd ro bring any of the color with you ~ was 'ie
next question ,. ,d that was
The color lasts only two minutes anu 'i''V W"
reaIv a wear ago." said the witness WIN Inn
A. Iocome smiled and 50 did nearly every one else
" ~. mt Recordcr smyth said in cold ogca
pr .ra.n van didn't bring any OF the color with
you7'
No. SIR" -, ,rons
After AN intermisSion for luncheon hr. 'o''"''
finished with DR.. Tsheppe. Iheh III, r,n,.ie,h
,orer WAS called. lie lives at No 80 "es' r
a. ,.socioted with DR.. Fowler who was hra'
,,od =, attend Miss Potts Dr. Fowler sent ior ~
Uap.r because he needed Aid III Keep"s "p ~
ARTIFICIAL respiration. The witness arrived "' -"
Comstock school at about a. H. ou feoiua's
When he arrived, the patient seeheo ue"'' nv =,
Learned however tlat she was In a coHhlose ooi'
,tn She bre,thed only once in about two minutes
"a ,ba nutdls OF her eyes We're infinitely cohtrh1tcu
When he touched her cyebails the hds da no by5
Va,ex acton WIS entirely absent. and TINS sho"o'
That the patient in an e>tremel! 10" coont,o s,
LIN. u" .ier ,oid how whishey and coffee were g1Vci
to The girl how the Parade battery was nsea d
~ and how atr0pne and dgitafs were lnle' tu
neI, o Hni ,.sn,ation was Kept up for hours am
hour The witness great deal OF Harris wil,
.ou' J,I was diving Harris asked Dr. Bhner seveia
INC e ~ there any hope" and VIII they hDld Ih
sunn Nm, ~ The prisoner seemed particular!
al Wh,t Was his manner the wholef asked Mt
Wellman. ,.., .orri.d - WINS the reply
N. ~ Kerr Of no A. West Fiftetlst the neat VIII
ole was called in 10 aid in attending MISS rU TOW,
Sm, 20 a m on February l. lie tOld hotmhe .
Wys'rtance that had not already been bfought OUT. ~
WAS positive that girl died from morphine Ioso
TO THE cause could not have been hemoffhase
ne bnin ,callse the patients skin before aeatl WA
nyereJ with cold pegspirat0n In casts
hema rrhage the skin was hot ana airy. .as A.. an,