Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1892-02-25

The Story OF The Cruel m urder OF Child
wife aud the Trial of Her Husband

wife and the Trial of Her Husband
New York Correspondence
New YORK, Feb. 2.-The trial of Car
lyle w. Harris, the young medical stu
dent, before the fierce and suave
Recorder Smyth in the Court OF General
Sessions ended today in verdict OF mnr-
der in the first degree. So ends the case
which will become celebrated in the an
nails of crime in this city. While there
have been details in the case that are
revolving, yet toe romance which has
been flung about the beautiful
girl whom Harris made his wife
and assassinated few weeks after
has brought scores of girls and
women to the court every day.
Mary Helen Nelson Potts was lovely
girl Of seventeen years attending the
Cometock Finishing School in Forty-first
street q year ago. Her parents resided
in Ashbury Park and were people OF
wealth and position. She was consid-
cred the belle Of the school and had that
light heart and charming nature which
won the affection Of teachers and
scboolmates. Saturday night, January
81, 1891, she was invited to attend an
evening concert, to which several OF the
other scholars intended going. At dim
ner time she said that che was go weary
that she thought she would 20 to her
room and rest rather than accompany
the others. She kissed them good night,
and that was the last time they ever saw
her clothed in her right mind.
BEAUTIFUL DREAMS.
At 10 80 p. m. two OF them, Miss
Frances Carson and Miss Rachel Cook
son, who occupied the same room, re-
turned from the concert, and, bursting
in, reused the pretty Helen from what
they thought deep sleep to tell her OF
the good time they had enjoyed.
The girl held out her hand and said to
them:
"Oh, have had such beautiful
dreams! Icould dream on forever!'
Then she sank back upon the pillow
and let her eyes close slowly, dropping
again into the blissful dreams of death.
Miss Carson and her companion patted
her gently on the arm, and proceeded to
prepare for bed. 1t was half an hour
before they were ready to turn Oft the
light, and just az the room was plunged
in darkness they were startled by means,
which came from the corner Of the room
where Helen lay.
A light was struck, and the two fright
ened girls bent over their comrades
flushed face. She was tossing on her
pillow, and lingering the lace edges like
one who is preparing for death.
"What is the matter. are you ill?'
cried Frances Carson.
"Oh, don't know II don't know!'
exclaimed the tossing girl; II want to
sleep. and yet if l sleep again | shall
never wakeW
Rachel Cookson fled through the door +,
just as che was clad, down the hall to
where Miss Day, the Principal, slept and
reused her. In alarm, the lady rang for
messengers, and presently three physi
clans, Drr. Fowler, Bauer and Kerr
were striving with all their skill and
might to save the young wife, for eleven
hours they battled against fate, bus as
the rosy cheeks paled into gray and
finally took on the grim, blue tinge,
with eyes that shrunk into the head as if
the child had suddenly added century
to her age, they gave up in despair, and
could simply watch the sleep of death.
THE CRIME CONCEALED.
The body was removed with certain
degree OF secrecy to the parents home in
the country and there embalmed by an
undertaken named Vasmeth. The fam
lily was wealthy and influential, and
there were difficulties thrown about any
attempt at investigation. The mother
affirmed to all her friends that the girl
had died of heart disease, but the father
was frantic with grief and refused to let
the body be placed in the grave for sew.
eral days. He watched his daughter
face constantly during that period, be-
lieving she would at any moment awaken
from q trance. At last, under the per.
suasion OF his wife he gave up hope, and
the girl was buried. Nevertheless, a
guard was placed about the grave by the
grief-stricken father, for what reason no
one knows.
The attention which the case attracted
ELECTED rumors and odd tales about the
manner of Helen's death among the
neighbors, until finally sufficient public
spirit was aroused to compel the parents
to have the body disinterred and an
analysis made of the stomach by the
coroner The result was q sensation
equal to the Jennie Cramer case in Con.
necticut.
UNRAvEL THE MYSTERY.
Piece by piece the mystery came out,
and the shadow of murder fell darkly
upon a young medical student named
Carlyle w. Harris. At first the story
was 80 extraordinary that it was thought
to be an idle romance, but when Mrs.
Potts confessed that her daughter had
been privately married to Harris one af-
ternOon in the summer of 1890 by Al
derman RinckhoH she was taxed with
harder questions. She told of the sorrow
and suffering which Helen had endured
after that; Of how her brother, DR.. Trev-
erton of Scranton, had helped the un-
happy mother and daughter to keep the
secret of the marriage from the world ;
she related the details of Harris flirta.
tions with other women to the dis
may Of his child-wife, and then the
promises he made when hunted to his
corner that he would wed the girl in
public on the 9Th of February, 1891,
Pressed still further, the weeping mother
described the notification Harris "wired"
her Of her daughters sudden death he
had met her at the depot, it seems, and
when che demanded that he recognize
bis dead wife and let her be buried in
his name a. his lawful wife, was met
NTH inanlNnk rofnaa1 Unable IN uo<ho,