New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-05-07
HARRlS'S CASE REVIEWED.
SPECIAL COMMISSIONER RAINES'S REPORT
TO THE GOVERNOR.

THE TESTIMONY OF TIE SEVERAL WITNESSES
CLOSELY ANALYzED AND PLAINLY CON.
MENTED ON. AND THE CONCLUSION
REACHED THAT HELEN POTTS WAS
NOT NORTHWESTERN.
Albany, May s.-The following is in substance the
report which George Raines referee, made to the
Governor In the Harris case. and which Governor
Flower based his refusal extend clcinency TO
Harris:
In the matter Of tho application of Carlyle W.
Harris for executive cle1nency
Taking up the testimony IN the GnrSnooeeal order
wadde related to the winter Of 1888 and 1889. while
JsSks.n seminary Miss Jackson testified in substance
pages lel1S3) Tint upon one occasion the deceased
s TH that her nnci gave her to take for
that she supposed her uncle knew what he was about
he was doctor, that she did not see the pill or
powder: that during the same winter Miss jackson
naoc compsint TO her father pages 454 456) of her
home which resulted In a very excited interview be-
tween Miss Jackson and the deceased, In the midst
On earth and she would Xiii herself before she would
80 home: that on the following day the mother OF
settlement Of the trouble was made under the advice
D. the mother and that the same remark with re-
deceased in the presence OF Miss Jackson that oc
:ssion.
nature OF the irouble between Miss Jackson and the
deceased and distinctly denied hearing an" ny, s"eh OK
preston maze ny her daughter. 4-o'l
MISS JACKSON AND MRS. POTTS.
Ii Is impossible reconsider the statement Of the
two witnesses as to the conversation which was had
between them but on account OF the utterly insgnh
cant relation Of the remark of the deceased with regard
70 home the matters in Issue upon the hearing
As IL antedated the death of the deceased some two
years snd on account OF Its being the utterancc OF
'i made at all ana on account Of the remarkably
kindly relations shewn by the evidence to have e5,
times subsequently ut her home, seems unnecessary
fos me TO express an opinion as TO the credit 10 ne
ucuar remark of the deceased Helen Potts. ! am
inclined to credit the statement OF Miss Jackson now
10 the single instance related by her as above
stated Of the deceased saving that she had powder
o. pill Of morphine or opium that her uncle gave
Miss waddeil testified in substance that in May;
1882 at the school, deceased showed her small
sma white pills which deceased said were morphine
pills. and at the same time took one o3: 'h sn !.
occurred IN the afternoon when starting out for a
ralk, and deceased gave as reason for takins that
I made her feel better before she went ont ior
S,sht s Is waS with her six weeks in the ad
r. n m 'o o I mopp6Re that Miss wad did
what morphine was but deceased told her ,r, she
often took morphine pills 60 MSS Nv wS Sers. ops II
was bitter all through alike CO.. and that the pills
were an eighth OF an inch in thickness (os).
MISS wApDELL's BIAs AS WITNESS
Miss waddell was strong partisan Of the ae-
fendant Harris as evinced by her manner and al
missions In her testimony, and seemed TO be making
as much OF facts within her knowledge as possible
for deeply interested witness am intaneo 10 20
deceased substance like that stated by the Wines
had but that was no S sxacv drawn
hv me between the facts and the additions made by
the %sss a,sO IN dsr he s Her testimony
Of Miss Potts. ..,o,r
that was produced tending in any degree to establish
Of morpns BY the her ssas prior 10
Mrs Ethel Douglass: formerly Harris testified I'm ~
that deceased gave her ONE IN 1 lsea
The is destitute OF moral character ana .ooh
her pese nSs to er moral ns on
ground that the answer would degrade nsr. Inc me
az s. long SdSar S W
serted by her. but the denial OF Mrs Potts that sue
had % neafG S S Te noSer Of Ethel Douglass
MIS- Frenctte present bu her exoense was upon
credit both seemed to me that Mr. Howe'
Rn IN ss % sea Vns ssass
the proprietor Of three duS stores si an and one
HHis1 in he latter part Of MAY and early part Of
june deceased purchased at his drug store On
of morph,ne and hypodermc syringe. which was
returned broken immediately He had not been pres
returned It, That on the first occasion she called
with two other ladies' whom Dr. Knmou'h did i not
pills. He asked what she wanted with them d1s-
i.Ol. She said her mother was suffering with neu
mother knew all about how 70 use them; as she had
used them beforc and also o. that t her mon Th,f
when she applied to him for morphine, the second
mother. to relieve neuralgia. he advised different
remedy which she did not purchase. and the trans
aso1s s snsed REMARKED M on the fir, occasion 10 his
clerk Wooman; WHAT Dcau'iiui sii heich '''''
has grown 10 be-
TIE rE.TIMoNY OF KrSMoUTHs CLERK.
Mr.. Rainos examines in detail the testimony OF
Henry NJ woolman. DR.. Kinmoth's clerk, contrast
inc the testimony OF wooman at first with his tcs
,pony after he found that certain letter of his to
Dr. Kinmouth had been published in Ncw-iork
paper: and the Commissioner observes:
Each Of these changes in his testimony from the
siatemeris a. the letter made his testimony agree
better with the testimony OF Dr. Kinmou'h
Both DR.. Kinmouth and Woolman testified that al'er
morphine pills by decreased. Dr. Kinmouh said to
Wines f'r Woolman u2o woolman letter. - Her
mother must be Il morphine eater II she look SO
much morphine But this was in consequence OF
something learned from wooman which was eX-
Excluding The af,er-thought OF woolman upon
f Kinm%, I in The l New York Times Of sale
10 the deceased. the testimony OF these WITNESSES
tends to establish sale to the aeTe' nis t oy
1850, OF six or twelve one-s&th grain p'i' VI "'''
phire, II accepted as credible.
woOLMAX DIscREDITED AS A WITNESS.
The condition OF Woolmans evidence discredlts him
fully IN my opinion corroborahng Witness. HIS
partisanshp was evident In lis manner, and his con
fusion when confronted with his letter was pailini'
Ills contradictions OF himself fatal to bis story.
His Identification Of Miss Potts depends Wholly upon
the declaration Of DIR. Kinmouth which WoolmSn
changed as readily IN form 10 square win Dr.
Knrnouth's evidence he seemed TO chahge any
o,her substantial fact In issue from the dellberaae
form In which had put his recollection ior publ
cation three days previously. lie had not prepared
Il for publication. and was surprised to learn chat IL
published (226
Dr. Kipmoutl.'s story Of the first sale contains no
FLlNT'S FINE