The Indianapolis journal., 1893-05-09
The Wife PoisoDer Electrocuted In Sing
Sing Prison Yesterday Afternoon.
Took His Seat In the Death Chair with Firm-
ness and Courage and Died Declaring He
Was Absolutely Innocent Of Crime.
His Body Later Placed in a Coffiu That
Bore the Inscription, Murdered"
Mrs. Harris Confident Her Son Was Guiltless
His Statement Not Made Pubiic-Resnlt
of the Autopsy-scenes and Incidents
DIED CLAIMING rSsoorxoE.

DIED CLAIMING INNoCENCE.
Carlyle w. Harris Coos 10 His Death De-
cIarinx He Was Guiltiess Of Wife Poisoning
SING SING. n. Y, May S-Carlyle w.
Harris, who poisoned his schoolgirl wife.
nee helen Potts. was shocked TO death by
electricity at 1910 o'clock this afternoon.
Up to the last moment he claimed to be
euiltless of the crime with which he was
charged.
Not since the first eletrocution at Sing
Sing, when four men -Slocum. Smiler.
JuRiro and WoOd-were put TO death with
the experimental apparatus then in use
has there been such an interest displayed
here. Throngs of people gathered on the
hillside overlooking the gray walls of the
prison. and. though they could not hope TO
catch glimpse of Harris. OF see the imple-
ment Of death. they gazed with morbid
curiosity at the building in which the
doomed mans soul and body were TO be
| parted. To-day the crowds began assembling
early. and they were larger and OF more
intelligent class of people than is usually
drawn 20 this spot. The fact that Har-
ris is really the first man with any pretec-
sioDs TO culture, refinement and intellis
gence who has taken his place IN the eleo-
trie chair is appreciated. Public interest
in the cases of the thirteen men who have
| met their fate at the touch of the mysteri-
Gus agent employed by this State has been
confined to the method Of the killing-as to
whet' er 1t was quick and painless. OF slow
| and torturesome. The electrocutions which
have preceded the one to-day were the
doing to death of tae brutes who had
killed fellow-beings. and about whose
| guilt there was no doubt. and IN whose
cases there was little to arouse sympathy.
To-day for the first time was q man of q
| higher order of intelligence 10 undergo the
| ordeal He was the man of education. ac-
customed to the refnements of good so<
ciety, educated, q medical student even,
| and capable of understanding to an IN
usual degree what was to happen TO him.
| In addition TO all this was the question Of
the mans guilt lie had been given a fair
and impartial trial and twelve good men
| and true had declared him guilty. The
| higher courts had affirmed the judgment.
RecordepSmy the before W hom he was tried,
! bad passed upon arguments for a new trial
based upon alleged evidence, newly dis
covered, that Helen Potts was an habituaI
user of morphine, and the Governor OK
the state reviewed the same testimony and
| decided against the convicted man. The
| accused was deprived Of none OF his legal
rlgh-s. He had the =dvs.1.tage of eminent
| counsel. end from first 20 last there was
| but one conclusion from a legal stand
point-the man was guilty. On the other
| hand, he asserted bis innocence and bore
himself as an innocent man would under
! the circumstances. ismother proclaimed
| his innocence with such effect that public
| sentiment in her sons behalf was aroused
to such extent that nearly forty thou
sand signatures petitioning the Governor
for clemency were obtained in q few days.
SMOKED CIGARETTES CONSTANTLY.
Contrary to the usual custom here the
death warrant was not read by the warden
at midnight. The doomed man had been
told. however. when the end would come.
He retired early last night. and. though he
showed no signs of breaking down, he was
more nervous and excitable than usual.
| Principal keeper Connsughton said this
morning that Harris rested well. He did
not sleep much, and what thoughts racked
| his brain no one will ever know. His self
control was marvellous. His only sign OF
agitation was the constant smoking or
cigarettes He was mp early this morninG.
| he looked over the manuscripts which he
| by his relatives after the final scene in his
| dramatic life hhd ended. and the curtain
had been rung down. At o'clock Harris
ate light breakfast He was cool end coll
| lected. and appeared to be capable OF going
through the ordeal which awaited him.
Mrs. Harris. having made her final fare
| we'll to her son Carlyle on Saturday. re-
msined at the Amber House. with her son
| Allan. shut In from oil visitors. She was
| calm and less nervous than usual. and
| awaited with fearful silence the sign which
| would inform her that her son Carlyle had
| passed out from this world. The flag AL
nouncing the successful conclusion of the
| execution, which was raised from the roof
| OF the warden's house. could be seen
from the windows OF the room
= IN 1aAA An. L.
| House. and there she and her son Allan
| watched and waited with straiDing eyes
| and subdued grief for the fatal signal. Mrs.
| Harris arose at o'clock. and the morning
| was q lengthy and sorrowful one. She sell
| dom spoke to her son Allan. but confiued
| her whole attention in gazing southwark
| toward the prison flag pole and 60 nerving
| herself for the sad news that she knew was
| soon to come She was apparently stronger
| and better able to bear her grief than she
| has been for days. Her son Allan remained
with her aud did what he could TO comfors
| and console her.
! AtIOo'cIock there was q long string of
| carriages in front OF the prison and hum
! dreds OF people were scattered along the
hillside. The execution chamber is a small
| one-story brick building attached TO what
is called the death house" In which only
| murderers condemned 20 death are kept
| The structure Is entirely separate from the
other buildings in the prison yard. Itis
| inst back of the southwest corner of the
wardens house The cells are eight in num-
ber four on each side of passageway, hav-
ing on iron door atits southern end opening
| into the execution chamber. This death
| house is the one which Roehl and PalIister
recently escaped by overpowering the
| guards and breaking throuGh the roof.
Harris occupied cell No. facing south In
the other cells are Matt johnson. the mur-
derer of Emil kuckelhorn: Geoghan Osborn
and the Italian Delbania.
THE EXECUTION ROOM
The execution room is in . new brick
: building erected by Warden Brown. on the
site of the temporary frame structure
which was used for the first electrocutions.
It has floor of wainscoting and ceiling OF
yellow pine. and as il has been used only
twice it preserves 1t newness. The chair
stands at the west end. facing east. and
back of il Is the switch board, where the
| current Is tested and the amount regu-
lated. Still further back is the closet IN
which the man who receives the signal and
turns on the current. The identity of this
man isneverrevealed. The switchboard hasa
row OF incandescent lamps upon it for add
ing resistance TO the current and an cleo
tro meter for measuring Its strength.
! In the trst electrocutions the full strength
OF the current was turned on and kept on
until the steam rose from the electrodes
and the odOr of bnrninr flesh permeatet