The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1893-05-18

tnaC no cOncealment or untruth can
mitigate my end, do solemnly declare
that ! am innocent of the crime for
which ! am condemned to die.
l beg that those who think or speak
or write Of mo in the years to come Will
40 so as kindly as they can, not forget
ting that, when much proof of my in.
! nocence was found, it was inhumanly
thrust aside.
(Signed) CARLYLE w. HARRIS.
RESUME OF TIE CASE.
In connection with the above re.
sumo or the case will be interesting.
IN 1889 Harris went to live at Ocean
Grove, N. j., with his mother, and his
conduct there was bad. lie kept
Place where young men gambled and
drank. In August of that year.
month before he was 20 years old, he
was introduced to Mary Helen Potts
Ocean Grove with her father, mother
and little brother. She was pretty
girl and Harris took fancy to her.
According to the evidence Of the trial.
he was in the habit Of taking n fancy
to pretty girls Ie visited her often,
and his mother and brother became
| acquainted with the Potts family.
Carlyle Harris AMI Mary Helen Potts
spent most of that summer in each
others company. He went back to
New York in the fall to resume his
went to live there too The yourg
folks continued to meet and Mrs. Potts
spoke to Harris. lie secuted the idea
that there was anything between him
and Mary Helen more than friendship.
A few days later he called on the girls
mother and asked her consent to his
engagement to The daughter. She alb
solutely refused to give her consent
until he had finished his studies.
That was shortly before Feb. II,
1890. On Feb. II, McCready Harris.
younger brother Of Carlyle asked Marv
llelen Potts to go and see the Stock
the three went to the city hall, where
Harris and the girl were secretly mar
ried by Alderman Rinkhor. Neither
OF them gave right names for that
marriage and it was kept a secret.
Within few weeks, Harris began
to avoid his girl wife. and she began to
grieye about it. In May, the Potts
went t. 1--we at Ocean Grove. Miss
May Scholield, a school friend Of Hell
ems, was visiting there. The girl wife
was in delicate condition. Harris
would not permit her to make known
her marriage, saying that if it was
done, his grandfather would disinherit
him. lie proposed an operation to
conceal her condition from the wolld.
She would consent only on the condi-
ton that May Scholield should know
about her marriage, SO that if she
should die, her honor would be pro-
tected. Harris took Miss Scoield tor a
walk and told her. That night he per.
formed the operation upon his wife.
Mary Helen Potts then went to visit
Dr. TraVerton, her uncle, at Scranton,
Pa. The doctor soon discovered her
condition. Harris was made to con-
TESS that he had performed not one
but two operations upon his wife. lie
denied the marriage, though. He then
confessed all to her mother At this
time, it developed upon the trial that
Harris was having an affair which had
Il dlsgraceful termination, with de
praved woman, whom he was meeting
at Canandaigua, n. y, under an as
sumed name. After Miss Potts got
should marry her publicly. harris
promised that he wOnld. lie kept put.
ting the marriage Off and finally in
duced the mother to send Helen to the
ComStOck school. The mother kept
insisting on the marriage and on Jan
uary 20, 1891, Harris wrote her that all
her wishes should be complied with.
The young wife had reen complaining
of headache,
On January Goth Harris got pre-
scrlpuon for SIX capsules, each to con-
tain one-sjxth of grain Of morphine
and four aud half grains of quinine
lie gave her four of the capsules, tell
ing her to take Cne each night. The
other two pills he kept. Then he went
to Old Point Comfort. The girl took
three OF the pills. She complained that
they made her feel worse. She told
her mother she had good mind to
throw the fourth one away. Her
mother advised her to take it, saying
that Carlyle knew what was best for
her. If she had not taken that pill
she probably would have been alive
today. She took it just before etlrfng
on the night Of January 81, 1891. She
aWoke In a partial coma, and said to
her schoolmates that she had Just had
beautiful dreams. She had dreamed
that Carlyle was with her. Then she
began to moan and was unconscious.
DIR. Fowler AMI DR.. Bauer were called
TO attend her. She died the following
morning.
llarrls was sent for. lie seemed to
care little for his wife's condition, but
Kept insisting that the medicine he had
given her was all right. lIe was told
to go to the drug store aul find out.
lie went out to Go so. Investigation
showed that he did not go near the
drug store, although he returned to
say thai he had been there.
The apparent preparations Harris
had made to clear himself of suspicion,
his refusal to permit the girl to be bur
led under his name, and the conflict Of
the stories he told, caused suspicion to
be directed toward himself. fIe was
indicted on May 13, 1891. lie WAS
brought to trial in January, 1892. He
had William Traverse Jerome, John "A .
lay lor and Charles j.. Dawson to de-
tend him. The trial lasted three weeks
and the defense was almost wholly to
snow that the girl did not die Of NOR
phlne poisoning. Experts were on the
stand for days. After deliberatlng an
nour and 20 minutes, a verdict Of mur-
4er IN the first degree was returned.
Ia 5iaTpls TITS was sentenced to die on March
q, 1917. Harris took William +. Howe
LOT MS counsel then. The seven judi. "