Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-05-05
WHAT SETTLED HARRIS FATE.
The Last Words of His Young Wife Seemed
to Indicate His Guilty Purpose.


to Indicate His Guilty Purpose.
What decided Gov. Flower in his refusal to
grant clemency in the case of Carlyle Harris
was the testimony regarding the last words of
Helen Potts. which appeared to dsprove the
claim that she had died from an overdose of
morphine taken by herself The governor says:
quote from the affidavit of Miss Rockwell, one
of the deceased's schoolmates:
''On the return of Miss Carson. Miss Cookson
and deponent from the New York symphony
concert and while proceeding to the room
where Miss Potts was. Miss Reed, one of the
teachers. warned this deponent and the others
to keep quiet: Miss Reed said Miss Potts had re-
quested her TO ask the party to be quiet be-
Cause she Mis- Potts. had taken a pill which
CARLYLE W. Harris had given her. and in order
to obtain the proper effect of which the said
CARLYLE ". Harris had advised Miss Potts to
keep absolutely quiet and not to talk.
.'Miss Reed stated that Miss Potts had said
that Harris had told her Miss Potts. that the
reason the former pill which he had given her
and which she had taken had not acted prop
had talked; on reaching the room Miss Potts
in bed; she did not speak for several min
utes then she said:
"'Oh. girls. have had such lovely dreams
I wish they would go on forever; l have not
really been asleep-cnly lying here doing.
Then she became quiet
TAKING THE PILLS.
"SOon after the gas turned off Miss
Potts began to talk and to say:
"'Oh. girls. l think l am going to die: |
never felt like this before; Carl said | should
take one of these pills for twelve nights in sue
cession he said he had taken them himself;
Carl would not give me anything that would
hurt me-
Miss Carson at this time was beside the
bed of Miss Potts and was rubbing her head
Miss Potts said. Frances. l can hardly see YOU;
/ can hardly feel yoa: rub harder Miss Car
son rubbed harder and then Miss Potts said:
Now | can see you: now | can feel Won.
The tones of Miss Potts were as though she
were receding or being overcome by stupor
which she could not coutrol.
Then she exclaimed:
If anybody else but Carl had Given this to
me / would think 1 was going to die; but of
what was right
After she made these remarks she repeated
the exclamation. oh. Carl. Carl. as though she
was crying: her voice was apparently choked
with emotion.
Then depouent and her room mates tried to
compose Miss Potts and told her to go to sleep:
that she would be all right In the morning. To
this she replied: If | do it will be death s
Sleep.
THE LAST WORDS.
"'You go to sleep. Helen rejoined Miss
Carson. and 1 will be right here, and you can
call me if you want me-
The dying girl replied:
".All right; only look every few minutes and
see If | am breathing still
These were her last Words
This inquiry into the case by the examination
of witnesses and otherwise leaves no doubt in
nv mind as to my official duty. l have en-
deavOred to give to the application for clemency
that impartial and conscientious study which
the fate of any human life demands and which
the popular interest in the clearly calls for.
But. SO far as judge and court could determine,
Harris was guilty of heinous crime, revolving
in its conception and in the depravity of its
perpetrator, and no satisfactory reasons have
been presented to the executive to justify the
intervention in the execution of the sentence.
The application for clemency is therefore