The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-03-31
SENTMENT VERSUS JUSTICE.


A case that has attracted great deal
of attention for the past year and, more
especially, during the last two months,
is that of the convicted wife murderer,
Carlyle w. Harris, of New York. AID
there is strong probability that pub
lie sentiment may be created in his be-
half sufficient to procure Communication
of his sentence to imprisonment for a
longer or shorter term, from Governor
Flower.
Harris married young and accom-
plished girl while she was still attending
school, and persuaded her to keep the
marriage secret, on the usual pretense
that the announcement of it would some
how interfere with his prospective adj
Vancement in his career, and would not
meet the approval of his friends and
family. 1t was shown, conclusively, at
the trial, that he repeatedly deceived his
young wife and her mother, that he was
Intending and expecting to be married
to another lady of wealth and social
position, if he could rid himself of the
REMEMBRANCE of his present wife, and
was heartless and cruel in his treatment
Of the young and trusting woman who
loved and married him.
The wife died suddenly and myster
iously, at the house where she was at
tending school, and was buried without
any Acknowledgment, on the part of
Harris, of his relationship to her. Sub
sequently suspicious were aroused, An
investigation was made, the evidence of
the marriage was presented, 1T was
proven that her death was due to an
overdose Of morphine and that the pre-
scription for the pills, which were the
cause of her death, was written and
given to her by Harris. There were
many other incidents tending to connect
Harris with the death of his wife, all of
them, of course, largely circumstantial,
but all showing the falsity Of his own
professions of innocence.
Harris was defended by one of the
ablest criminal lawyers of the country,
before judge of unimpeachable charac-
ter and ability, and WAS found guilty OF
murder in the first degree, by jury OF
at least average intelligence and fairness.
Since his conviction his counsel has
employed every possible legal means to
secars a reversal of the verdict, but the
Justice of it,, on the evidence presented,
has been affirmed by the several Courts
of Review. Failiag in these efforts his
lawyers applied for new trial, on the
ground of newly discovered evidence,
and their application was given an ex-
baustivs examination by Recorder
Smythe, who declined to grant it. The
ground of the application appears to be
based upon the evidence, largely hear
say, that the wife was addicted to the
use Of opium, and that her death was
the result OF her own carelessnsss, or
worse.
During the tendency of these pro-
ceedings, Harris mas been frequent con-
tributor 80 the daily and Sunday papers
of New York, upon different subjects,
and has, also, made repeated and en-
phatic prutestationS of his innocence,
and appeals to public he'll and sympathy.
1t would be cruelty unjust to judge Of
the.wordS or actions OF man standing,
as does Harris, under the shadow of
gallOws, by ordinary standards, but few
can have read his letters, either with ref
erence to his own case, or WpOn other
subjects, without some feeling of dis
trust as to his honesty and sincerity.
The loving, devoted and broken-heart-
ed mother of the convicted murderer,
has exhausted all her own means and all
the influence she could exert in behalf
of her son, of whose entire innocence she
is fully convinced, and her present ap-
peals for help in preventing the execu-
ton of the sentence upon her boy are
full of pathos.
An appeal is to be made by Harris
counsel to Governor Flower for execu-
tive clemeuCy, and this appeal is to be
reinforced by a monster petition in that
behalf. 1t is suggested, also, that
mass meeting be held to protest against
the execution of Harris, in which proni-
nent clergymen and humantalrians are
to participate.
1t is, of course, infinitely to be pre-
ferred that this man should not suffer
the extreme penalty of the law, if there
is any reasonable doubt as to his guilt,
but sympathy for him, and pity for his
unhappy mother, should not entirely
efface or take the place of the claims of
justice in behalf of the loving, trusting
school girl whose life was taken to serve
his selfish purpose, ard the mother OF
the murdered girl has equal claims upon
human sympathy.
Neither should the opinion of thou
sand, or ten thousand, men and women,
who have, at best, but the most superb
cial knowledge of the case, outweigh the
judgement of the judges and jury who
heard the entire evidence, or who have,
since the trial, given the testimony i'm
partial examination.
The assertions of Harris that the Dis
trict Attorney who prosecuted the case,
and the Judge who tried it, were infiu-
eaced by desire for his life, is unworthy
moments consideration.
1t may be taken for granted that thu
proposed petition will be largely signed,
and that the meeuug, if held, will be
fully attended. There is = certain
amountof maudlin sentimentality always
at the service of convicted murderer,
and the more cowardly his crime, the
more numerous the expressions of this
unmerited and wholly unworthy sym
pathy. 1t is far easier to secure money
to defend a murderer than to defend the
just rights of his victim, and so it re-
ouires little effort to obtain signatures
to an application for pardon, while the
innocent sufferers lie in unmarked
graves.
But none the less, the demand of JUS
tice should not be wholly lost sight of in
the outpouring of maudlin sympathy
st. Adams Messenger.