New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-01-22
4 PIES FROM MRS. HARRIS.
SHE WANTS A NEW TRIAL FOR HER son.
THE MOTHER OF TIE CONDEMNED NAN WRITES
TO THE TRIBUNE

The mother of Carlyle W. Harris whose conviction
for murder In the first degree for poisoning his wife
has just confirmed by the Court OF Appeals mas
written the following letter to The Tribune:
Again and again / have tried be heard in my boys
behalf. but my counsel insisted on silence Now with
Mr. lowes consent, shall tell story, assuring inc
public that am speaking a. under oata We 'ruu '"'
whole truth. and nothing but the truth.
Up TO Tuesday, March IS, 1881 my son Carlyle had
been nv 10Y and comfort My husband hal not been sue
cc,.ful in business and for years wa had known hal
Tunes. When Carl thirteen years Old MS sf''a'
mother, Mrs 3. W. McCready, who had ssht nj" 10
private school and kept him at her house "''e '''-
ments to send him county for the sumner - III"
had done the previous year lic'wa- boy that oe g'
in all boyi-h sports-cout swim. h-h ana hunt ou' '
said. III any goes 10 the county, lei II w "
I'm old enough to earn money during Wheaton,. =,
,an,d position 4, boy" Potter HnEihg''h AZ -
w.ek Inc Nrst saturday night he came nome iau''"',
happy and .uowcing the money the had got IL eh'..
into silver IN my lap said: "Ih"les eho"s" " P"' "
gloccr's bill, mamma" . ,,.h.r
When the fall came he refused the oi'r 81 i"iI
education and kept ON earning HE way always eN"s
ne the money TIL sixteen TOOK seventeen "o"' "
the thirty earned each month"; and ne TOOK c''o VI
self Oh the rest. Mr. WclIuan laid my boy WA a" '' ~
two years truth NJ could easily nave 'ouha Out sI
cared &C. which l. this: Tho boy belonged 10 y "'e"''
club and they started private th'atfic'isi All s''o "
Carts dramatic talent and advised him TO 20 Oh the
lie consulted h, foher a'd hoping to earn "a great aea
OF money for mother he ,iu1ed la't III f"'' nov
n. .c,ad ~, on. week but y. very much ad|ct'e
TO t. he threw up the position, although o"e''u '''''
dollars Der week by travelling company lie "' Dawn
IN business sewing a, assistant purser OH thr oiu
Dominion steam.hip Line but saw, though H. dd not
comnlain that he hated business. Are you s"so
struck my boyr' asked NO. mother ou' "a''
ngure,, and want profession 'but way '" Wv
.t,g. y, 1T +, the only open 10 me- ''Peih'p'
no, said ''What would choose II you hsu ,ou'
,boc. =, His face lighted mp a moment a, he 'af.
Oh medicine I've longed To be doctor since voou
make a choice, but that can't be thouSht o. -
see" vas my answer. ana In rev months w "''
natrculoed at the College OF MUSICIANS and surgeons
This in 1855
In the summer of 1889 ! took cottage at ocean
Grove: there my boy Helen Potsmy dear daughter
mlaw say dear. that was very iohu VI mr.
then but because loved her anu syn io'e
her one a. WIFE, the other a. his dear si''e'' for
ny.cr liked Helen very much. though soon saw sH'
had beea spoiled cnt, and that her mother, IA
stead Of ruling her ruled by her, Helen haa beea
engaged to Ire married to M Harry Brown, young
man WHO IN, recently dea but whose family VIII cor
,oooratc my statements Tlry ,laim that Harry broke
OF the engagement. Helene people claim thst she dd.
bat at any she had u-t broken TINS engagement
.pd she had had love anaifs before that Csil ua
Helen took to each other once. excuse much thas
Helen did shc an tnprtiou'' "iiiW g'r''
Understand me. she not bad girl, but OF very
varnhcarea passionate nature. and mad never ie'fnei
-efcontrol.
That winter went By called on the Pot;sc' bht
in January q 1899 finding that b,th boys constant
!
4 dear Young gill whom C9ii sincerely attached 10 a.
ncnd-thcre never anything but warm niera'h'p
between them The Young girl, took ta and spent
The evening at the house. and all could Helen had
III, eyes nor ears tor but carl. Helen stayed an
night seepng In the front the second story.
myself occupying the back loom and Carl sleeping WIN Ms
brother the floor ot,>. Nal took tn" othe! guest
I home ho,Iag hidden Helen goodnight L went up to
the room with Helen and moved by srdden impulse
tho girl looked sweet could hepfoeihs drawn
10 heD put my baud her shoulder and said "Hccn'
dear 1 you boy and believe he loves You
Iut don't try to win him yet lie cant for wears
10 come: wait; II You 10 have my boy lie
vll bring ~ about in M. good time" The 2iil
di,npod and br,htd but give n promise on IN" thi
Of the neAt month she married Carl by ciNl contract
Now the civil contract rerriase' cIen rot's was
n member OF the Methodist Church and believed In a
mini marriage and 80 should never have consented
10 cy MARRIAGE but Carl had again and again said hit
II he were married should be By civil contract carr
| chuichmai
During tho OF 1890 Carl kept cafe at Asoury
Park one OF the mistakes OF the former counsel
ca. in m. airing this whole matter at the trial Ny
mother, cook engaged by Carl during the months the
hous, IN Twenty.thd.st wss closed TO make Jelirs
salads etc and thought he was going To make graz
d. Of money out venture. Tor which he borrowed
1900 Of NV father We that Carl was anxious
ia make this money that could have the n"aIis 70
pay his college and be able to acxho"i'use MS
,,,,age IN uelen My poor bOy, knowing what an
honooo ole family ours was elt sure he would be di'
craccd II my father knew OF his contracting secret
:, ,rtag.-n no matter II il ito Queen Victorias
d,urhtc~ herself" the boy .ad 70 MIS- Potts IL was
tho dishonorabc action not the gfl that ne WAS asna
~ The Neptune Club which had started In 1852 onceu
10 take Carts second hoor pay him good rent ana gu''c
aim 500 worth Of In Lis cafe iieie was MS
Great mistake let them have the rooms ana 'hey
had liquor,-ln Aebury Park, where the SAFE oi "quo
i. nrohibtcd-no. for sale outsiders. But in August
can Was arrested for keeping 'dlsordTy house, which
in N.y.Ie sey means selling liquors. and spent night
I'm Jail before his bail arrived We oil e' very sorry anu
| yet knew hc had only made mstaHc mat any oo' VI
| ,.o,v r,,ght have made lie had worked hard never
going To bed until every member OF the cun had ei'' anu
the last check my dear mother signed wa, 70 c' MN
% 10 tho country away from reporters Inc boy 'ooA
the Of Carl Graham "nen he went %
! with my full consent and knowledge why MI I"y'or
did not let ne testify this. cannot tell refhaps
he did not know it, for all thst Conandaieua matter was
Irrelevant and unexpected had my boys iuli con-
| fes,on months before the trial.
| Then came IIelcn's death. Thu. Saturday Can haa
arranged that he should bring Helen TO call upon me-
They came about hofpast or ana spent al hour vi
30 with me; my second and little daughter were
prescat a. well myself. Helen was rou'ahsy nappy'
and boy and girl were such evident lovers S' "uep
me second son returned from seeing them to the car
aid 81 give M the tight she's had poor bringing up.
hut hc loves Carl and must help her 10 be good we
| to him"
III. next day she lay dead and the papers were out
i,h IN. headings "Is This Murdcrg ETC. Death sahct'
nd ,Jo.r At once in NJ eyes. mourned her sincerely.
| ,or both my boys HI aubroken knowing latl a.
,id bis co,nuosire did deceive ne. The more
aee, he Is moved the less he shows IT, II had gone
~ the GIRLS funeral might have ben male right but
felt very delicate about intrudns Oh MIS- POTS a"a
80 wrote her letter saying would come to her at any
limo. she answered it, putting me on and then was
asked to speak on the afternoon OF the funcia! IN
m. mace Of a lecturer who had been taken ILL., prom
| iscd 10 do this aad that morning received "eefa"
| ,,on Mrs Potts saving Come oh. had but known
,, NV audience expected and went TO them WA
| ,,, Mrs Potts a loving She never wo'c a2"n
nm on Tuesday March 10. received letter accusing
nv hoy Of two murders Of blinking r'c' b"'Ptr' '''''9
| -, ., ,ho secret marriage. / ; carlyle that night
| on, be ,yas willing TO do anything proposed lnd'ei
| ~. seemed relieved that knew ALL On Wednesday
vent TO Mrs Potts poor woman. she "as nearly insane.
and could not blame her She assured me III ohe o'ca'