St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-05-08


home with her
In the last stage of the proceedings
the hearing before Commissioner RaineS
she sat in court again almost side by
side with Mrs. Harris. Her heart was
set on having it dlsproved that her child
could have been addicted to the use of
morphine. Mrs. Harris heart Was set
the other way, for she knew that her
sons only chance of life depended upon
that, and, when those hearings were
ended, Mrs. Potts went away again
with her husband. AS
She Was the Ayenger.
Mrs. Harris was the defender; but her
character was very different one. Mrs.
Harris is woman Of about fifty years,
always dresses in black, with a
Grape veil; has bright, steel-gray
eyes, and features that might
be comely were they not so
set and resolute. She was scornful
during the first trial. "Prove my boy
guilty of MURDER" she used to say.
You might as we'll try to prove that
white was black" She was always
talking to the reporters in the court
room and attempting to attract the at
tention and win the sympathy Of the
jurors by bestowing some caress on her
son. Every point that was made that
seemed to be in his favor would briug
forced smile to her face. In short, she
was acting under tremendous nervous
strain, yet trying to play consistently a
part which she had mapped out for her
self. When the conviction came she
went into TRADE, and there was
A Terrible Scene.
But the conviction only meant that
she would redouble her efforts. She
bounded the newspaper offices, asking
that one thing and another might not be
written about her boy. This she has
continued to do up to this day, and
probably will continue to do long after
her boy has paid the penalty of his
crime.
1t was she who got William A. Howe
to take the case through the court of
appeals, and the defeat met with there
could not even discourage her, or if it
did, she gave no evidence of it. She
visited her son in the Tombs every day
when she was not out of the city, and
almost invariably would return to re-
port how he was and to ask the news
papers to print something in his favor.
Soon after the defeat in the court Of
appeals she left the city, and then she
was heard from in all parts of the coun-
try, as she travelled around trying to get
afhdayits on which to rest the motion
for new trial. 1t was she who got and
brought to William A. Howe that great
Bunch of AfTidavits
to prove that Helen Potts was m or
phine eater, many of them made by peo-
pie whom Helen had never known, ac-
cording to the belief Of those who knew
her best. Recorder Smythe said that
many of these affidavits were rank per-
Jury, but many were made by women
of good character, and it has been a
wonder how Mrs. Harris ever got them
from them. She is woman of
strong personality, though, and in her
appeals in her sons behalf was very
convincing to persons of an emotional
nature.
In every court proceeding she was
present, except when her son was last
sentenced. Then she waited in the
lawyers Office for the news. She
wanted to be in court, but her friends
feared that she would make scene, as
her health was much broken down.
Since her son went to Sing Sing, she
has labored just as hard in his behalf.
1t was she who got the most important
signatures on the great petition for eX-
ecutive elemency. She has visited Sing
Sing, and was present through the re-
cent hearing.
Broken Down in Health,
but still hopeful, she went few days
ago to her old farm home in Northfield,
Mass, where she received the word that
her sons doom was sealed; then
hastened back to his side again. When
Harris was first convicted he announced
that he would never die in the felon's
chair. Since then he has retracted this
statement and frequently asserted that
he would die as the law directed. He
desired, he said, TO have the full re-
sponsibiity for the execution of an in
nocent man rest where it belongs. In
spite Of this assertion, however, ex-
treme precautions have been taken to
see that he did not cheat the exc
cutioner. His knowledge of chemistry
made the prison officials even more
alert. No one. not even his mother,
was allowed to approach nearer than
three feet from the condemned man.
Letters were eXamined-the paper SUBJ
jected to chemical tests to ascertain
whether it concealed some deadly
poison which had been absorbed in its
texture The warden @~an went so far
as to announce that when the broken
hearted mother pressed her last kiss
upon her boys lips, lips that would
soon feel the kiss Of death, her mouth
would be examined to see that it did
not contain poison, and be thus ad-
ministered to prevent the stigma of the
death of the felon from attaching to her
sons memory. Physicians are in con-
slant proximity to the cell of the con-
demned, ready to respond
at Moments Notice
to snatch back from selt-infiicted
death this poor wretch the law had
claimed as its own.
YOUNG HARRIS LIFE.