The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-03-20
The Case of Carlyle Harris.

disquieting one indeed, and, in CON
templating it, the painful point raised
is the doubt a. to the power of pre-
vailing judicial methods to deal salts
factoriiyl with the complications
which modern civilization creates.
A jury has pronounced Harris
guilty upon O chain of arguments,
Tally one-half of which is mere infer
enee and presumption, mere specula-
tion in probabilities. But the chain
of argument is so strong that it has
convinced the acute, scrupulous and
painstaking judge who heard the
case, and, we believe, fully nine
tenths of all the people. who have
followed it, of the guilt of the
accused. Those who study the case.
say it is impossible to resist the con-
clusion that the murder of Helen
Potts or Helen Harris, was deliber-
ately planned and executed by her
husband. They find everything in
the evidence-the motive, the grad
ual working up of his mind to the
necessary resolve, the general homi-
eidal tendency as shown in many of
his utterances, and finally the .iiabol-
cal scheme to throw the blame On in
nocent parties.
On the other hand, a certain num-
Der of very careful people, among
them, many who are trained to con-
slider such cases, believe that the
probabilities against the guilt OF Har-
ris almost equal those which seem
to point to it. First of all, they
consider the inherent improbability
of the whole plot as it must be under
stood if the man is to be regarded as
murderer. 1t is altogether too artis-
tic, too ingenious, they argue. 1t is
too like a plot in a sensational novel.
And this plea is not without force. 1t
IS very much the sort of conception a
lawyer or detective might build up to
fit a certain set OF real o. assumed
facts, but it certainly appears to the
ordinary mind that no improbability
is greater than the theory that any
man would construct a plot at once so
elaborate and ingenious, and SO full
Of flaws and dangers, and stake his
life upon the result of it.
In the chain of argument against
Harris, there are further many weak
links, in spite of its general strength.
One great point against him was the
personal, selfish fear he showed the
morning after the girls death. This,
to our mind, falls in fully with the
theory of his innocence-his admitted
general scoundrelism being taken for
granted. His conduct al quite
characteristic of a bad and selfish
man who had committed a technical
fault that was going to hurt his inter-
ests; but it was the last thing in the
world to be expected from a deep,
cool and ingenious murderer, who
had just fabricated a poisoning
scheme unparalleled in the annals Of
crime.
1t would be tiresome to go yer the
disputed points in the evidence, the
question whether Helen Potts died of
morphine poisoning at all, the ques-
ton whether. if she did, it was not
because she had diabetes and was I'M
duly affected by an enthusiastically
small dose, the further question,
whether she was not an habitual
Of morphine. These and
other points are laid open, to say the
least, to the gravest doubts, and,
while Recorder Smyth's final ruling
upon them may greatly weigh
against Harris, there are few men who,
balancing all the contradictions for
themselves, would like to take a mans
life away on the strength of such con-
clusion as they could reach.
AS for the matter of public sym
pathy, it was irrationally against
Harris throughout his trial, merely
because, in his general life, he
was immoral and INSCRIPTIONS.
1t is now inclined to be in
his favor on the equally
irrational ground of his unfortunate
mothers devotion to him. With some
people it useless to argue the points
in his favor, because he led an evil
life; with others it is vain to show the
terrible material for suspicion against
him. because his mothers tears and
sacrifices overbalance all other con-
siderations.
After working its slow way through
court after court, the case is now to be
tried, it appears, at 1.-The bar of public
OPINION Public meetings are to be
held and Governor Flower is to be
importuned to pardon the accused.
This is certainly a public danger. Ii
Harris is not guilty, we had better
abolish our courts, or at least U
present system Of trial, for certainly
every resort they afford has been used
by this man, and he has failed to
shake or disturb in any degree the
Judgment against him. On the other
hand, il he is guiltysas the courts say.
ass,1redly the crime of ~pardoning him