Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1893-05-13
IN THE DEATH CHAIR.

Harris was executed by electricity in
the death house of the prison here at
12:40 o'clock p. m. Monday.
The warden invited the witnesses to
go down to the execution chamber at
1915 o'clock, and at 1917 the death
flag was placed in position to
hoist. There were twenty-seven wit
nesses, including seven physicians
and ten newspaper men, the
others being state officials and
friends of the warden. The witnesses
were seated on wooden stools arranged
in half circle at the west end of the
room and facing the chair. 1t was 1890
when the witnesses entered the room,
aud Electrician Davis finished testing
the apparatus at 1896 and announced
that all was ready
Harris was awaiting the final sum-
mons in his cell, and with HIM was
Chaplain WELLS. The condemned man
was ready in u moment, and the little
procession was quickly formed by Head
Keeper Connaughton and two guards.
Harris looked slight and pale as
he stepped into the room, and paus-
| ing an instant on the threshold
he looked calmly over the assembledwit-
| nesses. Warden Durston had asked the
reporters to conceal their pads, saying:
Harris might not like it." The pads
were put out of sight. Harris walked
entirely alone, just behind Connaugh-
ton, who pointed him to the chair, and
without even look of curiosity at the
| thing which was to end his career, he
dropped in the seat.
AS he did so he began to talk in low
voice, and, in weak voice, as though
each word cost him a powerful effort,
said: Il have no further reservation to
make. desire to say that 1 am
absolutely innocent" These were
his last words. After utter
ing them he seemed relieved and settled
back in the chair to which his legs and
arms had already been strapped The
electrodes were then attached to his
right leg, which was barred to the
knee, and the helmet containing the
other electrode was placed on his head.
Electrician Davis attached the wires
to the electrodes, and the guards
stepped back. Davis, who had gone to
the switch board then said: "All ready"
There was an instant of pause. At
12:4O15 current of 1,76O volts passed
through the body of Carlyle Harris. In
two seconds Davis threw the switch
board back, and only $50 volts were on.
DIR. Daniels still held his hand aloft and
one finger pointed above as though
to indicate that the soul of the man
in the chair had passed upward. Then
his arm fell and in just 559I seconds the
current was shut off. The life of Car
lyle Harris was extinct, and it was
plain to all present that death had
come at the first touch of the current.
Drs. Irvine and Habershaw imme-
diately stepped forward and examined
the body, which had settled back limp
in the chair. Life was extinct, and it
was plain to all who We're present that
death had come at the first touch of the
current. All the physicians present
expressed themselves as satisfied that
death had been instantaneous. When
all had examined the body DIR. Daniels
turned to the witnesses and said:
"That is all" The witnesses who had
seen other electrocutions agreed that
this was the most successful one yet.
Mrs. Harris viewed the raising of the
black flag from the window of her
room in a boarding house. When the
ominous signal hoated on the soft
breeze she turned quietly away, re-
, signed and calm as she has been
for the last few days.
The crime for which Carlyle W. Harris was
electrocuted attracted an extraordinary amount
of attention. The desperate fight for her boys
life made by his mother and the equally des
= perate fight for his conviction made by the
murdered girls mother has intensified the dra
m tic intaraSt trial n wonderful
gree.
Born in Glen Falls, N Y, of q fine family, he
I | lived with his mother in Brooklyn after she
9 separated from his father, Mrs Harris was
poor and Carlyle passed through the stages
OF book-agent clerk and actor, before he
4 took up the study OF medicine at TO- In 1889 they
went To Ocean Grove, MI, to live and there h,
{ met Mary Helen Potts, the murdered girl She
:, was pretty and he took fancy to her Pretty
girls were weakness of his and his reputation
:. in that direction was rather unsavory The
t girls mother refused to sanction their engage
A ment as while in Ocean Grove Harris
ran gambling house and saloon Afte
! the return 10 New York Harris AM
e Miss Potts were secretly married
and in little while he began TO neglect her
g She was in a delicate condition and an opera
: tion was performed to conceal her conditio
after she had informed friend of her
n of the marriage, in case she should die
: Afterward her uncle, u physician, discovere
= her state of health, and she confessed tn
marriage Her mother demanded publ
. marriage. but Harris put 1t of. Al the tim
II he was carrying an intrigue with a woma
: In Canandaigua, N Y. Tired OF the affail
he gave his girl-wife some morphine pill
for headache. They killed her and he adde
to his infamy by claiming that she was MOI
phine-eater and had simply taken an overdose
m He was very unconcerned over her death an
repeatedly insisted that the medicine he CAV
her was all right.
q His suspicious conduct and other circun
II stances OF the case convinced Mrs Potts tina
q Harris had poisoned her daughter. She tol
- the whole story 10 States Attorney Nicoll an
g on May l3, following the girls dealt
$ Harris was indicted. He was brough
n TO bar in January 1892, and afte
4 trial OF three weeks duration was col
y victed. Sentence OF death was pronounced an
u the date OF execution was tixeu for March
It The case then went to the court of appeal
a by which the decision OF the lowe
a court was affirmed Harris attorneys the
- moved for new trial, but this WI
% overruled Petitions for executive clemenC
+, were at once put in circulation ard very hume