Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-05-09
Carlyle Harris Pays the Full Penalty
Of His Crime.
LEGEND ON HIS COFFIN PLATE.
His Relatives Declare He was
Murdered--How He Approached
His Fate-His Last Words De-
clared His Innocence-He Was
Nervous from Cigarette Smok-
ing-The Electrocutionth the Most
Successful Yet.

SprlDR sunshine Ulu hON HSH'N
gloom that hung over Sing Sing prison
this morning.
Guards moved about with quiet tread,
and voices were hushed as in the pres
ence of death.
The air Of suffocation, which one
! feels at a funeral, filed the place, IN
spite OF the clear atmosphere OF per-
feet spring day.
At other electrocutions there has
been Ievty and indifference about the
urison, but the dawn OF Carlyle mar
ris's last day was observed by quiet
due to the appreciation that he was no
ordinary culprit, but a man whose
crime and whose death will be historic.
Not since the first eectrocutlon at
Sing Sing when four men, Slocum'
Smilers. Jugiro and Wood, were put to
death with the experimental apparatus
then in use, has there been such an In
terest displayed here. Throngs OF
people gathered on the hillside over
looking the gray walls OF the prison.
They could not hope to catch glimpse
of Harris or see the implement OF death,
but they gazed with morbid curiosity
at the building from which the doomed
man would not emerge until soul and
body were parted. To-day the crowds
began assembling early and they were
larger and of a more intelligent class OF
people than is usually drawn to THIS
spot. The fact that Harris is OF a cul-
tured class is appreciated. The electro
cutions which have preceded the one
today were the going to death OF brutes
who had killed fellow beings and about
whose guilt there was no doubt, and in
whose cases there was little to arouse
sympathy.
Contrary to the usual customs here
| the death warrant was not read by the
! warden at midnight. The doomed man
had been told, however, when the end
would come. He retired early last
night. and though he showed no signs
of breaking down, he was more nerv-
Gus and excitable than usual. Princi-
pal Keeper Connoughton said this
morning that Harris rested well, al
though be did not sleep much, and
what thoughts racked his brain no one
will ever know. His self-control was
marvellous.
His only sign OF agitation was the
constant smoking of cigarettes. He
was up early this morning. de looked
over the manuscript which he had pre-
pared to be given out to the press by
his relatives after the final scene In his
dramatic life had been rung down.
Az 8 o'clock Harris ate a light break
fast. He was cool and collected and
appeared to be capable o. going through
the ordeal which awaited him.
The first witnesses TO arrive were Dr.
Daniels, of Buffalo, and Colonel Il. A.
Rockwell, who reached the prison to-
gether at 9:20 O'Clock. They were fol-
lowed shortly by DR.. c. 5. Grant, OF
Saratoga; Or. d. r. Kidd, OF NewburG;
Dl. Payne, OF Yonkers; and Dr. ID. z.
Merritt, of Elmira.
At $3.50 o'clock a column OF black
smoke curled up from tall chimney at
the northern end of the prison enclos-
ure. The engines which operate the
dyuamos were started preparatory to
the official test by State Electrician
Davis.
Mrs. Harris, having made her fral
farewell TO her son on Saturday, re-
NAMED at the Amber House, shut In
from all visitors. Her youngest son,
Allan, was with her. She was calm aud
less nervous than usual and awaited
with fearful silence the sign which
would inform her that her son, Carlyle,
had passed out from this world. The
flag announcing the successful conclu-
sion OF the execution, which was raised
from the roof of the warden's house,
could be seen from the windows OF the
room which Mrs. Harris occupied in the
Amber, and there she and her son Al
Ian watched and waited with straining
eyes and subdued grief for the fatal sig
nal.
The Rev. John c. S. Wells, the prison
chaplain, went in to see Harris shortly
after 9 o'clock this morning and re-
mained an hour. After he came out DR..
Irving went in and found Harris show
ing some signs of nervousness, but 9TH
erwise all right He said afterward that
Harris did not ask for morphine or any
other stimulant. His only request was
for two oranges. They were served TO
him.
Harris was shaved and had his hair
cut at 10:30. he then put on a new suit
OF clothes furnished by the State.
Electrician Davis, accompanied by the
warden and the witnesses who had ar
rived, proceeded to the execution room,
where the final test Of the death-dealing
apparatus was made at 11:40 O'Clock. A
board on which were run "a incandes-
cent lights was placed across the arms OF
the death chair and the current was
turned on full head. showing voltage
of l, 700. The current was thrown OF for
awhile and then turned on. The cleo
trician skid everything was satisfactory
ard the party retired at 11:5O.
The witnesses were all assembled in
the Warden's Office at IL O'Clock. There
were twenty-seven OF them. Seven
were physicians, and ten were news
paper men. The others were State
officials and friends OF the Warden.
1t was 1916 p. N. when Warden
Durston announced that everything
was in readiness and invited the wit
nesses down stairs The witnesses en-
tered aud seated themselves on wooden
stools arranged in half circle at the
west end OF the room and facing the
chair. Warden Durston, accompanied
by DR.. Irvine, Head Keeper Connaugh-
ton and four guards, preceded the wit
nesses. While they seated themselves
Electrician Davis attached the wires TO
the battery lamps and turned on 1,z60
volts. He finished testing the appara-
tus at 1896. and announced that all
was resdy.
|. Connaughton and two guards then
hnn