The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-05-09
HARRIS STATEMENT.
1t Is Withheld from tho Publ.
by Warden Durston.
MRS. HARRIS TALKS TO REPORTERS

She Says Her Son Prayed on the Eve OF
His Death, and Declares That He Wa,
Judioialiy Mnrdered-The Inscription
on tho Coffin.
SING SING, N. Y, May 9-At 8 o'cloeli
yesterday afternoon Untaker Kipp, VIII,
carries on his business in the village OF
Sing Sing, drove up to the prison. He
procured the prison physicians certificate
of the cause of Carlyle Harris death and
then drove into the prison grounds. In his
wagon was highly polished oak caskei
which was carried into the death cham
Der, where the body of Harris, dressed In
dark suit of prison made goods, reposed
upon table. The body was placed in the
casket. The undertaken refused to dis
close the plans for the disposition of the
body. The silver plate upon the cover OF
the casket contained this inscriptions
Carlyle w. Harris, murdered May 8, 1893
aged % years, months, Is days. We would
not if we had known. THE jury.
There was very impressive scene at the
Amber House in the afternoon when Mrs
Harris saw the reporters. This remark.
able woman had endured not only the
grief of mother losing her first born, but
had suffered the agony of having her SOL
whom she believed innocent branded as a
murderer, and killed by the state, and yet
she stooa there calm and passive, waiting
for the score of newspaper men to enter.
Then facing them with dry eyes and firm
voice she said:
''it has been said that Carlyle Harris was
guilty because he shed no tears when
Helen Potts died. shed no tears now, and
God knows loved Carl Harris My boy
was innocent. You men who saw him die
know that he went to the chair an innocent
man. With his last word he declared his
innocence, and yet he has been killed He
has been judicially murdered. His last
statement was to have been given to me as
soon as he was dead, and l have not re-
ceived 1t yet. l do not think shall ever
see it, at least not as my boy wrote it. II
was my boys last wish that it be given out
today, but am powerless to carry it out"
Mrs. Harris then gave out the following
for publication:
81 did not see my dear boy after he was
taken to Sing Sing till last Friday. Ii
was his wish that | should not see him
there. Conscious of his innocence and that
we had proof of Helen's being addicted to
the use of morphine, Carl hoped l need
never seq him in the death chamber. But
God allowed it otherwise-and though an
innocent boy has been judicially murdered
/ can praise him for even this last ordeal.
AS soon as l saw my boy felt that he
had grown spiritually He made no pro
fessions of conversion, almost all his talk
was of what could do, what friends had
left, ETC., but all eagerness for life, for
career, was gone, and very quietly he told
me he prayed to God, had asked his for
giveness, and Though not sure of immor
tality) trusted in God for the future.
tsI sprayad with him opd nulp,lv ond
reverently he said the Lords prayer with
me. To one who knows my boy this means
much, for he never went through a form
of prayer. There was no confession of the
crime for which he was charged Ho,
could there be? But he deeply regretted
all the trouble he had brought upon us by
concealing his marriage and confessine
again the temptation he had yielded to in
Canadaigua. He felt very deeply the dis
grace his execution brought upon us, but
told him thanked God was Carlyle
Harris mother, and could say what few
mothers can say, that in his twenty-three
years of life he had not given me one un
kind word or ever disobeyed an expressed
command. We agreed that Gods way
must be best, though Carl felt deeply tina,
the only lesson his fate can teach is to
warn young man who is falsely accused
should have done. -
Mrs. Harris then referred briefly to
Helen Potts previous marriage engage.
ments and her habits as morphine eater.
and of Mrs. Potts alleged dnplicity
Warden DaCston was asked by the re.
porters for the last statement of Carlyle
Harris, as it is said to be addressed to the
press. He replied that when Mrs Harris
sent for it she could have it.
Ii was learned that the statement had
been revised by Harris at the warden,s re-
quest on Saturday and again yesterday
morning. The warden had practically
acted as censor over his prisoner even up
to the moment of his electrocution.
Mrs. Harris sent her son Allan to tho
prison to ask for the statement. When
the young man said that his mother de.
sired the statement and was very anxious
about it the Warden said sharply: II have
not got 1t, / can't be bothered attending
to the requests of Mrs. Harris. I've got
this prison TO run. Tell yonr mother that
as soon as get the statement | will send
it to her.
Mrs, Harris decided to call on Warden
Durston herself and ask for her sons last
written statement. The warden told her
he had mailed 1t to Superintendent Of
Prisons Lathrop at Albany.
Warden Durston said afterward that he
could use his own discretion about giving
ont the statement, and he thought it the
best policy to send it to Albany.