Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-04-02
FAMOUS TRIALS.
Those Of Webster, Harris, Kennedy,
Fleming and Others.

Fleming and Others.
While murder is one of the common
est of crimes in New York city, only
a very small percentage Of the murder
trials are reported at any length in the
New York newspapers. The ordinary
variety Of killings, lacking in "unwrit-
ten law" attachments and fixtures, and
with persons Of neither wealth nor
beauty figuring as defendants or wit
nesses, do not even get "stickfuT a
day of notice in the New York papers.
On conviction or acquittal In such
cases a bare three or four lines not
ing the verdict are printed. Yet there
are several murder trials going on in
New York on every calendar day
There are scores of murderers now
awaiting trial in New York, and a
good many Of these trials are held
back by the Thaw case, to the prose-
cution of which the entire force Of
the district attorneys office has ad-
dressed itself from the day following
the shooting Of Stanford White. About
once in two years really big" muir
der trial happens in New York. That,
at least, has been the average during
the past twenty years.
After having reported for various
New York newspapers good many Of
these famous trials Of the past twenty
years or so, one finds 1t more or less
interesting to run over some OF the
most notable of them and to revive
impressions formed at the time con-
cerning the principals in such cases.
One of the first murder trials which
I reported for New York newspaper
was that Of Burton Webster, in 1888
or 1889. The so-termed "unwritten
law" was not involved in this case, al
though 1t might we'll have been. Bur-
ton Webster, a boolimaker Of the best
repute in his class and man with
legions of friends, caught the man
whom he shot and killed, in the COM
pany Of the woman upon whom he had
lav,shed his affections-Evelyn Gran
VILE, an actress and very beautiful
woman. Webster had repeatedly
warned the man to remain away from
the apartment in which he and the
actress lived. When he returned to
the apartment one night and found the
man there in spite Of all warnings
Webster promptly shot him to death
and surrendered to the authorities.
He did not do the baby act, but took
his medicine in silence, although he
had many influential friends who might
have turned the tide in his favor had
he invoked their aid in that direction.
He was sent away for twenty years,
and finished out his term, with the
usual time off for good behavior. Web
ster, a very quiet, somewhat prema-
turely old man, well liked by those
with whom he comes into contact, now
makes his home in Washington. Eve
the bottom of all the trouble, died a
miserable death a few years ago.
The case Of Carlyle Harris, medi-
cal student, charged with numbering
tering poison to her, was the next OF
the famous New York murder trials.
I have always considered that Carlyle
Harris was guiltless Of the crime for
which he went to the chair. In such
matters no good is to be gained by
seeking to go behind the evidence; but
Harris's case was exceptional, and my
humble individual judgment Of him,
which is fully recognized as being
wholly unimportant in view of the
verdict, was formed after months OF
daily contact with him while he was
awaiting trial and during the trial,
which, If 1 remember correctly, lasted
some seven weeks, and which I re-
ported for a New York paper Any
body who became closely acquainted
with Harris would have found 1t i'm
possible to believe that he murdered
his young wife. He protested his In
nocence to the very last.
He was a frank-faced, accomplished
and wholly engaging young chap
and the prosecution never established
any actual motive which might have
actuated him in killing his wife, who
was very lovely, and who was entirely
devoted to her promising young hus-
band, as he was to her. He was ac-
cused of having brought about her
death by the administration Of in
creasingly strong doses Of morphine.
After Harris's execution some very
strong evidence was brought forward
showing that the wife whom he was
charged with killing had involuntart-
ly become addicted to the use OF NOR
phia while undergoing a severe illness.
It is certain that all hands who were
present throughout that long trial.
can speak, at any rate, for the news
paper men-gravely doubted II the
verdict finally rendered was the right
one, and, in fact, there seemed to be
a quite general impression that he had
been unjustly convicted-that, at any
rate, he should have been given the
benefit Of the many grave doubts in
the case.
Two nights before the day set for
his execution in Sing Sing, Carlyle
Harris had an opportunity to make
his escape from that prison. But he
scorned the chance. A pair Of desper-
ate convicts, confined in the Sing Sing
death house with Harris, tossed red
pepper into the eyes Of the keeper
overpowered him and took away his
keys, and before leaving threw open
the door Of Harris's cell and invited
him to join them. Harris refused to
run away. The two desperadoes got
out and found a boat moored to a
stake close to the prison. The alarm
was promptly given, but they got
across the Hudson. although the
night was a wild and stormy one. On
the following day the searchers found
the boat on the Jersey side OF the
Hudson, with both Of the convicts Sit
ting dead in it, one in the bow and the
other in the stern sheets. They were