Evening star., 1925-12-26
Christmas Tragedy in Harris
Home Blamed on Fumes
From Furnace.
FATHER Is RELEASED
AFTER CORONER'S PROBE
Vile and Sun Dead, Second Child
Sick and Mother-in-L Laws Life
Hanging in Balance.


ive-year-old son, John Boyer Harris.
, and the critical illness of her mother.
Mrs. Mary T.. Boyer, who now lies at
/ the point of death in Emergency Hos
pital, was cleared up this afternoon
with the announcement by DEPUTY
Coroners Rogers and Martyr that car
on monoXide gas from the furnace in
The Harris home at 4429 P street wa.
the cause beyond any doubt.
The announcement was made h.
! ly. after they performed an autopsy
on the two bodies at the District
morsue this afternoon. The carbon
monoXide theory was not declared
positively final until thorough blood
examination is made by Dr. Oscar F..
Hunter, a local chemist, which will
be completed late this afternoon.
So certain was Coroner j. Ramser
hewitt that gas escaping from the
furnace in the Harris home Christmas
eve and Christmas Gay was the cause
of the tragedy that Immediately after
receiving the report of his deputies
he ordered Trueman Leon Harris, the
Crief-stricken father and husband, re-
leased from the seventh precinct po-
lice station, where he had been held
since yesterday evening to await the
outsome of the investigation
No Signs of Ptomaine.
The deaths of Mrs. Harris and her
! baby son had been cast in shroud
of mystery with the theory aning
iowa r6 p7On13iOe n SI-p,n.
toms of this were found by the ply
siCians in their examination. Coroner
. hewitt, when he made an examination
. of the Harris bungalow Yesterday af-
ternoon. said today he found the fur
! mace banked heavily with coal
This gave him the impression that
gas escaping from the furnace might
have caused the death. but the fact
, that the youngest member of the
! family, Mary Lorena Harris. wears
/ old. was affected in no way had Il
! tendency TO upset this theory. Fur
thermore, James Wendar Harris. I
years old, who was lying in bed with
ms grandmother. now dangerously
Ill, was only slightly affected. and he
will recover. physicians at Emergency
Hospital declare
Little Mary Lorena Harris, the
Youngest OF the family, is a. George.
town University Hospital apparently
very well, but under careful scrutiny
of physicians
The tragedy was discovered by Har-
rls yesterday afternoon about o'clock
according to the story he told Can't
l.. j. Stoll of the precinct. He admit
ted taking several drinks of whisky
Christmas eve. and on coming home
late. going to bed. In the parlor of
, the bungalow, at 1929 p street. stood
Christmas tree, laden with and sur
rounded by presents for the little
, members of the family. On the man.
tel three bulginG stockings hung.
Mr.. Harris went to bed. About 6
O'Clock he awakened and went into the
room of his wife. She said she was
not feeling well, SO he returned to bed,
and ii was not until o'clock in the
afternoon that he awakened once more
/ and then was confronted with the
tragedy.
Youngest Child Well
His wife lay dead, and beside her
was John, years old, in a dying con-
dition. In another room was Mrs
Boyer, unconscious, and with little
James, 4, very i'll, on the bed beside
her. And in the crib was 2-year-old
Mary, apparently perfectly well.
Mr.. Harris did not realize the extent
of the ira gedy He rushed to his neigh
DOT, W u. owens OIL f4oO street, anu
sounded the alarm. The Emergency
Hospital ambulance responded. while
friends carried John and Mary to
Georgetown University Hospital. John
died en- route and Mary Immediately
was placed under careful examination.
The father was taken to Emergency
Hospital, but a few hours later was
released and placed in custody of
Capt. Stoll, pending the outcome of
the investigation. Mrs. Boyer still is
unconscious at Emergency Hospital,
while James is recovering rapidly, ac-
Cording to physicians.
Santa Claus had been good to the
Harris children, and had visited them
| during the night. The surprise he
! left for them still stands untouched in
the Harris home. In corner of the
! living room is a large tree, neatly
decorated and holding many dainty
little presents. Beneath the tree are
handsome and expensive toys, includ-
! ing a rubber-tired tricycle. for John. a
small, brilliant-colored wheelbarrow
for James, a baby carriage and doll
: for Mary, numerous games, handker.
chiefs. stockings and numerous other
small articles. Opposite the tree on
! the mantel hang three stockings filled
with fruit and more small toys.
Bodies Taken to Morgue.
The bodies of Mrs Harris and John
were taken to the Morgue yesterday
and the autopsy was performed this
afternoon.
J Mrs. Harris died some time between
the hours of d IN. and pm. yeSter-
day, and it is not known by the hus-
! band when the other stricken persons
| were critically affected. According to
Harris story to Capt. Stoll. when Mrs.
I, Harris reported she was not feeling
we'll the husband drank some more
whisky and retired, not awakening
until the afternoon.
Although the two hospitals were
notified shortly after o'clock it was
not until about two hours later that
the police were brought in on the case
Detectives Thompson and Keck from
headquarters Immediately investigated
with officers of the seventh precinct,
including Capt. Stoll. Lieut.. Hess, De-
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