The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-29
QUEER CHAIN OF EVENTS
POISON INTENDED FOR AN ATHLETE
KILLS NEW YORK WOMAN.
Swallows n Dose of Cyanide of PO-
Bottle Marked ''BrOmO SeItzer."

NEW YORK, Dec 2S.-NIrs J. Adams a
well-to-do woman, was poisoned to-day in
her handsomely furnished apartments on
Eighty-sixth street. Her death is connected
with a curious chain of events Mrs.
Adams was a widow fifty years old. She
lived with her son-iE-law, Edward Rogers,
an insurance agens. Harry Cornish, well
known athlete and physical director of the
Knickerbocker Athletic Club, boards with
the Rogers.
Harry Cornish is a cousin of Mrs. Adams
and is forty years old He has been the
physical director of the Knickerbocker Ath-
letic Club for three years. Prior to that
time he was the physical director of the
Chicago Athletic Club, and prior to that
well-known figure in football and other
sports and coach for many college teams.
On the morning of Dec. "a there came to the
desk of the Knckerbocker Club office a
package wrapped in Manila paper and sealed
with wax. On the fat surface was written
in q feminine hand disguised to cause the
impression that the writing was done by
man the address. "Mr. Harry Cornish,
Knickerbocker Club Madison avenue and
Forty-ifth street. New York city,
The package had been mailed at the gen.
eral delivery Office down town. In the wrap
per of Manila paper was a pasteboard box
marked Tiffany" in the box the usual cot
ton packing and in the center wrapped in
white tissue paper a vial holder of polished
silver. On the bottom of the holder is
marked, STERLING silver, No. S14." The re-
ceiving cylinder of the holder was 10
cent vial of bromo seltzer. The bottle was
wrapped in the usual label of the drug made
i'll Baltimore. The stopper was unsealed
and packed down hard on level with the
AoIr oft hn hot IoI hff1c~ with
vials of bromo seltzer of this make. The
vial, with it's contents, was placed in
Cornisks room. There it rested until morn
ing.
Tuesday evening Mrs. Adams. escorted
by Cornish, attended theater They par
took of light supper before returning
home. While breakfast was being prepared
this morning Mrs. Adams appeared i'll. She
complained of q severe headache Mrs.
Rogers then mentioned the bottle of bromo-
seltzer that Cornish had in his room.
Cornish went to his room and got the vial
of supposed bromo seltzer. He poured out
g. small quantity in a spoon and mixed it
with water. Laughingly, Mrs. Adams took
the mixture. Cornish also took some of the
mixture. Suddenly all were attracted by the
screams OF Mrs. Adams calling for her
daughter. Mrs. Rogers rushed into the
bathroom and found her mother writhing in
pain on the floor and gasping for breath.
Cornish himself grew i'll. He Immediately
sent the hall boy for a doctor and DR.. E.
E. Hitchcock was brought in The doctor
saw that the woman mad some violent
poison and gave her nitroglycerin to
stimulate the heart action. He applied other
remedies and gave a powerful antidote to
Cornish. Or. Hitchcock tasted the poison,
bo pxyida mid If
potassium. He began to feel the effects of
the poison and DIR. E. S. Potter was sent
for Before he arrived Mrs. Adams was
dead. DR.. Potter gave it as his opinion that
the poison was cyanide of potassium. Mr..
Cornish went to Assistant District Attorney
McIntyre's Office and told the incidents con-
nected with the tragic death Of Mrs Adams
AT the advice of the assistant district at
torney three detectives were placed in the
hallway of the house No one was allowed
to go up to the apartments of the Rogers
without permission from the district attor-
neys office.
Coroners Physician Weston called at the
house tonight. He took the vial holder and
the bottles of poison. He also took the
wrapper containing the address After care
full examination of the contents of the bot
tie, he said il was his opinion that the con-
tents were cyanide of potassium, although
he could not say for certainty. He was
sure that this is what caused Mrs Adams's
DEATH and that it was murder-murder
cold blooded and premeditated. He was of
the opinion that the victim intended was
Cornish He stated that the granules of
bromo seltzer We're coarser and that the
drug in the vial was Of brighter crystals and
very fine. He said he would perform an
autopsy on the body of Mrs. Adams to-
morrow He had had no talk with Cornish.
but had consulted with Assistant District
Attorney Mcintyre. Cornish disappeared
soon after visiting the assistant district at
torney's office, and could not be found any
where His divorced wife lives in Boston.