The Portland daily press., 1898-12-31
ADAMS MURDERER.
Police Think They Have the
Criminal.
WAS FORMER MEMBER KNICKER-
BOOKER ATHLETIC CLUB.


From the CIub-His Name Has Not
Been Observation-Disclosures Crime May
Be Traced to Him.
New York, December 30.-The World to-
morrow will say:
Captain George McClusky. chief of the
detective bureau of this city firmly be-
lieves that he has solved the mystery sur
rounding the attempt to kill Barry Corr
nish, physical instructor of the Knicker
booker club, by sending him poison
through the mails
At nine O'Clock last night Captain Nc
Clusky STATED that he would have the
culpr1t in custody within twelve hours.
The name of the suspected murderer is
withheld from publication lest it's an
nouncement should defeat the ends OF
justice.
The man under surveillance was former
ly % member of the Knickerbocker
Athletic club. He was at one time man
of high social and financial standing in
this city. In later years, through evil
habits, and evil associations his descent
was rapid From being unpopular in the
athletic club he latterly developed into q
person with whom the members of the
club felt that they could not associate. 1t
was the conviction that he was unfit to
be member of the club.
Finally a special meeting of the club
was called to act upon his case He was
| ignominiously expelled. 1t is well known
/ %1,e,f 81 Tod Mr. (Hrr~
nish with the revelation of facts which
] led to this action. 1t is understood that
Mr.. Cornish did hold the man in con-
tempt and had not hesitated to express
! that sentiment. All who kneT the per-
son in question speak of him as of the
worst type of hopeless and malicious
| degenerates
| It is said that he took the action of the
| club in expelling him with bitter resent
ment. 1t is also said that he had concen-
| trated this feeling upon certain members
Of the club in particular and conspicuous
! ly among them Vas Mr. Cornish.
With these general facts to guide them,
| the police set out to find evidence that
would connect this person with the dead
| ly parcel delivered to Mir. Cornish by the
! postman at the Knickerbocker Athletic
club. The first definite clue was the
tracing of the little silver toothpif
! . 0ClQ6T WHICH CitiuS WIN tti0 JtbtCcA va
| poison from the manufacturer TO retail
| dealer and from him to a purchaser by
name to the dealer unknown. This
| dealer, it is understood has place or
| business in Hoboken. The police visited
him and obtained from him detailed de-
| scription of the man who purchased the
silver article This description tailed
with almost Photographic exaotness with
| the appearance, clothing and general
mannerisms of the man under suspicion.
All the energies of the police are being
now devoted to completing the chain of
evidence against the suspect.
| Mr.. Cornish was by no means the only
man in the club against whom this de-
generate is said to have entertained a
deadly hostility. This fact suggests
startling differences in connection with
the death of Mr.. Barnet member OF the
Knickerbocker. 1t is said that he was
unqualified in his expressions OF dislike
| for the man in question. In November
last Mr.. Barnet received at the club q
parcel which came to him through the
mails This parcel contained a powder
which MIR. Barnet unhesitatingly tooE
internally. 1t was only Dy the most
super human exertions of Ors. Hudlas
and Phillips that he was saved from I'M
| mediate death. Twelve days latel Mr.
| Barnet died. The cause of his death was
| diagnosed under another name, but 1t
| was an open secret that it was directly
attributable to the deadly powder
The latest link in the chain of evidence
which the police up to last night had sue
! cpeded in getting against the suspect was
by comparison of his writing with that
upon the parcel addressed to mir. Cornish.
Although the writing on the parcel was
obviously disguised, it's resem blance to
that of tho expelled member OF the
athletic club, was. in many particulars
striking. 1t is said that the police have
/ ,i~f. han 6yyr an y
pert who has pronounced them to be un-
uuestionably the work OF the same person.
A FAINT CLUE.
1t May BE Possible To Trace SILVER