The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1898-12-29
As q Christmas Present and Contents
Taken iOr HeauaChe.
PHYSICIANS WERE CALLED IN
One of Them Tasted the Substance, and
Had Narrow Escape for His
Own Life-The Affair
is Mysterious.

New York, December 2S- Mrs. Kate j.
| Adams, a well-to-do woman, was poisoned
today in her handsomely furnished apart
I ments on Eighty-sixth street. Her death
is connected with curious chain of events.
| Mrs. Adams was a widow, so years old.
| She lived with her son-in-law, Edward
| Rogers, an insurance agent. Harry Cor
| nish, well-known athlete and physical
director of the Knickerbocker Athletic
| club, boards with the Rogers. Mrs. Adams
woke this morning with a severe headache.
| Her daughter, Mrs. Rogers, advised her to
| take some bromo seltzer. She got some in
| Mr.. Cornishs room and gave to her mother
| fair-sized dose. In a few seconds Mrs.
| Adams was in great pain and evidently suf-
| fering from strong poison. DR.. Hitchcock
| was called in and tried to counteract the
| effects of the poison which he declared to
| be cyanide of potassium.
Mr.. Cornish and DIR. Hitchcock both tast-
| ed the poisonous stuff, and in a few min
| utes both were prostrated by the effects Of
| the slight quantity they had taken. DR..
| Potter was called in He revived the two
men, but Mrs. Adams died.
Mrs. Adams Succumbed
/ MI 1OIHlSH States tldI on christmas
day he received a neat package addressed
| to himself containing sterling silver med
icipe bottle holder in Tiffany box, and in
| the holder was a bottle marked "Bromo
| Seltzer." The package was anonymously
sent, but Cornish says he thought nothing
| of this as he frequently gets presents in
| this way. 1t was this bottle that Mrs. Rog-
ers got for her mother and out of which
Mrs. Adams drank with fatal effect. Mr..
Cornish says he cannot think who could
have had any designs on his life.
Cornish Well Known Athlete
Harry Cornish is a cousin of Mrs. Adams
and is 40 years old. He has beeen the ply
scal director of the Knickerbocker athletic
club for three years. a we'll known figure
in football and other sports and a coach
for many college teams.
On the morning of December "a there
came to the desk of the Knickerbocker
club Office package wrapped in manila
paper and sealed with wax. The address
was written in a feminine hand disguised
to cause the impression that the writing
was done by a man.
The package had been mailed at the gen.
eral delivery office down town. In the
wrapper of manila paper was paste board
box marked Tiffany" in the box the usual
| cotton packing and in the center wrapper
| in white tissue paper a vial holder of pol
| ished silver.
| On the bottom of the holder is marked:
| "Sterling silver, No. S14.''
| The receiving cylinder of the holder was
10-cent vial of Bromo Settler. The bottle
was wrapped In the usual label of the drug.
| The stopper was unsealed and packed down
| hard on level with the neck of the bottle,
an unusual thing with vials of Bromo
Seltzer. The vial with it's contents were
placed in Cornishs room. There it rested
until morning.
Complained of a Headache
| While breakfast was being prepared this
morning Mrs. Adams complained of a Sc
we're headache. Mrs. Rogers then mem
| toned the bottle of Bromo Selzter that
| Cornish had in his room. Cornish went to
his room and got the vial of supposed
| Bromo Seltzer. He poured out small
| quantity in spoon and M xed it with
| water. Laughingly, Mrs. Adams took the
| mixture. Suddenly, all were attracted by
| the-screams of Mrs. Adams calling for her
| daughter Mrs Rogers rushed into the
| bath room and found her mother writhng
| in pain on the floor and gasping for breath.
| Cornish himself, grew ILL., He Immediately
sent the hall boy for a doctor, and DIR.
Hitchcock was brought in.
The doctor saw that the woman had
taken po son and gave her nitro-glycerine
to stimulate the hearts action. He ap-
piled other remedies and gave a powerful
antdote to Cornish. DR.. Hitchcock tasted
the poison which he said was evidently
scyanide of potassium. He began to feel
the effects of the poison, and Dr. E. S.
Potter was sent for. Before ne arrived
Mrs. Adams was dead. DIR. Potter gave it
as his opinion that the poison was cyanide
of potassium.
/ The Authorities Notified
Mr. Cornish went to Assistant District
Attorney McIntyre's office and told the in
cidents connected with the tragic death of
Mrs Adams. At the advice of the assistant
district attorney, 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 attorney officers.
Coroner's Physician Watson called at the
house tonight He took the vial holder and
bottle of poison. He also took the wrapper
containing the address. After careful ex-
animation of the contents he said that 1t
was his opinion that the contents were
cyanide of potassium, although he could not
say fot a certainty, and that.it was murder
-cold-blooded and premeditated, He was
of the opnon that the intended victim was
Cornish. He stated that the granules of
bromo seltzer were coarser and the drug
M the vial was of brighter crystals aid