The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-12-29
POISON FOR PRESENT.
New York Mans Fatal Christmas
Gift.
BOTTLE MARKED BROMO SELTZER
CONTAINED POISON.


Death--Owner and Doctor Tasted OF
1t and Were >Prostrated--A Curious
and Suspicious Chain of Events.
I New York, December 2S.-Through
remarkable chain of circumstances which
has tinge of suspicion about it, Mrs.
Kate ]. Adams, wealthy widow living
in this city was poisoned by what the au-
thorities believe to have been a dose OF
cyanide of potassium.
The theory that the police are working
on is that murder was intended, but the
intended victim was Harry Cornish tne
physical culture director of the kn1,ker-
booker Athletic club of this city. and not
Mrs. Adams, his cousin. The poison was
taken from vial sent to Mr. Cornish
from some unknown source and the
police are attempting to discover where
the vial came from.
Mrs. Adams was so years of age and
came from well known family OF HART
ford, Conn. The daughter Florence is the
wife of Edward Rogers, the general agent
for the Hartford Fire Insurance company
of Hartford Conn.,, with offices in all parts
of this state, but with general head
quarters In Buffalo. Mrs. Rogers and her
husband occupied the third floor OF the
apartment house at the corner OF Column
bus avenue and Seth street. The rooms
are luxuriously furnished and show evil
dences of refinement and culture. With
the Rogers family live Harry Cornish and
the mother of Mrs. Rogers, Mrs. Kate J.
Adams.
Barry Cornish is forty years of age. He
has been the physical director of the
Kickerbocker Athletic club for three
years. Prior to that time he was the
physical director of the Chicago Athletic
club and before that a we'll known figure
in football and other sports and coach
for many college teams Probably no man
is better known to lovers of athletics than
Cornish.
On the morning of December oath,
there came to the desk OF the Knicker-
booker Athletic club office by mail
package wrapped in Manila paper and
sealed with wax On the fiat surface was
written in feminine hand disguised 10
cause the impression that the writing was
done by man, the address, MIR. Harry
Cornish, Kniokerbocker Club, Madison
avenue and 45th street, New York city.
eral delivery office down town. In the
wrapper of Manila paper was q pasteboard
hog marked aYiffanyn in the box the
usual cotton packing and in the center
wrapper In white tissue paper, a vial
holder of polished silver. On the bottom
OF the holder is marked Sterling silver
No. Sl4. /"
In the receiving cylinder of the holder
was a ten cent vial OF brorno seltzer. The
bottle was wrapped in the usual labei OF
the drug made in Baltimore. Ihe stopper
was unsealed and packed down hard on
level with the neck of the bottle, an un
usual thing with Walls OF bromo se!tzer OF
this make The vial with its deadly con-
tents was placed in Cornish's room.
There it rested until this morning.
Tuesday evening, Mrs. Adams, escorted
| by Cornish attended theatre. They par
took of a light supper before returning
home. While breakfast was being pre-.
pared this morning Mrs. Adams appeared
| i'll. She complained of 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 bTomo seltzer. he
poured out small quantity in spoon
and mixed 1t with wafer. LauRhlngly,
Mrs. Adams took the mixture. 1t gave
off an odor of almonds, but this w not
noticed. nor did the absence of the effer-
| vescence of the salt attract attention.
Cornish also took some of the mixture.
| Suddenly all We're attracted by the
Screams of Mrs. Adams calling for her
daughter Mrs. Rogers rushed into the
bath room and found her mother wrtl hi g
in pain on the floor and gasping for
Immediately sent the hall boy for doctor
and DR.. E. P. Hitchcock was brought In
The doctor saw that the woman had taken
some violent poison and gave her nitro
elycerine to stimulate heart actlon. be
applied other remedies and gave power
full antidote to Cornish DIR. Hltchcock
tasted the poison, which, he said, was
evidently cyanide of potassium. He be-
gan to feel the effects OF the poison and
| DR.. E. Styles Potter was sent for. Before
| he arrived Mrs. Adams was Dead She
died at ten O'Clock. DR.. Potter gave 1T as
| his opinion hat the poison was cyanide
of potassium Mrs. Rogers WAS Frustrated
| by the death OF her mother and IS connneu
| to her bed.
| DIR. Hitchcock telephoned to the coroner
and informed the police of the West Tooth
| street station. MIR. Cornish went, on the
advice of DR.. Hitchcock, to Assistant
District Attorney McIntyre's office and
told the incidents connected with the
tragic death of Mrs. Adams. At the ad
| vice of the assistant district attorney
| three detectives were placed in the hall
| way the house.
No one was allowed to go up to the
apartments of the Rogers family without
permission from the district attorney 6
office Coroner's Physician Weston called
at the house at about T. 80 O'Clock tonight
He took the vial holder and the bottle OF
poison. He also took the wrapper con-
tanning the address. After careful ex-
animation of the contents of the bottle ne
said it was his opinion that the contents
were cyanide of potassium. He was sure
that this was what caused Mrs. Adams,
death and that il was murder, cold
bIooded and premeditated. He was of the
opinion that the g1otim Intended was
Cornish. He said he would perform an
autopsy on the body OF Mrs Adams TO-
morrow.
District Attorney Gardiner and Assist
ant District Attorney Mclntyre boniRn
TALLY as related above.