The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-29
POISON ed
Strange Death
OF a
NEW YORK WOMAN.
Intended Victim Probably
a Noted Athlete.

New York, Dec. 2S-Through re-
markable chain of circumstances,
which has a tinge of suspicion about
it, Mrs. Kate j. Adams, a wealthy
widow living in this city, was poisoned
by what the authorities believe to have
been dose of cyanide of potassium.
The theory that the police are work.
ing on is that murder was intended,
but the intended victim was Harry
Cornish, the physical culture director
of the Kniclerbocker Athletic Club of
this city, and not Mrs. Adams, his
cousin. The poison was taken from a
vial sent to Mr.. Cornish from some
unknown source, and the police are at
tempting to discover where the vial
came from.
Mrs. Adams was 50 years of age and
came from a well-known family Of
Hartford, Conn. Her daughter, Flor
ence, is the wife of Edward Rogers,
the general agent for the Hartford
Fire Insurance Company of Hartford,
Conn.
Mrs. Rogers and her husband occupy
the third floor of the apartment house
at the corner of Columbus avenue and
c
live Harry Cornish and the mother of
Mrs. Rogers, Mrs. Kate j. Adams.
Harry Cornish is 40 years of age. He
has been the physical director of the
Knickerbocker 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 foot ball and other
sports and coach for many college
M &c
known to lovers of athletics than Cor
nish.
On the morning of Dec. "a there came
to the desk of the Knickerbocker
Athletic Club by mail, package
wrapped in manila paper and sealed
with wax. On the fat surface was
written in a feminine hand, disguised
to cause the impression that the writ
ing was done by a man, the address
Mr. Harry Cornish, Knickerbocker
Club, Madison avenue and 45th street,
New York city"
The package had been mailed at the
general delivery Office down town. In
the wrapper of manila paper was a
pasteboard box marked Tiffany" In
the box was the usual cotton packing,
and in the center wrapper in white
tissue paper, was a vial holder of pol
ished silver. On the bottom of the hol-
der is marked Sterling silver No S14 "
In the receiving cylinder of the holder
was a ten-cent vial of "bromo seller "
The bottle was wrapped in the usual
liable OF the drug made in Baltimore.
The stopper was unsealed and packed
down hard on a level with the neck Of
the bottle, an unusual thing with walls
of bromo seller of this make. The vial
with its deadly contents, was placed in
Cornish's room. There it rested until
this morning. Tuesday evening, Mrs.
Adams, escorted by Cornish, attended
a theater. They partook of light sup
per before returning home. While
breakfast was being prepared this
morning, Mrs. Adams appeared ILL., She
complained of a severe headache. Mrs
Rogers then mentioned the bottle of
bromo seller that Cornish had in his
loom. Cornish went to his room and
got the vial of supposed bromO seller.
He poured out a small quantity in a
spoon and mixed it with water. Laugh
ingly, Mrs. Adams took the mixture. II
gave off an odor Of almonds, but this
was not noticed, nor did the absence
of the eFervescence of the salt attarct
attention. Cornish also took some of
the mixture. Suddenly all were attract
ed by the screams of Mrs. Adams call
ing for her daughter. Mrs. Rogers
rushed into the bait room and found
her mother Writhip in pain on the
floor and gasping + breath.
Cornish himself w i'll. He immedi-
ately sent the hall y for doctor and
DR.. j.. S. Hitchcock was brought in.
The doctor saw that the woman had
taken some violent poison and gave her
medicine to stimulate heart action. He
applied other remedies and gave o pow
erful antidote to Cornish. DIR. Hitchcock
tasted the poison, which, he said, was
evidently cyanide of potassium. He be-
gan to feel the effects of the poison and
DR.. e. s. Tyles Potter was sent for.
Before he arrived Mrs Adams was
dead. She died at 10 o'clock. DR., Potter
gave it as his opinion that the poison
was cyanide of potassium
Mrs Rogers was Frustrated by the
death of her mother and is confined to
her bed DR.. Hitchcock telephoned to
the coroner and Informed the police of
the west Tooth street station. Mr.. Cor
nish went, on the advice of DR.. Hitch
cock, to Assistant District Attorney
McIntyre's office and told the incidents
connected with the tragic end 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 family without permission
from the district attorneys office. Cor
oner Weston called at the house about
80 o'clock tonight He took the vial
holder and the bottle of poison. He also
took the wrapper containing the adj
dress After careful examination of the
contents of the bottle he 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 it was murder cold-blooded
and premeditated, He was of opinion
that the victim intended was Cornish.
He said he would perform an autopsS
on the body of Mrs. Adams tomorrow.
District Attorney Gardiner and AS
sistanr District Attorney Mcintyre to-
night gave out statement of the case
substantially as related above Early
in the day a son Of Mrs. Adams was
sent for. and he arrived at the house
from Hartford Conn, shortly after Z
o'clock. Late tonight Assistant Dis
trict Attorney Blumenthal was placed
on the case to act in conjunction with
the police. Cornish disappeared soon
after visiting the district attorneys Of
fee. and could not be found anywhere.
He is married His wife lives in Bos-
ton.
Hartford, Conn, Dec. 2S.--DeWitt C. |
Cornish. father of Harry Cornish,
whose fatal Christmas present, sup
posed to be bromo seller. caused the