The San Francisco call., 1898-12-29
MURDER LAY
 HIDDEN IN THE
 CHRISTMAS GIFT Cunning Case RiValed
 in New York. POISON SENT IN A PRESENT AUNT OF THE INTENDED VIC
 TIM KILLED.
POISON SENT IN A PRESENT
Contents of Bromo Seltzer Bottle in a Medicine Case Prove to Have Been Deadly
 Powder.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

NEW YORK, Dec. 2S.-Mrs. Kate J. Adams, a widow of 63, died at 61 West Eighty-sixth street this afternoon. a half hour after having taken a dose supposed to be promo seltzer. The medicine was given to her by her nephew, Harry Cornish, a we'll known athlete and physical director of the Knickerbocker Athletic Club.
 Immediately after the collapse of Mrs. Adams, Cornish alarmed at the effect of the medicine upon her, took teaspoonful of 1t himself. He was un- conscious for more than an hour. and Dr. E. F. Hitchcock, who was sum- moned, was also rendered III by tasting the contents of the bottle. although he took less than one-eighth of grain in the effort to discover the nature of the poison mixed with the romo-seltzer. He was so i'll that he was unable to give either of the other sufferers at
 tention, and at his direction Dr. E.. Stiles Potter was sent for.
 Dr. Potter gave Mrs. Adams power ful emetics, but was unable to save her life. He used stomach pump on MT. Cornish with successful results, al- though for a time his life was de- spaired of Dr. Hitchcock was able to assist Dr. Potter after having taken an emetic and is in no danger now, al- though it was said at his house to- night he was so weak from the effect of the poison that he had been obliged to go to bed.
 From the story told by Cornish it is evident an attempt was made by some person or persons to poison nm. The bottle of bromo-seltZer was sent to him at the Knickerbocker Club on Cof -Ior iOrhf in n silver medicine r2- ceptacle, which bore the Tiffany mark and the number S10. There was no name attached to the package, ana Cornish made several efforts to find out who his generous friend was.
 Purely to gratify the curiosity of his aunt and her daughter, Mrs. Florence Rogers, to whom he had mentioned the gift. he took it home with him late Tuesday night from the club and showed it to them. They admired It and this morning when Mrs. Adams complained of a headache Mrs. Rogers thought of the little bottle of promo seltzer and went to Cornish's room to get it. Mrs. Adams was the innocent victim of some person or persons who meant to murder Cornish
 If Cornish has any suspicion as to who sent him the medicine he will not make it known. He has placed all the facts in the hands of Assistant District Attorney John T. Mcintyre, who is his personal friend, and at McIntyre's sug-
 gestion he refused to see all callers
 Mcintyre made several statements about the case this evening, but in none did ke give the slightest intimation of clew and his invariable answer to questions on this point was that the case had not developed sufficiently to warrant making public any suspicious that might be entertained.
 Cornish is divorced from his wife who is said to live in Boston. Cornish's parents live in Hartford, Conn. They be interested in causing their sons death.
 In many ways the case Is similar to the Botlzin-D -Dunning case. which is being tried in San Francisco. MT. Mo
 Intyre and District Attorney Gardiner
 both said tonight that they had no doubt the methods used in that case
 had suggested the method adopted by
 whoever sent the poison to Cornish Just what the noison mixed with the promo Seltzer was is still a matter of conjecture. Doctors Hitchcock Pot ter and Coroner's Physician Watson
 agree it was either cyanide of potas- sium or strychnine. Its instantaneous effect on those who took it led the physicians to believe at first that it
 was prussic acid, but after a careful examination it was decided there was none of that poison in the bottle. The promo -seltZer and the poison 1t con- tained are now in the hands of Chemist Lederle of the Health Department and 1t will be known definitely tomorrow just what the poison is