The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-02-28
HANDWRITING ON WRAPPER
Of Seltzser Bottle identified by
Experts as That of Molineaux.
DISPLAYED NO EMOTION WHATEVER
AS He Calmly Listened to Witness At
ter Witness as the Chain of Cir
cumstantial Evidence Was
Woven Around Him.
DISPLAYED NO EMOTION WHATEVER

ham Moneaux son of General Leslie Mo-
lineaux of Brooklyn, was arrested tonight,
charged with numbering Mrs. Katherine j.
Adams, in this city on December 2S, 1893.
He was locked up in the Tombs prison. The
arrest followed the verdict of the coroners
jury accusing him of the crime. While the
inquest was into the death of Mrs. Adams,
it also went into the circumstances of the
death of Henry c. Barnet, of the Knick-
erbocker Athletic club, who was poisoned
by powder received through the mail as
was Mrs. Adams. The cases are so closely
connected that they can scarcely be con-
sidered separately.
The proceedings of the final day of the In
quest were sensational in the highest de-
gree. The case had dragged along monot-
onously, witnesses being examined for the
sole purpose, as it seemed, of contradict
ing Harry Cornish's testimony In minor
details or of eliciting suggestions as to a
motive that might have led Cornish to COM
NIT the crime. The newspapers from the
beginning had stuck to Molineaux as the
person most to be suspected, but the prose-
cutting officials apparently never harbored
such a thought. The examiner was kind
and gentle when Molineaux was on the
stand, gruff and severe when dealing with
Cornish.
Last Act of the Melodrama
The curtain rose on the last act of the
lodrama this afternoon. A shopkeeper
who rented private letter boxes, swore posi-
lively that Molineaux was his patron using
the name of III. C. Barnet 1t was
proved long ago that the bottles of medicine
had been sent to that letter box. Then
the handwriting experts were called and
one after another declared that the hand
that wrote the address on the poison pack
age and forged the names of Henry Cor
nish and H. C. Barnet to letters sent to
drug firms ordering powder medicines was
the hand of Roland B. Molineaux. The
experts were absolutely certain in their
identification of the penmanship and would
make no qualification of their statements
District Attorney Gardiner then summed
up the case directly accusing Molineaux.
The jury brought in a verdict charging
Molineaux with the murder and he was
at once arrested and committed to the
Tombs without bail.
Molineaux is a member of the New York
Athletic club and was until his quarrel with
Cornish prominent member of the Knick-
erbocker club, from which he resigned Mr..
Molineaux's father Is a paint manufac-
turer and is reputed to be millionaire.
The prisoner has gone in good society.
being of excellent address and manners
and the prospective heir to great fortune.
His counsel is Barlow s. Weeks, of the
New York Athletic club, and is a personal
enemy of Harry Cornish.
The Inquest Resumed
When the inquest was resumed Joseph
Koch, who keeps a letter box establish
ment at 1920 Broadway, where a box was
rented in the name of Harry Cornish"
was called to the witness chair. He testi-
fled that he only once saw the man who
rented 1t. He gave the name of H. Cor
nish. Koch said he was near-sighted and
did not think he could identify the man
who rented the box. The man had never
called for mail. Koch said three pieces of
mail had arrived for Harry Cornish"
box of Kutnow powder, a letter from
drug firm of Cincinnati and a box Of cap
sues.
Coroner Hart asked Koch II he had
identified any one as Cornish. Koch said
he had not.
Felix Gallagher was then called.
Gallagher said he was clerk at the
New York Athletic club. Previous to that
he had been employed at the Knicker-
booker Athletic club. Molineaux was in
strumental in securing him his position
For the last year they had been good
friends"
Now, Mr.. Gallagher" asked Osborne,
''did you write the address on the package
OF poison that was received by Mr.. Cor
nish?"
mo, sir: did not"
Nicholas A. Hickman, who rents private
letter boxes at his place of business, 257
West Forty-seventh street, was then
called.
Molineaux Identified
The Identification of Molineaux by Heck
man was dramatic. After testifying as to
his business and that he had rented a let
ter box for one month to a man who had
given the name of II. C. Barnet, and that
his son had called for letters about sixteen
or twenty times, Mr.. Osborne asked the
witness:
could you recognize him IL you saw him
again?"
YES" said Hickman.
"who is her demanded Mr.. Osborne.
Hickman answered: "Mr. Molineaux.
There he is."
Molineaux heard the accusation without
changing color or without trace of agi-
tation He leaned forward with his hands
ON the table, and, staring steadily at Heck
man. said emphatically: II never saw the
man but twice before in my ife."
II saw hit at the hotel where was on
exhibition and at Newark, where a man
brought him to me, and asked If I was
the man. He's liar."
s'That's ALL" said Mr.. Osborne quietly.
Despite Mr.. Weeks efforts to have Heck