Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-02-11
LITTLE HEADwAY AT CoRoNER's
INQUEST ON ADAMS MYSTERY.
WHAT DOES CORNISH KNOW?
KNrCKERBOCKER MAN PRESERVES
HIS sELF-POssEssION.
Harry Cornish Has Consultation With
states Attorney-ThouEht Moli-
neaux the Murderer, but Has
Since Changed His Mind
The Testimony.

NEW YORK, Feb. 10.-The inquest into
the death of Mrs. Kate J. Adams, who
died December .2s. through drinking poison
anonymously sent to Harry Cornish. was
continued to-day by Coroner Hart.
Previous to the commencement Of the
proceedings, Cornish visited the district
attorneys office and endeavored to see
Colonel Gardiner. The latter, however, sent
word that any communication Cornish had
to make must come through Assistant Dis
trict Attorney Osborne, who is conducting
the examination on behalf Of Colonel
Gardeners department. Cornish then had
lengthy consultation with Mr.. Mcintyre.
who, besides being q personal friend OF
Cornish, is said to have knowledge Of many
peculiar ramifications which the mysterious
poisoning has brought about.
After consulting Mr.. Mcintyre, Cornish
returned to the inquest room. None OF the
many other witnesses subpoenaed was
present. Cornish declined to say anything
regarding District Attorney Gardeners re-
marks last night-that 1t now behooved
him to "clear his skirts" It is understood
that Colonel Gardiner made this remark ID
connection with Cornishs apparent unwill-
ingness to tell everything he knew regard
ing the state Of affairs at the athletic club
and regarding his relations with those per-
sons who have been brought into the case
more or less in the guise of suspects.
Cornish was again to-day somewhat ret
icent and equivocal in his answers to
questions put to him by the assistant dis
trict attorney and in one instance at least
occasioned a good dead of surprise. In an
interview with number of newspaper rep
resentatives previous to the commencement
Of the examination, Cornish when asked II
he knew Mrs. Molineaux and II she could
have any connection with the case. said
that he wished the assistant district at
torney would ask him that question on the
stand. "a man is supposed to perjure HIM
self for woman" said Cornish, "but am
here to tell the truth If am asked such
question"
This seemed a significant statement at
the time and Assistant District Attorney
Osborne put those very questions to him
to which Cornish made the following
answer:
ct never saw Mrs. Molineaux to know her
and never saw her when she was Blanche
Chesebrough."
He made the statement that he had sus-
pected Molineaux of having prepared the
poison, because a chemist, friend Of his.
had suggested on account Of sediment
having been left in the glass from which
Mrs. Adams drank that the bromo seltzer
preparation had been put up by a half
chemist, man who had some knowledge
Of chemistry, but not a complete knowl-
edge, and that as Molineaux knew some
thing of chemistry. his name naturally sug-
gested itself. This was the reason, Cornish
said and the fact that he had had a quar-
rel with Molfneaux was another reason.
Cornish gave way on the stand tempo
rarily to Molineaux. Mr.. Osborne asked
the witness abruptly IL he was innocent
of the poisoning Of Mrs. kdams.
"a
nocent."
Molineaux told Of his connection with
the Knickerbocker and New York Athletic
Clubs and said that he had left the former
club largely because Of his quarrel with
Cornish. He was asked II he had known
Henry c. Barnet. and replied that he was
a warm personal friend Of that man. q
friendship that had lasted several years.
He could suggest no motive why anyone
should send poison to Barnet.
Molineaux then described the rooms at
the Knickerbocker Athletic Club on the
second floor. occupied by himself. Barnet,
Cornish and Adams, after which the
yachting trip on A. ]. Morgan's yacht
Viator. which was recently introduced into
the case, came up for consideration. Mo.
lineaux said that he had been on several
cruises on this yacht. but that Barnet had
never been with him. He met Miss Cheese
brough on one OF these trips. being in
troduced to her by her married sister.
At this interesting point the hearing was
adjourned until Tuesday morning.
The first question that Assistant District
Attorney Osborne asked Cornish to-day
was somewhat abrupt:
Twill you tell me-" he said. "all your
reasons for supposing Molineaux commit.
ted this crime?"
Cornish answered as he did yesterday
that the idea came to him when he exam
ined the handwriting on the package con-
tanning the bromo seltzer bottle and the
poison.
'You don't believe now that Molineau1
wrote that address?' queried Osborne.
mo. don't" replied Cornish shortly.
Cornish also denied that he thought Felix
Gallagher wrote the address.
Cornish said that he had learned from the
police that whoever prepared the bromo
seltzer bottle must have been a chemist.
Besides Molineaux, there were in the
knickerbocker Club two chemists, Jokum
and Tuttle.
"Jokum." said Cornish. told me that it
was evident that the poison compounder
was only half chemist
The question, How did Jokum see the
poison" brought out the fact that Jokum
was quite intimate with the Adams family
and had examined the poison before the
police took it away.
Now, look here. Cornish" said the as
sistant district attorney. you came to my
office this morning and told me that was
not treating you fairly.
do not suspect you of the crime, and I
wish to give you every chance to tell all
you know. Are you being perfectly can
did?"
'T am telling you all know" said Cor
Mr.. Osborne asked Cornish If he had any
opinion as to who wrote the address on the
Didn't you tell Colonel Gardiner that
you thought Felix Gallagher wrote that
address?" asked Osborne.
'T told him the experts said the letters
were written by the man who addressed
the poison packages and felt sure Galla-
CHER had written the letters"
And you think he wrote the address on
mo. I think there is a resemblance in
the writing. I cannot say who wrote that
address. The experts said the handwrit-
ing was the same"
Cornish produced what purported to be a
fac smile of the address on the poison
package, which he compared for the BEN
eft of the jury with a letter written by
Gallagher.
In answer to a question from Coroner
Hart as to whether he had any difficulty
with Mrs. Molineaux, Cornish said:
''I never saw Mrs. Molineaux before or
since her marriage. would not know her
II she stood before me-"
An effort apparently to throw doubt up
on this statement Of the witness was made
up, and OSBORNE asked Cornish IL he had
NOT said TO Them prevfoua to the fnOuest