Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-02-16
LABEL ON POWDER USED BY MRS.
KATE ADAMS.
"IT HAD A METALLIC TASTE
PHYSICIAN TESTED 1T WITH AL
MOST FATAL EFFECTS.
Daughter Of Victim was Very Anx-
iOus to Avoid Newspaper Pub
licity and Asked If the Mat
ter Could Not BE
Kept Quiet.

NEW YORK, Feb. 15.-The inquest into
the death Of Mrs. Kate J.. Adams. who
died OF poison on December %, was re-
sumed to-day. Frederick Hovey, who was
in the Adams apartments when Mrs. Ad-
ans died, was examined by Assistant Dis
trict Attorney Blumenthal.
Mr.. Hovey said that he knew Mrs. Ad-
ans and her daughter. Mrs. Rogers. very
we'll. He was also well acquainted with
Harry Cornish. He had never met Henry
c. Barnet.
Witness said that about o'clock on the
morning Of the tragedy he heard Mrs. Ad-
ans say: wait a minute while l get
glass of water There was an interval OF
a few minutes and he heard Mrs. Adams
say she was sick. Then he heard the sound
of retching, and Mrs. Rogers cried to Corn
ish: Come and help mama" He heard
Cornish 60 to the back room and then
Mrs. Rogers called witness to help Cornish.
Cornish was taken sick as he helped to
carry Mrs. Adams to lounge. Cornish
called to the hall boy to run for a doctor
and he himself ran into the dining room,
took the bottle of powder off the table and
rushed to a drug store. When he came
back he handed Hover a phial and said:
Water an Antidote.
"Give her twenty drops Of water"
Mrs. Adams was unconscious. and 1t was
impossible to get anything into her mouth.
Then the doctor came. He said the case
was serious, and took some medicine from
his pocket. Witness did not remain in the
room. and did not know what the doctor
did after he left.
The doctor and Cornish talked about the
contents of the bottle. He couldn't remem-
ber just what he said. It was general
conversation.
Hovey said that the room where Cornish
slept was next to his, and that Mrs. Adams
and her daughter, Mrs. Rogers. occupied a
room together at the opposite end Of the
fiat.
Witness said there was no conversation
when he was called into the bathroom to
aid Mrs. Rogers and Cornish in caring for
Mrs. Adams.
Had Taken Bromo-seltasr.
do you mean to tell me-" said Mr.. Blu
menthal, that on seeing such a condition
you did not have any words or ask how 1t
all happened?'
Witness hesitated an instant. and then
said: II do remember that either Mr.. Cor
nish or Mrs Rogers said that Mrs. Adams
had taken bromo seltzer."
what was said about the bottle of
bromo seltzer?"
well. l don't remember that anything
was said"
Mr.. Blumenthal tried to learn the exact
time at which the suspicion of poison first
took root In the minds of witness and Mrs.
Rogers. but ELECTED very little beyond what
the witness had already said.
Hovey said he was not related to the
Adams family or to Cornish. and that he
had known Mrs. Rogers about eighteen
years. He' could not tell when or where
he first met Cornish. They were both men
about town and athletes and were Intimate
friends.
His Memory Was Refreshed.
After recess the witness said he had
been to lunch with Cornish and Cornish's 8
father. and on being asked ii his talk with
them had refreshed his memory. he said:
Eyes. I remember the label on the bot
tle.''
In regard to the bottle containing poison
Mr.. Hovey said that when he testified at
the morning session he was under the i'm
preston that there was q wrapper around
the bottle. He said:
II did remember seeing label marked
'bromo seltzer' on the bottle, and this I
got confused with the outside wrapper"
While at lunch Cornish remarked to him:
you must have forgotten how that bottle
looked. The outside wrapper was not on
AS witness now remembered there was
no outside wrapper.
Mr.. Blnmenthal seemed to consider this
confused the witness by series Of Ques-
tions concerning the appearances Of the
bottle.
He said he had not conversed with Cor
nsh on any topic except the bottle and
its covering. Hovey was then excused.
Doctors Astounding Testimony.
DIR. F. F. Hitchcock. who attended Mrs
Adams In her last moments, was called.
The first intimation that he received that
his services were needed In the Adams
apartment was on the morning Of Decem-
ber Is. He was returning from call when
once. as a person had been poisoned. He
was sure the boy used the word poison"
He found Cornish waiting on the stoop. of
was in confusion. Mrs. Adams lay on 1.-The the
lounge. The table was on one side. One
plate laid showed that only one person
had been eating there. He presumed that
dressed. while all the others were en- des-
He described IN detail the efforts he
scribed the bottle of supposed bromo-
seltzer. He took charge of the bottle, from
about 1t or the mouth Of the bottle.
This is Numerically opposed to the testi-
mony of Hovey, who stated emphatically
that the cork was covered with parafilne
paper.
Continuing, witness said:
1t Almost Paralysed Him.
1T took the bottle from my pocket and
removed the cork. took my little finger,
wet II. with my mouth and placed it to
the bottle and a little Of the powder ad-
hered to It, which placed on the end of
my tongue. l was standing over the table.
Instantly after touched the powder to my
tongue, I sank back into a chair partially
paralyzed. The powder had a metallic taste
and was extremely nauseating.
'I started to get UP but could not do SO
except by holding to the table. Mrs. Rogers
was continually imploring me to do some
thing for her mother. She did not realize
that her mother was beyond human as
sistance. I was very sick myself and did
not know how soon would follow her. I
sent for DIR. Potter and selected Cornish to
go because he was sick and. I thought the
fresh air would do him good. This was at
| $50 o'clock. Ten minutes later DR.. Potter
came and asked everybody to leave the
room except him. I had the bottle. holder
and wrapper at that time in my possession.
1 realized that crime had been commit
| ted. I said: "A diabolfcal crime has been
committed This was said in the presence
of Cornish and Mrs. Rogers.
bad rey1,k he