New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-02-18

death and asked those there II So ho ola me- how,
fer them saw Mrs Rogers ana she ioIu IT,, NE ,hcS
her mother died She brought me gas ~ vater
there was about two ana 1 wss white crystal
looked a; IL and smelt It. but could NOT deleV1 anS
SdST er My 5 rTysIas chPh the glass END
of knife blade 1t looked to me NE me- o ssim
ride although I read in the paper II was poldsSlulh
cyanide concluded this because II had not , disj
seized readily In waeT as aDd she asked me how
that could get in bromosetzer saia ina mi ,bat
the Contents of that bottle must have been put up
hon lnf t Ie ngbf Before? Al am not sure She
may have bnt d h3h ,hInk sbn said she had
On your examination OF the glass did you see
anything IN the crystals TO remind you OF promo
keep the glass? A.-Yes. said thought 1t ought
to be turned over to the police .,, che
thought so too.
THOUGHT IT CYANIDE OF MERCURY.
Witness said he could not detect the odor OF
prussic acid when he smelled the glass, ana
then he detailed how he had decided that the
stuff was not cyanide OF potassium. but OF mer-
curry He said he thought there was about
go millegrams of crystals in the glass. He was
told that the glass had been standing for twelve
hours and he knew that II 1t had been bromo-
settler it would all dissolve.
Odd YOU see Cornish that night7 Ayes. he
was in my room at the club He came TO see me
about o'clock IN the atepoon o that asked
him what was the matter. Mrs Adams IL ueeu.
ne W fsia sSye ne oe asked What got in
that bottle" he answered. then took Inn aIouiI1
TO a saloon and gave him drink OF mix, cSs ana
whiskey mixed. which ne Immediately vomted up.
| then gave him the key OF my room. ana on ny
return there al o'clock that evening found him
living upon the bed with two doctors In attendance
upon him. He appeared to be very sick nc sad
Adams fiat. and told him no. hst Would go up up;
That was the occasion FOR my E2ing, mere tii-cd
with him in a general way. Several Of his friends
Odd You leave word at the desk to tell any,
body who called TO Cornish that he was not In
A-feS out car flenner 10 Mro t1r,a tbat he
went 10 the District-Auorney's o;ice. ana Why
mss death an he he 'od me be had Just from
there but l can't say that he told me why he went.
Odd he then tell YOU how the accident rap
pened? Ayes: he said You know that bottle OF
Qi"Did You know IT? A-Not that remember;
He then told me that he had given her spoonful
and that five minutes later she droppei deqq or,
responsible for her death and was naturally hcf-
Q.-You don't mean criminany responsible? A
Odd he tell You that he had taken any o. the
poison? A.-Yes. he did. had forgotten to men
GOV much cyanide OF mercury would 1t take
to affect him? Al don't know ,,
O-Was ANYTHING said between YOU and Cornish
as TO who might have sent that bottle? A-No sir
O-pid Won come to the conclusion that a crime
had been committed? A-Yes. sir. after had seen
o.OCornish aid not tell you that he had been told
by two doctors that Mrs Adams had been "a POI ,2c
subject OF poison not mentioned ,,
nv Coroner Far:-When dd you tell Cornish
that miXturc% A-Aftcr January 3.
Odd you see more than one glass? A-No;
Nv Mr. Osborne-I understood you to say Cornish
told you he took some OF the mixture; IeH "
what he said not what you have read. A In tell
Ing Of Il he stated that when ne gave heI inc
mixture she complained that i was NOT right Id cor or
that It bitter and burned her mouth ana SCI
the glass down and walked out Ihcn ne took We
glass and tasted II. think that Is what ne SAID
and not what I read subsequently.
Odd he say what he had taken? Al, GO con,
Yeyed the impression to me That ne had taken
partial mouthful. one or two teaspoonfuls.
Mr. Yocum further said that when Cornish
called upon him the day of Mrs. Adams's
death he said he had Mr.. Mcintyre and
he conveyed the impression that he thought the
fault was with the bromo settler.
Ole did not say anything to you about cyanide
OF potassium? A.-No.
DIR. POTTERS BUTLER CALLED.
Mr. Yocum was excused from the stand for a
few moments while Charles Bates. the cosored
lad who works for Or. Potter, and who answered
the bell when Cornish came for the doctor was
called 10 testify. Bates with considerable pride
announced that his occupation that Of
the doctors office about 10 o'clock on the morn
ing of December - 1898 and leaving word for
the doctor to call at the Adams fiat, saying that
he was wanted on account Of "a severe case of
poisoning
Then Mr.. Yocum was recalled. Mr.. Osborne
then asked him when he told Cornish that the
precipitate in the glass bichloride of mer-
curry He said: ON the morning after Mrs
Adams's death
o.-By that time you had reached the conclusion
/ that She had died by the act of u posoner? a
| GO'1Did you talk to Cornish about that idea?
! Al thought the newspapers were wrong IN giving
| cyanide OF potassium as the cause OF death ~
anide Of potassium would nave son no soI,J,oi,
think did suggest the possipniiy OF the poi b
! that a halfway chemist had done il;
| Odd YOU suggest the name OF hoIlne1A a. 4
! halfway chemist who could have done II? Al
| did not. / never knew Nj MolineuN at al, ana
had 10 hn9W OWL s OF or I hat he POISON must
| have been sent b. an expert chemist? A.-No; Il
might have been bought | said II Il made It
"0G' LWcil Why? A-Mercurial cyanide ie a chem
| icSi curiosity. No not acquainted with chem
! jcais would ever have thought OF it, I have never
! seen tho material Certainly. no thorough chemist
absolute certainty Of the determination OF mercury.
C-You base your opinion that only chemist OF
skill could have compounded tnat poison on the p
fact that the poison was PIacucdIiy unknown ;
A.-Yes. He must have read up on mercury ana
studied the subject. No skilful posoner would ad-
C-t'an II be determined any easier tnaH arsenic
| A%No ] suppose not. ! did not make that state
nent about halfway chemist until after read
| in the newspapers that the poison was cyanide OF
| mercury. As / said before. | ddn think and |
don't think now that any educated chemist would
! have used mercury.
Q-Othcr poisons would do the work better?
| Ayes. 49,.
! work quickly. any way A.-Yes. understood
/ that Mrs. Adams died within a few minutes. ,
/ Do YOU know Of any quicker poison? Al
don't know anything Of the application Of poisons
/ Q-Do You know any better poison to poison a
person with? A.-Lots of alkaloids kill quickly.
Lots Of pOisOns leave no trace.
/ Q-But Il an innocent man gave the medicine he
would preserve the bottle with the traces In II,
| wouldn't he? Ayes. Of course
Odd you suggest TO Cornish any half-way
chemist who could have done such a thing? A.-No.