Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-29
CORNISH GOES ON THE STAND
Man to Whom the Poison Was Sent that
Killed Mrs. Adams.
INTENSE INTEREST IN MollNEUX TRIAL
Cornis Tells of Receipt of Famous
silver Holder and Bottle of Poison
-Reyiews story of the Death
of Mrs. Adams.

NEW 1ORh, Dec. 2S.-lntensc interest Is
now lent to the trial of Roland y. Molineux
because Of the appearance on the witness
stand of Harry S. Cornish. to whom the
poison which killed Mrs. Adams was sent
through the mails. Cornish was on the stand
late this afternoon and his examination
promises to develop many Nngs
not yet made public and will prob
ably continue for several days, with
Interruptions here and there for
other witnesses. Cornish told today of the
receipt of the famous Silver holder and
bottle of poison and he reviewed the story
OF Mrs. Adams death by the supposed
"bromo settler" which he had administered
to her when she was i'll. Just as Cornish's
testimony was beginning to be interesting
the recorder adjourned the case until to-
morrow.
The handwriting experts gave way today
to the physician, DR.. Phillips, who attended
both II. c. Barnet before his death and
Harry Cornish, and he attributed the illness
of Cornish to mercurial poison and the
death of Barnet to the same agent. The
name Barnet" was not permitted to be re-
ceived in the testimony or placed on the
records, but IA mythical "a. b." was adopted
instead and all the symptoms exhibited by
Barnet during his illness were described by
80 4 imp anu uNNNpN'h 40 ltSNlllOIg.
DIR. Coffin, who also attended these men
during their illness, corroborated the testi-
mony of DR.. Phillips as far as 1t related
to the symptoms and endorsed the diagnosis
made by that physician.
Another witness was John u. Adams, once
secretary of the Knickerbockcr Athletic
club. His testimony dealt with the relations
between Cornish and Molineux.
Cornish, m Tho stand
Mr.. Weeks will probably take up the
cross-eXamination of Adams tomorrow be-
fore Cornish goes on the stand.
Cornish testified that he was 80 years old.
He told of having a common school educa-
tion during his earlier days, then a business
schooling, "A term or two in the physical
training school at Harvard and of having
studied physical anatomy at the College of
Physicians and Surgeons in this city. He
said that he was connected with the Chi
cago Athletic club for two years and the
Western Athletic club for five years. He
was shown several letters, all of which he
identified as having been written by his own
hand. These letters were offered in evidence
by Mr.. Osborne for purposes Of comparison.
The letters admitted were nearly all per-
tanning to athletic matters and addressed
to different people. Il show you exhibit A
(the poison PACKAGE, Mr.. Cornish, and ask
il you wrote that" said Mr.. Osborne.
Il did not"
Did you ever have a letterbox at 1920
Broadway"
II did not
He was shown exhibits F." III" IT,
'B" and &C." the disputed letters signed
Barnet" "Did you write any CT them?"
Il did not"
He said in December, 1898, he lived at 81
| West Eighty-siXth street. Mrs. Adams,
Mrs. Rogers and Mrs. Hawords, all related
to Cornish by marriage, lived there also.
He had known them in Hartford, where he.
formerly lived. " Nr
On the Gath of December. 1898, he re-
ceived a package through the mail. He got
it in his mailboX at the Knickerbocker
Athletic club, and opened it in his office at
that club between 10 and II o'clock. He
identified exhibit a as a portion OF the
outside wrapper. When he tore off the
wrapper he said he found a small holder,
which he took at the time to be a silver
toothpick holder. In another part Of the
box he found what purported to be a bottle
Of bromo settler. He had previously thrown
the wrapper into the wastebasket. He found
an envelope in the box and supposed it to
contain a card, but there was none. He put
the envelope, the bottle holder and the
bottle, which had a revenue stamp on it, in
his desk.