The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-03-29
Progress of the Adams
Trial.
WHO BOUGHT THE POISON ?
TESTIMONY OF PURLENKY. TIE
-. DRUG CLERK.
He Would Not Positively Identify
the Defendant-An Appren-
tee Who Was Too
Tidy.

The Adams case has progressed as far
IS three-oCnCe bottle and part OF q red
label. They were both the subjects of
much Time and attention before Judge
Barr yesterday, and # the woman who
purchased the bottle can only be. identi-
fed as. Mrs. Adams, It will go
hard with the defendant Already the
g-.pnan on the Geary-stveet car has testi-
I'D that woman who boarded his car
n the evening Of March - was Mrs
Adams; and Policeman Herlihy says she
vas the woman who came out Of the drug
store. and tore the label, red label. OF
ooc-le. Yesterday George Purlenky
testified that HerIhy brought the label
back@tnt2 the store and that It came from
the botlle OF CarboliC acid he had sold
just before. Mrs. Adams has denied that
she iet: The house that evening.
OstFsr@ COX, the 'gripman, was called 10
the st&lo FIST yesterday AFTERNOON TO al
low The defense to proceed with its cross
examination. Counsel for the defense
went over the question OF time and time
tables again and again until stopped by
the court and then George Purlenky was
PurleUzy: told how he sold the bottle of
C1rrC.ic acid 10 the unknown woman on
TIE evening or March y. and how he had
asked her name and residence She told
him SEe;waS Mrs. Crei ghCOn Of 525 Point
LobcS avenue. She told him she wanted
i IS = wash and that she knew how to
Use. i. A teaSEcOutt.l IN 4 quart OF water
was Cre proportion she intended 10 use,
she sad, and the clerk gave her the acid
AFTER ne KING record OF the sale, the
name and address given and the time OF
The transaction.
Purlenky was tossed from one side Of
the case 10 the other half a dozen times
before Ae was finally let go. The defense
took MIN for CroSS-eX2minatiOn and drew
from him a lot OF miscellaneous informa-
Tou regarding poison labels on bottles.
! was also Brought out that he would
roT swear the defendant was the woman
Who Bought the acid. Then the prOSeCU-
ton brought oUt the fact that the Wit
ness wound not swear the defendant was
rot the person who bought the acid, and
then the defense had another turn.
This C-rne counsel tor the defense MADE
& mistake. They had successfully object
"a 10 The Introduction OF the clerk
poison register on the ground that It was
Irrelevant. and than they proceeded 10
ask questions which neCeSsitated a refer
enca 10 the book When they had done
Ny. Carpenter. The Prosecuting Attorney,
offered the book again, and this time II
was accepted II evidence.
There vas also much stress laid on the
fact that before the Coroner's jury Pur-
.eDky had testified that the woman's cape
hung a. low as her hips. and yesterday
he said il hung but 10 her elbows This
showing lhat the counter ana showcase
stood higher than the 7wCmaus waist and
the clerk could not have seen the Iur
trimming had Jh5 cape hung much below
Erzd Bernhard. apprentice in the drug
store Al Geary and Devisadero streets,
wound Up rhe afternoon. He told how he
found lhe Piece 81 The torn label behind a
tc---e CT -he shelf, where Pur-enky tesu-
fa5 he Rad v--- It. and thinking IL was OF
- consequence ne had swept il out. His
description 81 The piece Of the label and
Where n had found = tailed with the
TESTIMONY given just before BY Purlenky.
Crcss-=15 Summation failed 10 change his
zs1Ez-r=-
re. czze VIII 90 On again this after
-r--