The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-09
ADAMS POISONING CASE
RARNET'S TRAINED NURSE MAIxEs
STATEMENT TO THE POLICE.
More Mystery Regarding the Note
Signed blanche" Found by
New York Police.

NEW YORK, Jan. S.-No apparent prog
ress was made to-day in the solution of the
mystery attached to the Adams poisoning
case. Miss Addie E. Bates, the trained nurse
who attended Henry c. Barnet, the Knck-
erbocker Club member who is alleged to
have died from poison. called to see Capt.
McCluskey to-day. Captain McCluskey gave
out the substance of his talk with her as
follows:
According to Miss Batess statement she
was sent for by DR.. Henry B. Douglass on
Nov. to take care of a. case. She called
at Mr.. Douglass's office and was directed
to the Knickerbocker Athletic Club to at
tend a diphtheria patient, man. The
patient had a sore throat and DR.. Douglass
came in the afternoon and gave directions
for giving medicine and spraying the throat.
The doctor also told ner to admit no one
to the patients room during his illness.
She gave him medicine at different times
and refused to let any one see him. Many
messages came to him, but they were an
swered by her over the telephone.
AT different times" the statement con-
tinued, "a gentleman having a room on the
same floor in the club called to inquire for
him and also sent him flowers. On Monday
afternoon before he died Che died on Thurs
day, Nov 1O some flowers came to Mr..
Barnet with note. He was sleeping at the
time When he awoke told him some flow
ers were there and also a note. He requested
me to read the note and did So After read
ing the note he just closed his eyes and said:
i wonder how she knew | was i'll.
After 1 had been there two or three days
DR.. Douglass asked me if had seen a box
marked Cut Now l answered that l had,
and we found it on the dresser in the oath
room and DR.. Douglass took it away with
him. He afterwards said that it contained
mercury. At the time of his death there
were in the room DR.. Douglass, myself and
Miss Jennie Calender, the other nurse His
brother had been there, too but at the par
ticular time he died he was not there. Dur
ing Mr.. Barnets entire illness he was in
such a condition as a man suffering from
diphtheria. AT no time was l suspicious that
his illness was due to any other cause. He
was uncommuncative through all his ill
ness. L paid TO attention to the sores on his
mouth and sprayed his throat"
Miss Bates denied that she had ever said
to any one that Barnet had been poisoned
before the poison with which he was af-
fected just before his final illness. The most
important part of the interview with the
nurse is that which relates to the sending
accompanied them. This is supposed to be
the note signed Blanche, about which
much has been written and about which
there has been much speculation to the
identity of its sender Captain McCluskey
now has this note in his possession. He
would not permit it to be seen or tell
whether it is now in the hands of the hand
writing expert. He would not admit that the
note was signed Blanche but when in
discussing some point one of his listeners
asked if the note referred to was the one
signed Blanche" Captain McCluskey re-
piled in the affirmative. He quickly cor
rected himself, however.
The captain said that the interview with
Miss Bates threw no light on the Adams
case and said that he had not requested Miss
Bates to make statement lie said that
Miss Bates could not recall the name of the
man who had sent flowers to Barnet at the
club on two or three occasions. When asked
as to the time when Mr. Kinsley, the expert
in handwriting, might make his report on
the specimens in his possession captain Nc
Cluskey said that it might be in forty-eight
hours. With relation to the possible ex-
humation of the body of Barnet the captain
said that matter was in the hands of the
district attorney and the coroner.