The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-02-17
The Inquest in Adams
Case
STILL A SECRET.
Several Witnesses Were Elk
amined Yesterday.

New York, Feb. 16.-SeVeral witnesses
were put on the stand today at the
coroners inquiry of the death of Mrs.
Kate j. Adams, but the two witnesses
in whom most interest centered were
Assistant District Attorney John F.
Mcintyre and DR.. E. s. Potter Assis-
tant District Attorney McIntyre's tes-
tinony was not important, and 1t threw
but little light upon the mystery. DR..
Potter, who had been called in to assist
Dr. Hitchcock in attending to Mrs.
Adams, stated that he saw no evidences
of sickness in Cornish at that time and
that in his judgment Cornish was not
sick. DR.. Potter was considered by the
district attorneys office an important
Witness One portion of DIR. Potters tes-
timony caused something of a sensa-
ton. He said after describing the de-
tails of Mrs. Adams death: Mrs. Ro-
gers asked if the matter could not be
kept quiet. She also asked us to delay
reporting the woman's death until she
could see Assistant District Attorney
Mcintyre. AS Harry Cornish was leav-
ing the room she told him not to make
the matter public, adding in an under
tone, you know the reason why
don't think it was intended that
should hear that
DIR. Hitchcock was again called this
morning, but, at the request of the
coroner, Mrs. Bertha May Hovey, the
wife of the witness so long interro-
gated yesterday, was first placed on the
stand.
Witness said she had talked with
/ nich oh 4 11c' h1,t
she could not remember that Cornish
said to her: What a fool / am that
l should have received that bottle and
given some of the contents to Mrs.
Adams" She had never known Mrs.
Adams to take bromo-seltzer. She
knew that Mrs. Adams suffered fire.
quently from headache, but she did
not know what she took for it. Mrs
Hovey was excused from the stand and
her husband Frederick A. Hoyey, was
recalled.
He was not in the court room and
could not be found at the time. Then
Coroners Physician Weston took the
stand.
DR.. Weston testified that he performed
the autopsy upon Mrs. Adams body.
He at first formed the impression that
Mrs. Adams came to her death through
taking cyanide of potassium, from the
odor of the bottle a. al from his dag
nosis at the autopsy. Subsequently a
, chemical analysis showed death was
due to cyanide of mercury. Witness
talked with HoVey on arriving at the
fat and Hovey told him about the case.
He smelled the contents of the bottle
and told Hovey he thought it contained
cyanide of potassium.
Was the odor strong enough to
knock man down? Was it sufficient
ly pungent?" asked Mr.. Osborne.
''NO. I think not -
WAS it sufficiently pungent to knock
small boy DOWN."
II don't think So"
Would you doubt a person who
swore that small boy was knocked
} down by smelling it?"
Il should hesitate to express any
! such doubt under such circumstances.
/ never tried any such thing on a small
: boy. 1 would rather try it on q dog"
Frederick Hovey was then called to
the stand and Mr.. Osborne asked him.
How soon after your conversation
with DIR. Weston did you see Cornish?"
Next morning"
"Dr. Weston told you the woman had
been poisoned"
IT have Just heard him say So"
You told us yesterday that it was
three days later when you first heard
of poison"
yes"
"Dr. Weston said he told you and
DR.. Hitchcock says the same.
'fI don't recall it"
DIR. e. Stiles Potter, who was called
by Cornish to assist DR.. Hitchcock at
the time of Mrs Adams death, fol-
lowed HoVey on the witness stand DR.
Potter testified that after Mrs. Rogers
had been informed that her mother
was dead, she expressed a desire to
have the matter kept from the papers.
She suggested to DR.. Hitchcock and
witness to delay the notification Of the
coroner until she HAD an opportunity
to see Assistant District Attorney Nc
Intyre, as he already had charge of her
affairs
AS witness left the room there was a
remark made by Mrs. Rogers to Cor
nish to this effect: you know the
reason why" 1t was said in an under
tone, and not intended for witness to
hear.
Dr. Potter further stated that after
his arrival at the fiat Hovey said to
him: IT have just arrived from Con-
necticut and see what a fix | am in"
Hovey had very little to say after that
Witness heard DR.. Hitchcock say that
diabolcal crime had been committed.
He thought Cornish and Hovey were
both present at the time.
Mr.. Hovey had put in an appearance
in the court room, and Mr.. Os-
borne placed him on the stand He
was asked to tell the jury why the doc
tors had told him it was poison that
was given to Mrs. Adams. He re-
piled:
I'VE all supposed it was an accident
and then asked if he might explain to
the jury. Receiving permission, ne
said he was so confident that it was
ordinary sickness, that he paid no at
tention to what he thought Hovey
denied that he and Cornish, after re-
ceiving the information from the doc
tors, discussed who could have sent the
| package.
you said yesterday you examined
the package that contained the poison
bottle. the wrapper, seal and wax. and
expressed an opinion that 1t was done
so we'll that 1t would take an expert to
discover that it was not the original
package
81 was mistaken"
us il not true that there were two
bottles. one with a wrapper, one with
out?'
mot that remember. did not see
them. anyhow"
Did not Cornish show you a bottle
with a wrapper
mo; l was perfectly willing to make