The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-12-29
Relates the Incidents Connected with
It's Receipt by Mail and Its Dis
position Soon Afterwards.
WAS GIVEN TO MRS. ROGERS
SHE MIXED A DOSE OF THE MEDI-
CINE FOR HIS MOTHER,
Who Died i'm Agony Soon After Swal-
nish, Who Also Became Ill.

NEW YORK, Dec. 2s.-Intense interest
is now lent to the trial of Roland b. Mo-
lineux 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 ex-
animation, which promises to develop many
things not yet made public, will probably
continue for several days with INTERRUPT
tions here and there for other witnesses.
Cornish told to-day of the receipt by him
self of the famous silver holder and bottle
of poison and he reviewed the story of Mrs.
Adams's death by the supposed promo
seltzer" which he had administered to her
when she was i'll. Just as Cornish's tes-
timony was beginning to be interesting the
recorder adjourned the case until to-mor-
row.
The handwriting experts gave way to-
day to the physicians. DR.. Phillips, who
attended both II. c. Barnet before his
death and Harry g. Cornish, was one of
the witnesses examined 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 received in the testimony or placed on
the records. but a mythical "a. B." was
adopted instead, and all the symptoms ex-
hibited by Barnet during his illness were
described by DR.. Phillips and accepted as
testimony.
DIR. Coffin. who also attended these men
during their illness, corroborated the testi-
| mony Of DR.. Phillips as far as it related
to the symptoms and indorsed the diagno-
sis made by that physician.
Another witness to-day was John E. Ad-
ans, once secretary Of the Knickerbocker
| Athletic Club. His testimony dealt with
| the relations between Cornish and Molin-
| eux and with the various Quarrels which
| had occurred at that club. Mr.. Weeks
will probably take up the cross-examina-
| ton of Adams tomorrow before Cornish
goes on the stand.
CORNISH'S TESTIMONY.
Cornish testified that he was thirty-nine
years old. He told Of having only COM
mon school education during his younger
days, then q business schooling, 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 stated that he
| was connected with the Chicago Athletic
| Club for two years and the Western Ath-
| letic 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 as standards of comparison.
| The letters admitted were nearly all per-
! tanning to athletic matters and addressed
| to different people.
| eIou ayhihlf A fha nofcnn ck-
age address, Mr.. Cornish. and ask you If
| you wrote that?" said Mr.. Osborne.
'I did not"
Broadway"
| at did not"
He was shown exhibits F, H, I, B and c,
the disputed letters signed Barnet" ''Did
you write any of them?" he was asked.
II did not"
| He said in December. 1893. he lived at
No. 81 West Eighty-sixth street. Mrs. Ad-
ans, Mrs. Rogers and Mrs. Hawords. all
| related to Cornish by marriage, lived there
also. He had known them in Hartford,
| where he formerly lived. On the oath of
December, 1885, he received package
through the mails. He got it in his mail
box at the Knickerbocker Athletic Club
and opened it in his Office at that club. be-
| tween 10 and IL o'clock. He identified ex-
hibit A as portion Of the outside
| wrapper.
THE DEADLY BOTTLE.
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 bottle of bromo-seltzer.
He had previously thrown the wrapper into
the waste basket. He found an envelope in
the box and supposed 1t to contain 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. Later
H. A. King came in and took the bottle of
| bromo-seltzer and started to take some of
It, but did not. Others were in the Office
during the day and saw bottle, bottle
holder and portion of xhe wrapper. His
desk was open the greater part of the day
and in the evening Cornish said he took
the bottle. bottle-holder and address home
with him.
Cornish was then shown the poison bot
tie and the holder and identified them.
Shortly after reaching home that evening.
he said, Mrs. Adams came in. He showed
the things to her, and they both COM
mented on the similarity between the bot
tle-holder and some small toilet trinkets
she had on her dressing case. He said he
told Mrs. Adams he had no use for the
holder and gave 1t to her. and that he was
now positive that she put it on her dress
ing table He put the supposed bromo-
seltzer and the wrapper in his own desk in
his room and left them there.
The next morning. while he was reading
The M por Mrs Rogers came tn his room