The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-03-09
ONE Of IHE SHORTEST
On Record Viii be the Trial
of MoIineaux.
TO BEA HANDWRITING CASE
MoIineaux'S Life in Prison.
Study of the Old General,
TO BEA HANDWRITING CASE

New York, March SIT has been learned
that. above all other evidence, that Of the
handwriting experts. who have already
appeared in the case, and of others who
are held in reserve, the district attorney
expects to secure the conviction Of Rol-
Colonel Caroline rhas caused to be sub
mitted to these other experts the speci-
ments Of handwriting, the Barnet and
/ Cornish letters, the superscription on the
poison package and The admitted hand
writings of Molineaux, and each of these
/ fresh experts in the case has forwarded
/ his opinion These new opinions are
unanimous in the conclusion that all Of
! the specimens in the case were written
! by one hand, and that the hand Of Roland
b. Molineaux. Colonel Gardiner does not
| intend, however, to stop here. II is his
! determination 10 get the opinion Of other
handwriting experts This would seem to
! signify the absence of other evidence
! against Molineaux from that which has
! already bten adduced at the corOner's in
| quest, which the district attorney &C
/ knCwledges was merely a fishing eXpedi-
| ton. The trial therefore will be a battle
/ of experts.
/ There has been some criticism Of the
/ manner in which Mohneaux, when thrown
/ off his guard by the belief that the dis
/ trict attorney was trying to involve Cor
nish, was induced to write at various
angles for the experts. Here are the
| facts: When MolineauX was called 10 the
stand and asked to identify the specimens
of his own handwriting which he had
written in the private Office of Assistant
District Attorney Osborne, he took occa-
sion TO explain that the specimens were
not written in his customary hand, but
were more vertical. Molneaux tried to
write in that style at the suggestion of
Expert KinsIey, who was DESTROYS of get
ting the specimens at the same angle as
those Of the Cornish and Barnet letters,
and the superscription on the poison pack
age itself Every other one of the sus-
poets in the case who had been asked by
the police and the experts to write at
various angles did 50 promptly and will
lingly. Before the inquest Moineaux had
refused to write at the required angles, on
the ground, as he stated to the police
and experts, that it would be Impossible
for him TO do so. He consented to try
only when the impression had gone abroad
that the district attorney looked upon Cor
nish as the cuprit. but in the actual writ
ings 70 rthe experts Moineaux made no
effort to initiate a vertical hand. When
the six experts testified at the inquest
several of the jurors asked in substance,
Gould a. man who is as fluent with his
pen as MOlineaux write a vertical hand?"
The answer in every instance was an en-
phatic one in the affirmative
The trial of Molineaux, the district at
torney now believes, cannot take place in
April. Therefore it will be put off until
the cary fall From what know of the
case" said a member of the district at
torneys staff yesterday, "there can be
no trial Of it in April. But when the trial
| does take place it will be the shortest on
record, considering its iportance. The dis
trict attorney can put in his entire case
in two days. and the bulk of his case
will be the testimony of the expert wit
nesses.
AS a matter Of law" said 4 member of
District Attorney GARDENERS staff yester-
day, the indictment against Hickman,
who has positively identified Molineaux
as the II. c. Barnet who rented the letter
box. cannot be used on the trial of AIoli-
neaux in order to discredit him as a wit
ness. An Indictment il ~ mere accusa-
lion, and many an innocent man has suf-
fered an indictment The court of appeals
has decided time and time again that an
| Indictment cannot even be proved on a
al
ness"
Roland B. Molneaux's first Sunday in
the Tombs was a weary. dreay day for
him. Most Of the time the rain beat mo-
nctonous.y down on the corridor sky
! lights and from the overcast skies Onlvta
sickly half light penetrated to the gloomy
old prison. making it more dismal and
/ cherries than ever. There were no visits
from friends nor counsel to break UP the
duh prison routine. and they wouldn't have
been admitted had they come. Not even
letter nor message from his wife came
10 cheer him The only diversions in the
long. dark day were the exercise hours
and the church services, both Of which he
made the most Of.
Nolineaux arose. as usual. at Gas a m,
and by s o'clock he had eaten a simple
( breakfast, purchased from the prison ca
tsrer. had tidied up his cell and was ready
to take his morning exercise. Molineaux
appreciates kesnly the value of this chance
In stretch his legs. He was waiting az
he barred door Of his cell. and Quickly
stepped out as soon as the keeper opened
! 1t. anxious not 20 lose one minute Of the
precious sixty allowed him He was in
his shirt sleeves. but wore q collar and
1 pun scarf. His hair was carefully ar
ranged and there was a pronounced crease
[ in his wel,-ittinc trousers.
As the na-ty prisoner fell into line and
started 90 make the circuit of the CORR
/ DOR DeDu1y Warden O'Nei remarked.
! He IS one of the best prisoners We ever
, had K Is ~enarkable how che5rfu.lv he
/ ada7JS himself 70 prison life. A.thoueh he
; doesn't mix up much with che o,he- rris-
onerS, he is always civil ans polite. They
all see that he wants 20 keen 20 himself
! and don't bother him much. bur when
/ anyone speaks 10 him he always answers
! pleasantly. Il he stays here very long h.
! WI. be the most popular man in the place.
! He ENJOYS his exercise immensely. He
/ never misses one Of hte periods. and gers
/ the most out % every second chats CON-
.nE - him. You can see that by looking
/ 1T him"
a glance n NFoHreaux proved the truth
! % the warden's observations. Ike walked
/ along with his head erect and a sc-r-.
athletic step. in striking contrast 10 tie
/ other prisoners. mos, n whom moved v.i-h
an indoleDt. shutting gait. as though re--
! forming a disasreeable and i-ks7ns d,,i,
! WIKI the end of the exercI<e period -