New-York tribune., 1899-02-11
THE ADAMS MURDER.

Tho District Attorney has seen new light.
1t was about time If his conduct Of the Adj
ans murder investigation does not utterly dis
credit mis- administration it will he only be-
cause Mr.. Gardiner has been clever enough 10
see the game of the mystery makers before it
has been played out. From the very first the
pistrctAttorne Office and the police. so far
as superior authority was able to dull Captain
McClusky's detective instinct, conducted the
investigation not 10 prove that crime had been
committed against Mrs. Adams. but that one
had been Intended against Mr.. Cornish. Mr.
Gardiner opened the Coroners inquest with a
speech plainly indicating his continued belief
In that hair-raising. dime novel theory of double
murder with which he had been entertaining
the lovers Of sensation for several days Be
fore evening he had suffered change. and at
night gave out the statement THE fact that
Cornish gave Mrs Adams the poison is in
"evidence. and il behooves him 10 clear his
"own skirts
What is the cause of this sudden transforma-
ton? Rather. why did not Mr.. Gardiner take
this view long ago? He ought 10 have seen
that on December %. instead Of waiting almost
six weeks 10 discover il. and meanwhile max
ing absolute announcements that he had found
the guilty persons who killed Barnet and tried
to kill Cornish. Nobody doubted To whom Mr..
Gardiner pointed II he did not mean Mr..
Molineux he was much misunderstood. He not
only succeeded in casting suspicion on Mr..
Molineux but he actually announced that he
was able to convict the suspect whose per-
sonality he seemed TO indicate. not only Of kill
ing Mrs Adams when intending TO kill Cor
nish but also of killing Barnet. concerning
whom there Is no positive evidence that he did
not die natural death. TO bolster up this
theory he has disinterred Barnet's body to find
mercury when he ought TO know perfectly well
that Barnet took mercury for medicine in his
lifetime and that mercury in his body will
prove nothing What excuse has Mr. Gardiner
10 give for the creation OF this magnificent and
lurId structure which has fallen TO pieces in
day? Why for all these weeks did he neglect
10 probe the case from the point OF view he has
so suddenly taken? From the minute Mr.. Nc
Iptyre went 10 the Adams house Mr.. Cornish
has been treated as the wronged man in the
case instead of ths person whose story was 10
bc tested at every possible point. Does any
body suppose that In ordinary circumstances a
man who gave q woman fatal dose Of poison.
and then told an astonishing story TO account
for his act as innocent, would escape arrest or
~ least surveillance and suspicion pending an
exhaustive investigation Of that story's truth!
Yet Mr.. Cornish has been the conspicuous con-
ndant of the Dlstrict-Attorney's office, the
miraculously saved victim OF a conspiracy 10
murder which Mr. Gardiner announced he had
evidence TO punish.
Now. we do not say that Mr.. Cornish is
guilty Of the murder Of Mrs. Adams, nor do
we wish 10 make the least inslnuation TO that
effect All we say is. what Mr. Gardiner him
self now says, that as Mr.. Cornish gave the
woman the poison II behooveD him 10 clear his
own skirts; that as the scene Of the murder
was the Adams household, there is the place
to begin investigation. not Off in some sersa-
+ional romance worthy Of the stories of the
AtAllan Renaissance. Such investigation by no