The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-02-21

Investigation COx9&1ueds
Cor,t.h and Hovey Making Had 1ms
pr.~-fous

New York. February i6.-The most
important feature In the inquest in the
Adams poisoning ease yesterday was
that the testimony OF DR.. T.. +. Hitch
cock. who attended Mrs. Adams In her
last moments. vas in direct conflict
with the testimony of Harry ;. Cornis
and Frederick +. Hovey. both OF whom
were in Mrs Kate J. Adams fiat when
she dfed. DIR. Hitchcock testified that
the boy who summoned him told him
that he was wanted Immediately as q
party nae been poisoned"
One point on which DR.. Hitchcock
contTadicted the testimony OF Hovey
related TO the condition OF the bottle of
poison. The Doctor stated that he saw
no parafine about the cork or mouth
~ the bottle. while Hovey in his testi-
mony said the cork was covered with
parafine.
DIR. Hitchcock described how Cornish
was taken sick with SYMPTOMS similar
TO those shown by Mrs. Adams Cor
nish asked: Can II be anything else
but bromo seltzer?" n the doctor re-
piled that it certainly could.
Mrs. Bertha May Hovey, the wife OF
the witness who was examined ycster-
day, was first placed upon the stand to-
day. The questions OF the assistant
district attorney brought u the facts
that Cornish had separated from his
wife and that Mrs. Rogers was living
apart from her husband. When Mrs.
Hovey reached Mrs. Adams fiat she
was admitted by a policeman. She met
Assistant District Attorney Mcintyre
there. Mrs. Rogers seemed heart
broken. She told them that Mrs. Adams
had taken bromo ~seltzer. but never
mentioned poison. nor did she say that
her mother was the victim OF a diabol-
ical plan. The fact that Cornish had
U1NAn thu hrAFNn Sn1F1ar e.. h. Vrs.s 49,
was not spoken OF by Mrs. Rogers.
"When was IL first discovered hat
Mrs. Adams had been poisoned?" vas
asked.
Il don't know. | did not discover Il.
l e 1t in the newspapers" was the
reply.
The witness said she talked with
Cornish about Mrs. Adams death, but
she could not remember that Cornish
said TO her: What a fool | am that L
hould have received that bottle and
give some OF the contents Ia Mrs.
Adams"
The %coroner's physician, DR.. Weston.
took the stand He testified that he per
formed an autopsy upon Mrs. Adams
body. He at first formed the impress
sion hat Mrs. Adams came to her
death through taking cyanide OF potas-
SUM. from the odor OF the bottle and
from his diagnosis at the autopsy. Sub
sequently a chemical analysis showed
that death was due to cyanide OF mer-
curry. The bottle was wrapped in "A piece
OF brown paper such as lawyers use
with their notes. The bottle was three
fourths full when he saw it. The po-
liceman gave it to him and said he had
got it from DR.. Hitchcock. He talked
with Hovey on arriving at the fiat and
Hovey told him about the case. He
smelled the contents OF the bottle and
told Hovey he thought that IL con
fninn1 NnnsIa - nAtnz@s,~, ~
else was present, but a little later he
saw Mrs. Rogers and asked her about
Mrs. Adams age so as to fiji out his
report. He told Mrs. Rogers hat her
mother died Of poison, and that he
would make an autopsy on the follow
ing day.
Frederick Hovey was recalled to the
stand when DIR. Weston finished and
Mr.. Osborne asked him: How soon
after your conversation with DR.. Wes-
ton did you see Cornish"
Next morning"
DIR. Weston told you two men had
been poisoned"
Il have just heard him say So"
You told US yesterday that IL was
three days later when you first heard
of the poison"
Yes"
DR. Weston said he told you and
DR.. Hitchcock says the same"
Il don't recall it,"
You say all the circumstance form
a small impression on your mind"
Yes"
will you kindly tell the Jury why.
after the doctors had told you 1t was
poison and you a seen a person fall
down n die and another claim-(and
Mr.. Osborne put a strong emphasis on
the word)-to be i'll, it did not form a
great IMPRESSION"
We all supposed it was an accident"
You said yesterday you examined
with h greatest possible care the
package that contained the poison bot
tie, the wrapper, seal and wax and ex-
pressed an opinion that II was lone so
Wen that 1t would take an expert TO
discover that IL was not the original
package. Then you swore there was no
wrapper"
II was mistaken"
Us 1t not true hat there were two
bottles, one with a wrapper and one
Without"
Not that I remember. 1 lid not see
them, anyhow"
did not Cornish show o a bottle
with a wrapper"
mo. 1 was perfectly willing to make
my statement here and have corrected
the incorrect statement I made. I made
the mistake perfectly conscientfously."
DR.. Potter said that when he arrived
at the Adams fiat Mrs. Adams was
ead There were present DR.. Hitch
cock, Mr.. Cornish, Mr.. Hovey and Mrs.
Rogers. The last named told him that
upon her advice Mr.. Cornish had given
ner mother a dose of bromo settler.
MRS. Rogers was crying and hystericaL.
cornish told tne witness how Mrs.
ADAMS had taken the bromo settler and
now she had been taken sick a couple
OF minutes later. Cornish further stat
ed that after Mrs. Adams had taken
her dose he mixed another dose for
nlrnseir TO see IL Ii really tasted bitter.
Mrs Adams had said II lid. The dose.
Cornish said, made him very sick.
witness said there were two glasses
standing on the table.
was there something in each glass?'
, res, / am very positive about this
Iact. L am sure there was a solution
in each glass"
The witness heard DR.. Hitchcock say
tnat a diabohcal crime had been COM
United. He thought Cornish and Hovey
were both present at the time. Cor
nish said that he had been watching
the addresses to see who spelled for
~" with a "u." Ut was spelled in this
way on the package received by Cor