The Anaconda standard., 1899-03-10
FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 1899.
TWELVE PAGES.


" of poisoning cases has followed
the sensational Botkin episode
in California, and is attributed by a
writer in the New York Journal to the
power of suggestion started by the pub
licity given to Mrs. Botkin's arrest and
trial. Nearly every large city has had
in recent months a startling murder
or attempted murder by poison in some
form or other. The most famous case
of the kind, of course, is the Molineux
tragedy in New York city. on December
~, last. Mrs. Kate j. Adams died from
taking what was supposed to be bromo
seltzer 1t had been sent in a silver
holder anonymously to Harry Cornish,
an instructor at the Knickerbocker
Athletic club, apparently as a Christ
mas present. He had taken it to his
home in West Eighty-sixth street.
When his aunt, Mrs Kate ]. Adams.
complained of headache, he had given
her the bromo setzer to relieve her
After her death. the bromo seltzer was
found to have been mixed with deadly
cyanide of mercury. At once it was
thought that some enemy of Cornish
in the club had sent it with the intent
of poisoning him. 1t was then recalled
that Henry c. Barnet, member of the
club, had died six weeks before. after
a peculiar illness. His body was dug
up. Cyanide of mercury was found also
in his stomach. Two links were thus
Joined. Suspicion was directed against
Roland B. MolneuX. as he was an
enemy of Cornish, and thought to have
been jealous of Barnet. He was also a
chemist His place of business was in
Newark. N. j., where the silver holder
sent to Cornish had been traced to its
place of purchase. But queerly enough,
he had been married to Blanche Cheese
brough on November 30. nineteen days
after the death of the first victim, and
a month before the death of the sec
ond. The public had been kept in sus-
pense for two months, clamuring for the
arrest of the poisoner. But there We're
some missing links in the evidence. 1t
finally resolved itself down to who
wrote the address on the fatal package
sent to Cornish. The handwriting eX-
Derts employed Is the case before the
coroner's jury agreed in saying that
Molineux was the man. He was ar
rested at the close of a most dramatic
court room scene. He is now awaiting
trial in the Tombs.
In the nine months, that the poison
mania has ragged eleven victims have
been killed. Five suspected murderers
are now on trial or in prison, one con-
fessed his guilt, while in three cases the
police authorities are still at sea and
hunting Vainly for clues, as occurred in
New York for two months before the
arrest of Molineux. From Paris now
comes word by cable of an almost in
conceivable effort to murder a young
woman by a scheme more fiendish than
by poison. Mile. Delacroix. a popular
actress, received by mail a box marked
obesity pills. AS there was nothing to
show where it had come from she was
suspicious. On crushing the pills she
found each contained a small fish hook.
The intent had evidently been to tear
her stomach into shreds with these
barbed weapons. species of torture
hitherto unknown even in PaTisian
criminal cruelty. The police have ar
rested a rival actress Mile. Rcgenia
Martial, on suspicion.
One of the remarkable poison cases
occurred at Leavenworth. Kas., last
September. 1t was that of Mrs. Kun
kel, the wife of John ]. kunkel n
well-known property owner. She died
in convulsions and Prof Edward Bar
tow Of the University of Kansas de-
Clared that there We're signs of arseni-
cal poisoning. Kunkel is now on trial
on the charge Of giving his wife the
poison. Some singular facts have been
brought out in the testimony. Exactly
two months before Mrs. kunkels death
her daughter by a former marriage,
Birdie Comingore. a pretty girl i'll her
teens, died after a short sickness. The