The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-02-21
Daughters Story of How Her
Mother Was Poisoned.
VERY MUCH LIKE CORNISH'S TALE
Young Woman Greatly Excited and Weep
Ing frequently-Her Cross-eIamination on
to Take Place To-day-Mrs. Molineux to
Follow-BookseIlerT Testifes Mrs. Rogers
Rented Letter-box Under Name of Miss
Addeson-More Testimony in Case

investigation into the poisoning Of Mrs.
, Kate J. Adams without apparently
throwing any new light upon the mystery.
The feature Of the day was the testi-
mony Of Mrs. Rogers daughter of Mrs
! Adams. who told the story of her moth
, ers death as IL has already been made
known She was on the stand when the
inquest was adjourned She will be cross
examined tomorrow. after which Mrs
MolineuN Will be put upon the stand. Mrs
! Rogers was very much aEitated, appear
ing to be III. and the attorneys were not
severe with her
; Dr. II. =. Douglass. who attended Bar
net in his last Illness. told the jury that
J his patient did not die OF poisoning.
/ though he admitted that Barnet told him
that he had taken some medicine sent to
him in Kutnow powder package. This
package, Or. Douglass said contained
cyanide OF mercury. The doctor insisted
that Barnet had had false" diphtheria.
and that his death was due to heart dis
ease
MISS Addie Bates. who nursed Barnet In
his last Illness. testified to the Illness and
death OF her patient Harry A. King. a
friend Of Cornish. and member of the
hnickerhocker Athletic Club who by the
merest chance escaped taking some of the
alleged bromo-seltZer sent to Cornish
to;d ms story TO the jury. David Muir
dOch who rents private letter boxes. tes-
titled that Mrs. Rogers had rented box
at his store. but ceased patronizing him
nearly two years ago
Mrs Molineux To-day.
Quite a stir occurred in the court room
this afternoon when Mrs MoIineux and
her husband made their appearance. Mrs.
Mollneux was taken at once to the Coro-
nerS Jury room, where she was ioined
Dy Attorney Weeks. After a brief con-
sultation between the District Attorney
and Lawyer Weeks the former announced
mat the examination OF Mrs Molineux
would follow that Of Mrs Rogers. Mr..
and Mrs. Molineux then left the court
room.
The District Attorney announced late
| this afternoon that he had not vet de-
cided when Cornish would be put on the
| stand.
| Harry A. King, a stock broker, was the
| ilrst witness called to the stand. He was
| the first person to whom Cornish showed
| the poison bottle and holder Mr. King
said he was a member of the Knicker- |
booker Athletic Club. He knew H. C. |
Barnet. but only by sight On Saturday. |
| December "a, at the club, Cornish showed |
witness the bottle of bromO-seitzer and |
holder and said something about it being |
a ChrlStmaS present. Witness said: "I 1
have slight headache, and l think I'll |
take some Cornish pushed the bottle /
and holder toward him. and he took il |
over TO the water cooler There was no |
glass there and no water in the coc,er. so |
4 he returned the bottle and holder 10 |
Cornlsh's desk saying: Il don't think I'll |
bother with it."
You first stated that there was no wa
ter IN the cooler; now you say neither
water nor glass;" observed Mr.. Osborne.
There was neither water nor glass"
Witness denied that his testimony had
been made TO conform TO the statements
made by Cornish and Finneran.
I ak ii with Corn sh.
Mr.. King said he talked about the case
with Cornish in Mr.. Yocum's room at the
club on the night Of Mrs. Adams death.
Cornish was very sick He and witness
recalled the incident of the bromo-seltzer
bottle, and witness remarked that il was
lucky thing for him that he hadn't !
taken any Of the contents of the bottle
DR.. Henry Douglass who attended II.
c. Barnet in his last illness. was the |
next witness. Taking several pages of
typewriter manuscript from his pocket
u.
Mr. Osborne informed him that il was
not permissible in court TO read ones +es-
hmony until all that IS known of the
case has been given from memory. Dr
Douglass then told how he had diagnosed
Barnets case as one of diphtheria. and
OF having discovered diphtheric exude
Barnet improved under treatment. Wit
ness discovered diphtheritic baciIH and
and another bacillus which he could NOT
identify at the time
subsequently" continued the witness
discovered evidences Of mercurfal
poison L asked Barnet about this He
told me that he got up on The morning
OF october % and took some Kutnow DOW
der, which gave him a sore throat and
put his stomach out of order, causing
him to vomit freely. He said he had re- ;
celVed II through the mail He asked me ,
to tell him why the powder should have /
made him so sick.
i asked him where the box of Kutnow ,
powder was, and he said il was around ,
somewhere. l found it and tasted it. |
thought that calOnel had been nut in Il
in manufacture to produce better eff !
feet. l took the bottle TO a chemist. The {
chemist, after tasting the powder, said I
that II was too corrosive in taste for Gallo I
mel. Then the gases began TO come off
must be cyanide of mercury. Under the
1 felt that the package 7
should be sealed, and this was done. :
Il went back IL Barnet's rooms and d
told him that the box and powder con- l
tanned cyanide Of mercury. tie said he
did not know anything about what it con [
tanned. / asked him whether he or | 7
should keep the box; he told me 10 keep q
il, and that he would attend 10 il when U
he got well. l thought il was OF sufficient I
Importance 10 look for the wrapper upon / =
which the directions had been written and ,
in which the bottle had been wrapped | +
when Barnet received it. but / could not L
find it.
II asked Barnet IL he thought that the |.
KtItnow people had made a mistake in :
putting up the bottle; that, If they had, n
he mad a good case for damages which
would more than repay him for mis- eX-
oenses and my bill. A.,
The diphtheritie symptoms disappeared =
rom Barnet and he appeared 10 be con- :
,aIescent During ais illness he persist :
.ntIy refused 10 carry out my instruc- =
ions oyereXerting himself physically. | =,
rhis weakened his heart, and a few days =
IefOre he died ] asked him 10 release me u
rom the case or obey my orders. Thirty 81
TX hours before he died be showed mark n
a evidences Of heart failure.
Cogni-h's Two statements. n
Edward p Hughes, q police officer, who 4
cred as stenographsr for capt McClus- IL
" was next called. He read from his D
,otes the statement Cornish made at the g
lnickerbocker Athletic Club on the after u
.oon Of the day OF Mrs Adams death n
[ was substantially the same IS Cornish v
estified 10 on his examination. After this Ia
.atement witness read another made by
'ornish at police headquarters 10 Capt. X
icCluszy. at which time Cornish accused Ii
6olineux or sending the poison. When ia