The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-02-02
ADAMS POISONING.
Two, and Possibly Three Persons,
Will Soon Be Under Arrest.
District Attorney Gardner Says He Has
Necessary Evidence 10 Warrant Action

New York sFeb. Eight has at last
been thrown on the mysterious Adams
poisoning case. District Attorney
Gardner said today he was Of the opin-
ion that the person guilty of sending
the poison TO Barnet and TO Cornish
was moral pervert, and that ne
would be able to- adduce evidence at
the inquest that would lead To the ar
rest of two and perhaps three per-
sons. He said he had the necessary
evidence for this.
The poison sent To Cornish caused the
death of Mrs. Kate j. Adams on De-
cember 2s last.
For the past three days Col. Gardi-
ner has been making personal m
VestigatiOn into the deaths of Mrs
Adams and IL. Barnet the former MEM
Der of the Knickerbocker Athletic
club. who died in November under sls-
picious circumstances. He ~ now con-
vinced that the death of the two were
intimately connected. although the mo-
tive in the murder of Mrs. Adams was
undoubtedly against the life OF Cornish,
the physical director of the knlcker-
booker a. &. An nvestigation relative
TO the handwriting in the case has con-
vinced Mr.. Gardiner of these conclu-
sions.
Col. Gardiner today addressed let
ter 10 Coroner Hart, saying that from
Investigations he thinks the body or
Barnet should be exhumed at once
unless il should be found that the Dody
was embalmed previous 10 burial with
a fluid containing mercury.
In spite OF the fact" Col Gardiner
said. that DR.. Beaman Douglass cer-
titles that Barnets death was due 10
another cause, my Investigations war
rant me In the belief that the body
should be disinterred and examined.
In this connection l have written the
corone1 and l have told him that my
Office would stand the expense Of such
an investigation. The cases OF Barnet
and Mrs. Adams are. in my opinion,
alike. There Is an intimate connection
between the two, and the motives Tor
the two are, in my opinion. alike. The
interest OF public demands that we
now go on and investigate the case.
six weeks have now elapsed. The re-
port of the chemist IL in the hands OF
the coroner. The police department. has
been steadily at work and have made
no arrests. Last Sunday / was at po-
lice headquarters all day and there eX-
amined witnesses. At the close OF the
day the matter was fresh in my mind,
L
ious To pursue some new lines or IN
quiry which occurred to me. | pro-
ceeded at once and had brought before
me reputable persons who convinced
me that the two cases are closely con-
nected.
at is not true that the police de-
partment acquainted me with the work
of their handwriting experts. What l
know of that subject | CLEANED myself.
/ can say. however, that | have advis-
ed the police department that no per-
son should be arrested for the hentous
crime of murder in the first degree un-
less, by the testimony in their posses
sion there is sufficient probable cause
10 induce a belief that the individual
charged has committed the crime. Il
have assigned To this case representa-
tives Of this office. Assistant Distrc',
Attorney James w. Osborn and AS
sistant District Attorney Maurice Blu
menthal who are thoroughly compe-
tent to do their work. The minute the
police have anything tangible on which
they can hold a man they must make
the arrest not otherwise. Should an
arrest be made without probable cause
there would be a setback to the Invest
igAtiOn."