Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-02-28

ant treated him in such an apologize
manner it was done to disarm him of
suspicion. There was a general feel
ing of anger against the district at
torney's office on this account. But we
aad a duty to perform. We were
placed in a position to make it appear
that Cornish really was the guilty per-
son. Then the guilty person, seeing
that he was not suspected, was per-
fectly willing to give us all the hand
writing we wanted. And we got it.
Continuing, he said
'You have just heard the evidence as
given by these experts in handwriting.
That seems to me TO be conclusive.
There is another element in this case
of wonderful importance. That is the
circumstantial evidence which was
brought out. There was the purchase
of the bottle holder Where was that
bought? In Newark on the Dist day
of December Roland B. MolineuX was
in Newark on that day. Where was it
mailed? On the Broadway side of the
postoffice. Molineux was in that vicin-
ity at the time it was mailed"
Col Gardiner then went on to tell
the circumstances under which MOli
neux admitted on the stand he met his
wife and said;
"Now that woman's character (mean-
ing Mrs. Molineux) has been portrayed
in this court room by her own testi-
mony. For a thousand years down to
the present time, murders of this kind,
it has been demonstrated, have been
committed on account of two reasons
jealousy or hate-and in the large ma
iority of instances either by a woman or
a degenerate.
Mr.. Gardiner then again alluded to
the character of Mrs. MolineuX, and
designated her a woman"
He said the deaths of Barnet and
Mrs. Adams could not be separated.
Barnet had been poisoned by powder
sent through the mail, and the one
who sent it must have been on init
mate terms with him and acquainted
with the fact that Barnet used Kut-
nows powders. MolineauX, he said,
was that person.
Now, in the killing of Barnet where
was the motive? We have it by cir
cumstantial evidence. Barnet was at
tentive to Blanche Chesebrough. He
Wined her and dined her, invited her
to his room and she accepted. They
were, in fact, on the closest terms of
intimacy. L
to marry him, and she finally consented
to do So but she loved Barnet She
came to New York and went to live
from place to place, with no apparent
means of support and no one to care
for her. And now we come to one of
the INST remarkable things connected
with the case"
Mr.. Gardiner then read the letter
70 11rhil
he was i'll, and said: ''Is that the Ian
guage of one ordinary friend to an
other?''
Mr.. Molineaux interrupted him by
crying out, Yes, it is"
The coroner silenced him and the dis
trict attorney resumed.
He dwelt upon the fact that Mrs.
Molineux had sent flowers and letter
to Barnet only nineteen days before her
marriage, and discredited the statement
of Molineaux that he had paid for the
flowers
cit is clear that Mrs. Molineaux loved
Barnet, but knew Molneux had good
prospects, and wanted to be taken care
of. There's the motive said Mr.. Gar
diner.
Col. Gardiner here took up Molineaux's
neuxs visits to Chinatown, and his in
timacy with persons there
Coming down to the hiring OF the letter
boxes, Col. Gardiner said: I'm one in
stance the box was rented in the name
of H. C. Barnet 1t was not Barnet
who hired it. Who was it? You heard a
witness on this stand this very day swear
that he saw Molineux there ten or twenty
times, and identified him as hiring the box
in Barnet's name. Then there was an
other letter box hired In the name of
Harry S. Cornish, and a letter was re-
ceived there from Frederick Stearns of
Detroit in answer to one written by II
S. Cornish, making inquiries about
Harpster. If tho person who wrote that
letter of inquiry had known that Cornish
was acquainted with Mr.. Stearns, he
would probably not have selected Cor