The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-03-23
|: X R A !!
WHOSE PARASOL?
Possible Clue to the Barnet
Poisoning at the Hotel
Washington.
III. BARNET AND WIFE. "
Couple Registered Here Twice
Last June = Gardiner
Thinks It Conclusive
Evidence.
IT. BARNET AND WIFE. !"

.The motive of the crime of attempting
to poison H. C. Barnet-the crime associ-
ated with the later attempt to poison Har-
ry S. Cornish-can be explained by
lady's parasol now in possession of an en-
ploye of the Hotel Washington in Jersey
City," said Col. Asa Bird Gardiner, Dis
trict Attorney of New York, day or two
ago.
AS proof of the statement the sharpest
detective on Chief Devery's staff was in
Jersey City today, making inquiries at
the Hotel named ana he left as myster-
iously as he came, but leaving behind him
the following very interesting story OF
link in the chain of evidence in murder
mystery, the solution of which has hither-
70 baffled the best experts in criminolosy
| in the country.
Roland B. Molneux is now in the New
York Tombs. indicted for the murder of
Mrs. Catharine Adams, although that
| lady was not the victim intended. Harry
Cornish was the man whom, it is alleged.
! Molineux wished to kill by means OF the
now famous bromo-seltzer gift. One
thing led to another, and the investiga-
ton of that crime brought up the suspi-
cious death of a fellow member of the
same club to which both Melineux and
| Cornish belonged, and that was Henry
Crossman Barnet. Because of the Pc
/ culiar relations of these three people
think that he who tried to poison Cornish
| also sent the deadly mixture to Barnet.
| The police found out that Barnet was
much in love with Miss Blanche Cheese
| brough, who afterwards was married to
Roland B. Molineux. The alleged rela-
tions between Miss Chesebrough and Bar
net were summed up by Colonel Gardner
4 himself at the close of the coroners in
quest in the Adams case, when he used
the following langunage:-
1t is clear that Mrs. Molineux
i loved Barnet, but knew Molineux had
good prospects and wanted to be
taken care of. Now in the killing
of Barnet where was the motive?
Barnet was attentive to Blanche
Chesebrough He dined and wined
| her. He invited her to his room and
she accepted. You can fancy the
situation They were, in fact, on the
| closest terms of intimacy.
+tio ;y, win 10 District
| torney began to look up the Barnet case
and connect it with the Cornish case in
the hope that it would leadd to the
divulging of the motive in both. That
motive Mr.. Gardiner says lies in the
Hotel Washington, Jersey City
In June last, young man accompanied
by a young woman, both fashionabiy
dressed, entered the Hotel Washington II
was in the evening. The young man
asked for a room and wrote on the regis
ter in rather shaky writing:
..H. Barnet and wife, New York"
They had dinner in the main dining
room, and as if to avoid seeing transit
guests retired to their room Immediately
after the meal. They left the following
morning. Some days later the same pain
came to the Hotel and again the man reg
istered sH Barnett" adding another It
to his name. The couple were quiet, un-
ohtrusive and wished evidently to avoid
others in the hotel. On the following day
they left. 1t happened that day 1t was
raining and eMrs. Barnet" who carried
narasol. asked the hotel clerk, Connoi-
Nv. to lend her an umbrella and she woulc
return it when she sent for her parosel
This he, of course did. The parasol lei
habind was a dainty thing of Partisan
make. al 1aces and silk and having jew
elled handle.
Days. weeks and months slipped by
hut no one came to the hotel to CLAIM
that parasol, and Mr.. Connolly was il
ignorance to what address to send il
Then when one day the Cornish cas-
startled the community, wherein tn
name of Barnet was mentioned, like
fash it crossed Connoly's mind that pos
sibly H Barnet, who stopped at tn
i Washington, was the person named.
He had only a shadowy recollection o
Barnet's personal appearance and sti
less of his companion. But someone
: the Hotel Washington, talking CASUAL
to some friend, recalled the stopping Q
the Barnets at the hotel and it thus leak
ed out and found its way to the ears
District Attorney Gardiner, who
anxious to ascertain the name of Barnet
companion, the owner of the beautifr
parasol.
For that purpose he sent over today
detective who called at the hotel AM