The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-20
SAVANNAH, GA.

cannot remain silent while 1 receive such
a great part of the credit for convicting
the defendant. I make this statement
and / want 1t published, that l merely
acted as the spokesman for syndicate of
unusually intelligent persons; that l was
a sponge and absorbed what came in my
way. l don't believe any man ever had
such ability back of him as l had In this
case.
But you would be astonished II I told
you that the most valuable help of all
came from a woman. She suggested my
opening speech, and l followed from that
opening speech a line of proof by witness
es which resulted from that suggestion.
and l carried the whole idea to a success
full conclusion. do not hesitate to give
her name. 1t was Miss Viola Roseboro
the writer. We have been friends for
years and l talked with her often ano
long while this case was in preparation"
Miss Roseboro lives at the Windermere
No. 400 West Fifty-seveuth street.
Miss Roseboro is rather above the me-
dunn hight. Her full, rounded forehead
and large hazel eyes, which kindle, and
under the stimulus of an interesting sub
ject, her firmly moulded countenance, to-
gether with voice of rare resonance,
combine to bear out the picture Mr. Os-
borne had so calamity painted of his pa
iron and advisor She laughed good ma
district attorneys praise and said:
Really, Mr.. Osborne is altogether too
enthusiastic I think he takes entirely
too little of the credit on himself We
frequently before the trial of the Moli-
neux case, discussed it at length
He was much disturbed as 10 the exact
method of procedure, and I suggested TO
him that he could certainly determine
from the circumstances and incidents of
which he knew, from the words Of wit
nesses and the other sources of his infOr-
nation, exactly the sort of man the pois-
oner had been, exactly what the poisoner
had done, and how he would act under a
given environment. Ii is plain that who
ever the poisoner might be, a full, COM
plete and accurate description of him could
be sent out. This done, l suggested that he
call this full and accurate description "a
garment When it had been fully con-
structed he could seek to fit it to all the
persons suspected in the case
Surely il would sag at some place or
bag at another or wrinkle at another when
fitted to the innocent man. There was
but one person in the world 1t would fit
and it would fit no other person, and that
person must be the poisoner.
"Then we talked over the monster made
by Frankenstein and talked of describing
the poisoner in full, just as if we were
building him.
AT another time we were speaking OF
the method of convincing a set of men of
the truth of any propos ton. 1 find that
people are convinced not so much by ar
guments presented to them as by their
own minds
81 think, therefore, 1t was an excellent
plan that Mr. Osborne, for instance, asked
the jury how they would have acted IN
Capt. McClusky's place, and with their
attention a little ahead of the argument
led them step by step and in steps which
the jury would regard as most natural in
their own cases If they had been trying to
ferret out a crime.
But it has been the habit of Mr.. Os-
borne and myself to discuss these matters,
and really l think he is very modest in
attributing so much to others
Readers of the Journal will readily re-
call with what brilliant success Mr.. Os-
borne but the suggestions of Miss Rose
boro into use in his opening speech. He
announced that he would take upon him
self the burden of furnishing a full and
detailed description of the poisoner-the
Frankenstein. He did so. and, closing,
asked the jury who the coat, constructed
out of the warp and wool of these descrip-
lions, fitted.
"rry it on Cornish. It does not 1T him.
Try il on John d. Adams. II is not fit.
1t fits" said the District-Attorney but
one human being In the sixteen hundred
millions on the earth--and that is Roland
Burnham Molineux"