New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-02-06
MOLINEUX CASE CLOSING.
PROSECUTION ENDS ITS WORK WITH
EVIDENCE ABOUT INKS.
MORE DELAY CAUSED BY THE ILLNESS OF
J
MR. BATTLE-TWO WITNESSES ABSENT
FROM THE SAME CAUSE.

The case for the prosecution in the trial of
Roland B. Moneux closed yesterday. The
ending was tame in the extreme, and produced
nothing in the nature OF the sensational climax
that had been predicted by some people. So far,
In fact, as the last witnesses called by Mr.. Os-
borne had any effective bearing upon the issue
of the trial, they might never have been called
Mannheim Brown the juror whose illness has
caused a delay In the trial of nearly two weeks
was early in court. and was warmly greeted by
his fellow jurors who saw in his convalescence
welcome prospect of being shortly released
from the legal shackles which since November
last have tied them to the jury box. Mr.. Brown
whose rheumatic seizure has not entirely left
him, limped into court leaning upon his wife's
arm. When he had taken his seat she helped to
wrap around his legs a thick rug, as protec-
ton against the draughts which necessarily play
about the badly constructed courtroom in which
the trial is taking place The rush Of the morbid
and curious to gain admission was as great as
ever, but only those were allowed to enter who
could show some good why they should
be admitted.
The greater part of the days proceedings was
taken up with the testimony of Dr. Persifor
Frazer, the Philadelphia handwriting expert.
who had been instructed to make tests of the
inks in which the various exhibits were written.
Mr.. Osborne did all in his power to draw from
the witness opinion that the admitted ana
disputed exhibits had been written with the
same kind of ink. but DR.. Frazer would make no
more positive statement than that he had found
a Substantial resemblance" which he qualined
by adding that the resemblance was so striking
that it could not have been more intense had
the ink used all come from one bottle. This was
as far as he would go, and witness for the
prosecution DR.. Frazer was too conservative TO
be convincing. While he asserted that In ms
examination of the inks employed in writing the
admitted and disputed letters. and the ADDRESS
of the poison package, he had been unable TO
discover any dissimilarty, yet actual ldentlty'
he admitted, it was impossible to show
The first witness called was George H. Cor
DON the stenographer who took the shorthand
minutes of the proceedings before the Coroner
He was recalled to enable Mr.. Weeks to finish
his cross examination. Counsel endeaVored 10
have the witness state that he Ont. Weeksl had
been threatened with arrest when he sought to
appear on behalf of MolineuX. Mr.. Osborne OBJ
jected that the witness was not competent 10
testify upon this point and was upheIa oy tne
fore the jury the fact that when Molineux testi-
fed at the inquest he denied that he had ever
isaac p. Emerson, president of the Baltimore
firm which manufactures bromo-seltzer roll
lowed, and upon being shown the small blue Dot
tie sent to Harry Cornish, said 1t was not OF the
kind used by his firm in putting up promo
settler. The witness stated that mercury was
never used in his factory.
Answering Mr. Weeks. the witness said there
had been limitations of his company's product
put upon the market. and the imitators had
used similar labels to his own
Robert B. Mooney, q postoffice employee, esti-
mated that the weight of the poison package
sent to Cornish would be six ounces. He was
succeeded on the stand by Professor Frazer.
When the latter had closed his testimony Mr.
Osborne rose and said that Detective McCafferty
was sick and that Professor Hagan, hand
writing expert, had been called away in conse-
quenee of the illness of his daughter. With the
exception of recalling those two witnesses, Mr..
Osborne said the State desired to rest The Re-
corder, however, would not agree to Mr.. Os-
borne's exceptions, whereupon the Assistant
District Attorney announced that the State
would rest without calling those two witnesses
recess was then taken, and upon the
sumption Mr. Weeks said that. owing to the
Illness of George Gordon Battle, his colleague, he
would be at a disadvantage IL compelled to open
for the defence. He pleaded for an adjourn
ment In order that he might consult with Mr..
Battle before moving any motions. The Re
corder thought the request was reasonable and
an adjournment was taken until 1870 a. m. to-
day