Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-03-01
MOLINEAUX'S CRIME.
a. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES


The conviction in New York OF
swagger young Richard B. Molineaux
aWakens new interest in his crime
Mrs. katherine j. Adams died in her
Hat on W. SiXty-siXth street Dec. %,
1898, half an hour after drinking a
dose OF bromo settler. Harry Cornish,
athletic director of the knickerbocker
Athletic club, who boarded with her,
administered the medicine, which he
had received through the mails three
weeks before. When Mrs. Adams COM
planned of the bitter taste of the drug.
Cornish took swallow or two of it
also. He became violently i'll and re-
manned under the doctors care for sew
eral days
On investigation it developed that
Cornish had received the bromo seltzer
in package containing also a silver
bottle holder, and, after exhibiting
both at the club as what was regarded
as an ANONYMOUS Christmas present
from joking friend, took them home.
He saved the outer covering, with the
idea, he has testified, of possibly later
learning the identity of the strange
Handwriting on the package.
With this handwriting and the bot
tie holder the police went to work, on
the theory that the poison had been
meant for Cornish. They learned that
Cornish had had enemies in his own
club, and directed their energies
thither.
Roland B. Molineux had resigned
from the club a year Or so before, be-
cause of a quarrel with Cornish, for
which the club refused to discipline the
latter. 1t has been said that Cornish
had called MolineuX vile name.
From the testimony of Cornish, Mol
ineux and others, at the coroner's in
quest into Mrs. Adams death, Feb. 10,
1899, and from the clues and opinions
of detectives under handwriting ex-
perts, the prosecution secured enough
circumstantial evidence against Mol
ineuX to secure his arrest Feb. q and
his Indictment in March This in
dictment was subsequently quashed by
the court, but he was reindicted the
following day
Suspicion had meanwhile been
aroused over the death of Henry c.
Barnet at the Knickerbocker Athletic
club. Barnet had been an intimate
friend of Molineuxs. He died in Novem-
Der 1898. after short illness. His
doctor ascribed his death to diphtheria
but an autopsy showed traces of cyan
ide of mercury in his body. An autop-
sy on Mrs. Adams and analysis OF
the bromo settler which she and Cor
nish drank showed the same rare
poisoning. 1t is said that only three
cases of poisoning by it are on record
Barnet had been an intimate friend of
Blanche Cheseborough, whom Moli-
neux married shortly after Barnet died
The district attorneys office was
convinced that MOlineux committed
both crimes.
The trial began Dec. l. Interest in il
had become national, and the court
room was damned with all kinds and
conditions of men and women
Molineux's father, a general in
the civil war and man OF
social distinction in Brooklyn. who
had vowed that he would spend $780,
900, his entire fortune, if necessary, tc
save his sons life, sat beside the pris-
oner. Barlow S. Weeks. ex-president
of the New York Athletic club. per-
sonal friend of the Molineuxs and an
enemy Of Cornish, was principal coun-
sci for the defense. He had for advis-
ers David NJ. Carvalho, a handwriting
expert, and Allan McLane Hamilton, &
medical expert. Assistant District At.
torney Osborne, with two assistants
conducted the prosecution.
The case against the prisoner was
purely circumstantial. It was shown
that Molineux was superintendent OF 6
color-making factory in Newark. n. J.
and that he could readily have com.
pounded cyanide of mercury from the
dry colors at his command.
1t appears that it is the Gus.
tom of manufacturers of Ger.
tain kinds of Patent medi.
clines to preserve and exchange with
one another the letters of customers
and hundreds of thousands of thes,
letters were examined by manufactur.