Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-03-01

CAo III fd4 4ouS P''- - VI the country &C
find any signed by H. c. Barnet" OF
III Cornish" Some were found. and
were exhibited TO the jury, and il was
on the claim that Molineux was tbe
writer of them that the prosecution
chiefly depended TO prove its case,
None Of the handwriting experts
called by the people was able to iden-
tify The admitted handwriting of the
defendant with that on the poison
package, but they swore positively
that he was the writer of the Barnet
and Cornish" letters, and that the
writer Of those letters was the person
who wrote the address on the poison
package.
Great stress was laid on one dis
puted letter signed II. c. Barnet. =
which was written on a quality of
blue paper rarely handled and sold,
The paper had device in the shane of
three in1erlaced crescents at the ton
An unwilling witness. Mary Melando.
an old friend of Molineux's. proved
that be had used this kind of paper.
Another document which the prose
cution regarded as Of much import-
ance was diagnosis blank sent out
by one Of the medical concerns and
filled in and signed by the bogus Bar
net In it the writer gave his chest
and waist measurements. age and
height, and other physical Characters
tics, all Of which are identical with
MolineuX's.
In order to prove motive. evidence
was given to show that Molineux had
lived with Blanche Cheseborough. a
very pretty, talented and stylish girl,
as man and wife, in a boarding-house
in New York for some months in 1898.
that later Miss Cheseborough lived
alone in another boarding-ho and
that Barnet called to see her there. It
was also shown that she had called to
see him at the Knickerbocker club. but
no evidence that their relations were
more than of a friendly character
was given.
Ihe theory of the prosecution-al-
though no evidence was given as to
this-was that Molineux was Jealous
of Barnet, and therefore poisoned
him; that Cornish suspected him. and
that MolineuX therefore wished to get
him out Of the way
The testimony Of these experts was
the only direct evidence offered against
Molineux, but it formed by far the
largest part of the prosecutions testi-
mony, and in the aggregate it is the
most formidable mass of hairsplitting
deduction that has ever been offered
in murder trial.
For the purposes of a mere summary
Of the trial, the rest of the testimony,
with three exceptions, is immateria1.
Emma Miller, the Newark salesgirl
who sold the discriminating silver bot
tie holder, testified positively that
MolineuX was not the purchaser of it.
DR.. Robert BoOcOck served to compli-
cate the already conflicting evidence as
to whether Barnet died of diphtheria
or cyanide of mercury by testifyfng
that cyanide of mercury produces
diphtheritic symptoms in a patient,
and also that the same poison cures
diphtheria.
In the testimony at the coroners in
quest, MolineuX asserted that he and
Barnet were warm personal friends up
to the day of Barnet's death. He as
serted that Blanche Cheseborougn,
now his wife, and Barnet were friend
ly, that he called on her with Barnet,
and that Barnet called on her with
him. When Barnet was sick he had
her send Barnet flowers and a note,
which is the foundation of the asser-
ton of the prosecution that MolineuI
was jealous Of Barnet's attentions to
Blanche ChesbOrough. He admitted
that he had had a quarrel with Cor
nish.
Molineux's case was submitted with
out evidence, and after the battle of
the opposing lawyers the jury decided
that MolineuX was guilty. The verdict
seemingly clears up one of the greatest
murder cases of recent years. But
very few believe that the facts in the
case have been brought out, and it is
asserted that a scandal Of the blacklist
kind lies hidden beneath the surface.
But neither the evidence before the
coroner's jury nor the trial disclosed
this. At one time the case threatened
to assume a political aspect, involving
high officials, but investigation along
| this line was most cleverly warded off
Molineux was convicted chiefly by the
| evidence of writing experts.