The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-01-04
THE POISON EASILY MADE.
4 Friend of Cornish Tells How the
Drug Was Prepared.

NEW YORK, Jan. 3.-Today was the if-
tieth day OF the trial of Roland b. Moli-
neuX Tor the murder OF Katherine B.
Adams. two-thirds of the day was taken up
in hearing testimony OF witnesses, who, in
the usual order followed in murder trials,
I would have been the first on the stand.
These were the police officers who we're at
the house OF Mrs. Adams Immediately after
her death and detectives assigned to the
case by the chief of the detective bureau.
Captain McClusky was also heard. For the
first time since the beginning of the trial.
witnesses we're permitted to leave the
stand without discrimination.
John II. Yocum, the friend OF Harry 6.
Cornish furnished interesting evidence.
Yocum is a chemist He testified that he
had known Cornish since 1896: that he had
lived with Mrs. Adams and Mrs. Rogers in
their fat once for three months. and then
he had gone to live at the Knickerbocker
Athletic Club. He described the visit OF
Cornish to him in his Office the day Of
the murder. He said Cornish looked pale
and peaked.
He looked so bad. said Yocum. that
1
get a drink. We did get it, but it did not
set we'll
After taking this drink YOcum said he
sent Cornish TO the Knickerbocker Athletic
Club with the key to his (Yocum's) room.
In reply to the questions OF Assistant
District Attorney Osborne Mr.. YOCum said
that any chemist could make cyanide OF
mercury; that he had made it himself, and
it was the easiest thing he ever tried to
make"
Mr.. Osborne was careful to get him to
say that his experiments with cyanide OF
mercury we're subsequent to the report of
the analytical chemist upon Mrs Adams
death.
How did you make it," asked Mr..
Osborne.
why. | simply took some prussian blue
and some yellow oxide of mercury. boiled
precipitate contained the cyanide OF mer-
curry" replied the witness.
"Prussian blue is a dry color?" asked
Mr.. Osborne
Yes"
And yellow oxide of mercury is dry
color?''
yes"
MoIiueux's business was superintendent Of
dry color factory.
Besides showing how easy it is for
man with the knowledge of chemistry ttat
MolineuX possessed to make cyanide of
mercury, Mr. Osborne brought out the
fact that any man who is known as Il
chemist can procure the ingredients to
make that poison. or can even get it
already made from chemists supply
places. without he formality OF register
ing. or without even having an account
at the place. The prosecution tried to
show that the bottle which was mailed to
Cornish containing the poison was OF the
kind commonly seen on the shelves of
chemists laboratories. Mr. Iocum started
to say that small blue bottles were the
kind in which poisons were usually kept
in laboratories when Mr.. Weeks objected
and succeeded in shutting OF further tes-
timony on that line.
lie was followed by Andrew Bustanoby.
OF the KnickerbOcker Club
Mr. Bustanoby had seen Molineux sign
checks in the Knickerbocker Athletic Club.
and identified each OF the disputed letters
in the case as being in the handwriting of
MolineuS. The poison package address was
handed to the witness. and he said:
THAT is in his handwriting too. dis
suised."