Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-02-17
H0UNDED TO DEATH
BY YELLOW JOURNALS
Molineux's Dramatic statement Made In
Court Before Death sentcnre
Was Passed.

Was Passed.
NEW YORK, Feb. l7.--Roland b.
Molineux was sentenced to die in Sing
Sing prison during the week of March
20, for the murder of Mrs. Katherine j..
Adams. He made statement assert.
ing that he had not been fairly convicted
and that yellow journalism" he'd put
price upon his head.
After denouncing the newspapers and
making quite an extended argument in
his own behalf, the defendant paused,
either to regain his composure or to con.
troll his temper, and went Oh speaking
with remarkable clearriess and angry ve-
hemencc.
~ denounce and despise," he said,
''the act Of the district attorney in at
tempting to villify the reputation Of the
pure and lovely woman who bears my
name. 1t was the act Of black guard
and villainous lie.
Now, your honor Ito the rccorder),
I nm prepared for sentence. am not
afraid"
Recorder Gof', in pronouncing sen
tence, reminded the defendant that his
counsel had already presented all the
facts to the jury and that tho court had
but one duty to perform.
General Molineux was asked about
the fund 1t had been proposed to rais5
for him To defray the expenses he had
been under by the trial, and he said
when inquiry was made regarding his
acceptance: absolutely and under no
circumstances would nccept such a
thing"
After obtaining permission of Re
corder Gof to speak, Molineux's state
ment wns as follows:
II thank your honor. or the crime for which
! stand convicted, and for still another crime
with which am charged, am absolutely aud
entirely innocent. All Of the evidence"
The court-You are not charged with eny
other crime,
The dcfcndant-I supposc might refer TO II
since the district attorney did in his opening
and closing argument.
The court-Your counsel has attended to NIL
OF that matter.
Of Tho evidence produced hero does not point
In the direction OF guilt on my pnrt refer
especially to the evidence Of Miss Miller In ro.
gard TO tho purchase of the silver bottle
holder; she did not sell il to me. Also To the
lvidenco Of Mr.. Koch, respecting tho letter
box hired by a somebody In the name of
Harry Cornish--it was not hired by me. Also
to the evidence given by Mr.. Kutnow respect
Ing sample boxes sent around tho country by
his flrm-none Of which came to me.
Npr did possess at any time any of the in
struments which appear to have been used in
this crime, and never for one moment had n
murderous motive. As for the theories which
the prosecution Offers, l do not think should
be convicted upon their suggestions or the
gudsses they may wish TO indulge in / cannot
conceive, your honor how any honest man can
believe the testimony Of Nicholas Hec!sInann,
who convicted mo upon AN Identification which
was for sale. Yellow journalism put price
upon my head
ut WINS an invitation TO every blnckmailer,
every periurer, every rogue, every man with.
opt principle but with price, and to that in
utation Mr. Hickman responded. Tho hand.
writing experts who havo testified against me,
-FOUR honor, may give thcir opinion, they may
give their reasons. what they believe, what
they think, but know that these hands never
put pen to paper to address thrt poison pack
age, or TO write the disputed letters.
"Your honor will not permit ~ to make men
hon Of the great injustice which is mntter Of
history, but experts In handwriting have madc
mistakes before and they have repeated II
here
Your honor, all this il nothing to what IL in
my heart at this moment Above and beyond
everything else ! donouncc and despiso tho
iction Of the district attorney In attempting
10 vlllify and attack the character OF the pure
and lovelv '-o'r ~ Nc,-s NV -, ,,,e VI