New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-01-18
HICKMAN QUITE POSITIVE
MoLINEUX, HE SAYS. HIRED A LETTER
BOX N THE NAME OF BARNET
THE IDENTIFICATION WEAKENED By THE
CROSS ExAsiTNATToN-EFFoR TO FIT
KocHs DEsCRIPTIoNsT CORNISH.

people 70 receive their mail at his place OF bust
ness. positively declared yesterday afternoon that
IN May, 1895. Roland B. MoneHx rented letter
box from him under the name Of H. c. Barnet. At
the close OF his evidence Recorder Cor soiemnly
the OF the awful consequences Of
perjury IN homicide case. and informed him that
II he had the least doubt 10 the identity Of the
defendant Il was incumbent upon him 20 say
before he left the stand But Hickman persisted
that be did wish qualify his identification in
any way. and adhered his avowal that Mollneux
was the who hired the letter box IN the name
% H c. Barnet sud who had also received many
letters and samples OF medicine the same name.
Heckmans testimony undoubtedly dam
aging the defendant. for the that Il went
10 corrobOrate the opinions OF the handwriting ex
Derts that MoIineux corTespoHded with advertising
medicinal firms the signature Of H c. Barnet.
And II the prosecution establish that Molineux
wrote the Barnet letters It is reasonable 10 sup
pose that it viii not be difficult convince the
jury that he also ndited the Cornish letters. and
through those letters 10 trace his connection with
the address on the poison package.
wEEKs's SEARCHING Ross-ExAMINATIoN.
Realizing the imperative necessity Of in some
way neutralizing the effect OF Heckman's test-
mony, 8ir. Weeks subjected him 10 a searching
cToss-examination and succeeded TO some extent in
showing that the witness was somewhat uncertain
NoIineHx's identity the outset OF the in
vestigatiOn. Moreover, Nj Weeks ELECTED from
him that before he communicated with the police
ne entered into the employ OF newspaper, anu
sought sell his Identification OF MelineuX for
large sums OF money. The witness admitted also
that. despite his assertion that he had known Mol-
by sight for Eve years, he failed to identify
the defendant il January last at the Sinclair
House. when he taken there by Detective Nc
canerty for precisely that purpose. It came
that the defendant and Messrs Weeks and Battle
were standing IN the lobby Of the hotel and that
the witness passed by them within q distance OF
few feet and sat down the group without IN
--FzErc he with
knowledged that although in company with
newspaper reporter, he saw the defendant IN the
Newark factory. IL not until three weeks later
that ne told the detectives that he had identified
3Iolineux as the hirer Of the letter box.
AIr Weeks sought show also that the witness
had been induced 70 testify for the prosecution
under promise that an indictment now pending
against him for bribery would not be proceeded
with. Hickman. however, denied that any such
promise had been made 70 him
BRINGING IN CORNISH
Before Hickman took the stand Joseph ]. Koch.
the letter box man Of No. lsso Broadway, was re-
called for contamination Describing again the
man who actually rented the box the week after
MolneuK called al his store, the witness said the
individual who hired the box under the name Of
III. Cornish was about feet inches in height,
Of athletic build. had a determined face. with
dark brown raustache curIed at the ends. and
a dark brown overcoat and a light alpine hat.
When Cornish was the stand Mr.. Weeks asked
him II he had not worn a white alpine hat and
brown overcoat in the fail Of 1895 and il was not
surprising yesterday when counsel endesvored 10
show by means Of the witness that Cornish re-
sembed the man who hired the letter box The
witness acknowledged that he had once said that
the man in size and general appearance Fesembied
Cornish. with the exception tina the latters mus
tache was not curled and parted in the middle.
The witness repeated that he had obtained $50
from two pers for supplying them with in
formation and when asked why he de-
to No l.s5O Broadway before relating it the
police the witness appeared somewhat nonplussed,
and after some hesitaney said he had 10
offer.
Koch denied that he had had anything to do with
the sending Of anonymous typewriter letter to
General Moneux suggesting that for certain con-
sideraon facts could be suppressed concerning the
case
The witness confessed that not until he had made
money ont Of the newspapers did he give any in
formation 10 the police
SAYS MoLINEUX HIRED THE LETTER BOX
Hickman was then called. and. answering Mr.
Osborne. said that he had kept letter box place
No 257 West Forty-second-st. for about Ave
years. He said ne knew the defendant. and had
him the street as many one hundred and
fifty times during the last few years Then the
witness went on TO describe what took place when
he alleged the defendant TO hire a letter box
from him.
"on May q" Hickman said, sat about five or
minutes afteT o'clock, the defendant into
my Office and asked lease letter box to him.
I gave him Box No. ~, and asked his name. He
told me it was H. c Barnet I wrote the name
down In my book and then spelled it 10 him. I had
written 81 with two is One It," please he said
and corrected IL Then handed him a card call
ing for the mail OF H c. Barnet He paid me for
the box in advance and then he left the office"
The witness went on 10 state that Moneux called
81 his place about twenty times and had received
mail addressed 70 II c. Barnet" The general
nature Of the mail was patent medicines, and one
Of the packages the witness described as being
similar TO the sample box OF headache powders
found in Barnet's room after his death. Hickman
produced some letters which had not been called
for. and these were placed in evidence. He added
that there was also package of medicine remain
Ing and this he opened after the letter carrier TO
whom he returned IT told him 10 throw It away
Hickman that he first positively identified
MoIineux when he went 10 Newark with a news
paper reporter January 81 last
DIssECTING HECKMANs IDENTIFICATION
In beginning his cross examination Mr. Weeks
delved deeply into the witness antecedents. At
some length counsel questioned him upon his birth
and youth. the different places at which he had
lived in this city, and the various occupations at
which he had been employed Hickman refuted
the suggestion that he had been discharged from
the Forty-second-st railway for knocking down
fares but admitted that while a clerk in the
money order department OF the Postofhce In 1884
ne had been Indefinitely suspended. He denied
further that he had represented a woman
whom Mr.. Weeks named being his wife Pro-
ceeding 70 reply further 10 Mr. Weeks the witness
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