Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-03
GOSSIP FROM GOTHAM
Changes in District Attorneys Office
REEVES Molineux Case.
IT HAS BECOME 4 POLITICAL ISSUE
New Political Party Organized to
Fight Tammany.
WILLIAM WHITNEY'S BALL
WILLIAM c.. WHITNEY'S BALL
Special CORRESPONDENCE Of The Evening Star.

| y
promise of becoming famous in the his
| tory of the politics of this city the case
| of Dreyfus in the history of the politics of
| France. The Moineux case has dragged
into its capactCCs NAV some OF the 1alrest
names and the most prominent people of
| New York. Heretofore the Molineux case
| has been kept out of politics, but If. as
now seems certain. the court of appeals
| grants Roland B. Molneux new trial, and
| if the alleged poisoner of Mrs. Adams is re-
| leased from Sing Sing, 1t will be impossible
| to longer prevent this case from becoming
political issue. In fact so many men have
| already taken sides for or against the son
OF General Molineux that whether he goes
| to the electric chair or is finally pronounced
| mot guilty" by new jury, an immense
amount of feeling will be stirred up against
| the young chemist of excellent family whose
| trial during the holidays year ago agi-
| tated all classes in this city.
If the court of appeals should fail to
grant a trial every effort will be made
| by wealthy relatives to induce Governor
Odell to interfere. And if the new execu-
| tive does not interfere when the day for
| the execution rolls around it will bring with
| it a bitterness of feeling unparalleled In the
| history Of criminal cases in this country. If
| the court of appeals does grant new trial.
| as seems probable, from the action recently
| taken in the murder case of Dentist Ken
| impossible TO secure the conviction of the
| child of rich and influential family
Changes in District Attorneys Office.
| Those who believe that Molneux, though
| guilty. will get off scot Free have been
| watching the events that have transpired In
| the district attorneys office during the past
| few days. Already the issue has been drawn
| ard charges are being freely made that 1t
was the influence of the Molineux family
| that brought about the removal of District
| Attorney Gardiner and the appointment
which was made in his place. The fact that
| Mr. Phlbin is a lawyer of the highest
| standing and that he comes from one of the
| best families in the city has but added fuel
| to the flames. The expected crash in the
| district attorneys office came Saturday
| when Assistant District Attorney John F.
| Mcintyre handed in his resignation. Dis
| trct Attorney Philbin announced to the re-
! porters Saturday that he had not asked for
| the resignation of any of the members of
! his staff Ten minutes later he sent for
i Mr. Mcintyre and notified him that his res
| ignation would be accepted. Mr.. Mcintyre
| was thunderstruck for the action did not
| tally with the district attorneys pub
| lished and private statements However
| Mr.. Mcintyre promptly handed in his resig-
nation. When the reporters crowded into
| the office of the district attorney looking for
| an explanation that official told them that
| he had nothing to add to his interview of
! a few minutes previous. when he had said
|
| The resignation of Assistant District At
| torney Mcintyre, despite the peculiar cir
| cumstances under which it was obtained.
| would not have attracted much attention
| had 1t not also been announced that AS
| sstant District Attorney Osborne was also
slated to go. 1t was James w. Osborne's
| handling Of the Mo!ineuX case that cleo
| triied the bar and won for that lawyer
| national renown. At the time of the now
| famous trial Mr.. Osborne was severely crit-
cssed for the fashion in which he handled
| the case and for the manner in which he
| dragged the name of Molineux's wife into
! the controversy. but his methods won with
! the jury and the conviction was secured.
| And 1t is now quite generally admitted that
| with the resignation of Mr.. Osborne Will
| be obitsrated the last hope of the convic-
ton of Molineux. should the court of last
resort in the state order new trial.
Osborne Familiar With the Case.
| No other man beside Osborne is familiar
with the mass of detail surrounding this
| extraordinary case, and lawyers familiar
| with the subject In a general way say 1t
would be impossible for any other man to
| pick up the threads of the case at this
time and secure another conviction when
| the character of the prisoner and the pecu-
liar social and political resources and in
fuences of the Molineux family are taken
| into consideration. Some even go SO far as
| to intimate that Mr.. Osborne would refuse
| to make another attempt to secure the con-
again be given free rein, as he was dur
| ing the days when Mr.. Gardiner presided
| over the destines of the district attorneys
| office. And no one familiar with the legal
| work and the methods of procedure in the
| criminal jurisprudence Of the New York bar
! believes for one instant that District At
| torney Philbin will ever entrust a as
| important the Molineux case entirely to
| the hands of a prominently con-
| nected with Col. Gardiner as was Assistant
| District Attorney Osborne.
| Some of the friends and sympathiZers of
Col. Gardiner even go so far as to intimate
that the charges made by Attorney Ham,
| mond in behalf of the state superintendent
/ OF elections well as the charges made
by Rev. DR.. Sleicher and the City Club a
few weeks ago, were really the result OF
powerful influences working to secure the
| release of young Moineux. There some
who go so far as to say that the City Club
| charges were not acted upon because it
was known that the men making the at
tacks upon Col Gardiner at that time were
personal friends of the elder Molneux. and
flat 1t was feared that the connecting links
could be established between the changes
in the staff of the district attorney and the
MoIineux case. For this reason 1t Is claim
ed the serious charges made by the City
Club were not acted upon, but action was
deferred until the more modern and less
severe accusations were hurled against Mr..
Gardiner by Mr.. Hammond. who had never
been connected with the Molineux case in
any way. and who was not even acquainted
with any of the members OF the MoineuX
family.
May Become Political Issue.
The interesting thing, so far as the gen.
eral public is concerned. is that II the court
of appeals does grant new trial for Mol-
neux and If the new trial does result in an
acquittal no power on earth can prevent
the matter from becoming an issue, and a
, sensational issue. in the next municipal
5 campaign. Rightly or wrongly the rela-
tons Of persons connected with the Knick-
erbocker Athletic Club and the fair names
Of some of the most illustrous men in the
city and state will be dragged into the
matter, and what has been heretofore a
: city scandal. or at the worst a national
scandal. will become a scandal interna-
tional in its proportions.
. There is another interesting parallel be-
tween the Dreyfus case and the MolineuX
case. which will give the average men ar
idea of the manner in which these two
things have grown like down-hill rolling
snowballs from small beginnings. 1t is
estimated that the MolineuX case has al
ready cost the city and the family and the
| friends of the accused half million dol
lars for court fees, for the testimony OF
experts. etc If new trial is ordered II