The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-11-12
MOLINEUX NOW FREE
AFTER sPENn1NG NEARLY FOUR
YEARS IN PRISON.
ONCE CONDEMNED TO DEATH
AND TWICE Placed ON TRIAL FOR
HIS LIFE.

Room When the Verdict Was An
nOunced RESTORING His Liberty.
More Than II Thousand Women
and Men Crowded the Corridors
of the Criminal Court Building
and Fought for Admission Before
Court Opened.
New York, Nov 11.-Roland B MoE-
neux was set at liberty to-day, after
spending nearly -four years in prison
and being once condemned to death and
twice placed on trial for his life for
the murder of Mrs. Katherine j.
Adams. But thirteen minutes sufficed
for the jury to reach a verdict of ac-
quittal at the close of a trial that has
lasted four weeks, the first trial, which
resulted in Molineux's conviction and
sentence having been prolonged for
about three months.
The verdict, which was confidently
anticipated, was greeted with an in
stantly suppressed outbreak of ap-
plause Justice La mbert having deliv-
/ cred stern admoniton that no de-
I monstration would be permitted.
! Molneux. who was brought into
court as soon as it was known that
| the jury had agreed was apparently
as uneoncerned as he has been
! throughout the trial. and gave no evil
dence OF emotion when the words that
established his innocence were pro-
nounced. His aged father, Gen. Molin-
eux, was deeply affected. and could
with difficulty respond to the greetings
of the friends who pressed forward to
offer their congra mutations
Immediately after the rendering of
the verdict the prisoner was, formally
! discharged from custody and left the
courtroom with his father and coun-
sci. on passing out of the building.
the three were cheered by a great
crowd that gathered in anticipation OF
the acquittal, After removing his ef-
| fects from the Tombs. Molineux went
to his fathers home in BROOKLYN.
| where he was again cheered by large
| crowd.
More than 1000 men and women
and there were more women than men
crowded the corridors of 81 Crimi-
nal Court building before 3 o'clock this
morning and fought for admission to
the courtroom.
After the usual preliminaries, Assist
ant District Attorney Osborne resumed
his summing up. He was talking of
the Barnet letters when he was Inter-
rupted by an objection, which the
court sustained
This defendant and Barnet" Mr..
Osborne continued, were friends liv-
ing near to each other on the same
floor of the Knickerbocker Athletic
Club. They were paying attention to
the same lady. She rejected Molineux.
Barnet died and eight days later Mo-
lineux bought for the woman an an
gagement ring The wedding was very
sudden
Mr.. Osborne in his peroration point
ed out again the circumstances upon
which he relied for conviction, turn
ing at each mention Of Molineux's name
to point his finger at the defendant.
Molineux sat unmoved at the ar
raignment, but attentive to every word
of It. Not so with his father. The old
gentleman was Vfsiby affected by the
words of the prosecuting officer and
Cecil Molineux, the prisoners brother.
was very nervous.
Judge Lambert. in his charge sum-
med up the admitted facts in the case,
the sending Of the package from the
general postoflice. it's receipt at the
Knickerbocker Athletic Club and it's
administration to Mrs. Adams by Cor
nish. who received it at the club.
ut is necessary he said that the
state prove that the defendant sent
this package and that it was received
| by Cornish and innocently administer
ed to Mrs. Adams before you can find
this defendant guilty 1t is for you to
say If the necessary evidence has been
submitted.
zone of the most important efforts
of the prosecution has been to connect
this defendant with the address on
that poison package. The state. has
attempted to do that by Witnesses
from banks and by Witnesses present
ed to you as handwriting experts. 1t
is contended by the prosecution that
the defendant wrote that address. Un-
less that is proved the defendant
cannot be convicted Of any crime. So
you see that Is the central portion of
the evidence. That is a fact that the
state is compelled to prove"
Justice Lambert recited the evidence
of the handwriting experts on both
sides and said:
II shall not discuss any of that tes-
timony The law places the burden
of that discussion upon you. The
opinions of the experts are not con-
trolling upon you. If the peoples case
stood on the question of handwriting.
1t should be dismissed. But. If the
| contention of the prosecution is sus-
tanned in other respects, you may con-
slider the handwriting.
Did the defendant obtain the Tiff
fairy box from Tiffany & Co? There
is no evidence here that he did, but
evidence has been submitted that he
had an account there. The most that
can be said for that point is that he
had the opportunity.
did the defendant have the bottle
of bromo? He says he did not. There
is no evidence here to contradict It.
but it was in the box he had the op-
portunfty TO obtain"
Coming to the consideration Of the
bottleholder in which the poison was
sent. Justice Lam bert said that Miss
Miller and Huff agreed that Molineux
was not the purchaser.
But he said. lit is my duty TO
tell you that no evidence has been pre-
sented here to connect this defendant
with the holder.
Now, the question is. did the de-
PENDANT procure the poison? The de-
PENDANT told you he never made the
poison. Upon the theory that he did
not send the poison package, that is
reasonable enough. but If you find
from other facts that he did send the
package, then you may take into con-
slderation the fact OF the facility with
which he could have obtained the
! poison"
! Justice Lambert declared that the
tcontinued on Fifth Page.)