The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-11-11
SUPERB STRUGGLE
BETWEEN COUNSEL
A Battle Royal for the Life Of
MoIineux.
BLACK HAS THE OPENING
He Establishes Strong Motives for the Murder
Of Mrs. Adams by Cornsh---osborne
Makes Brilliant and Logical
Speech.
(By the Associated Press.)

(By the Associated Press.)
New York, Nov 1O.-The fate of Roland
B. Molineux will be determined tomor-
row. When court adjourned this evening,
Justice Lambert announced that he would
allow Assistant District Attorney Osborne
but two hours and half more in which
to finish summing up, which means that
the court will deliver its charge and the
case will go to the jury during the after
noon.
The court room was crowded to suffo-
cation when, at the opening of todays
session, Ex-Governor Black rose to sum
up for the defense. After a general de-
fense of Molineux, whom, he declared,
the prosecution had utterly failed to con-
meet in any way with the death of Mrs.
Adams. Mr.. Black passed to a scathing
denunciation of Harry Cornish to whose
guilt, and not that of MolineuX, he de-
clared every circumstance in the case
directly pointed. More than half of Mr..
Blacks address, which occupied nearly
four hours, was devoted to Cornish. Mr..
Osborne based his argument for the
prosecution today largely on the testi-
mony of the handwriting experts which,
he said, conclusively showed Molineux to
be the writer of the poison package ad-
dress and of the other disputed exhibits
New York, Nov. 10.-In opening his
address, former Governor Frank S. Black
said that Molineux was director of the
Knickerbocker Athletic Club where
Cornish was employed. Molineux did not
like Cornish and he did not like Harp
ster. He had many friends In the club
and, perhaps, many enemies. Cornish
wrote what Molineux considered an i'm
proper letter, and Molineux complained
s of it.
WAS that any reason for Molineux's
sending to Cornish a quantity of poison
sufficient to kill any man in that club?"
asked Mr.. Black. Cornish insulted
Molineux and Molineux behaved like a
gentleman, regarding the difference of
their station, and passed on. Is that
proof of murder? Nothing else under
the sky has been produced here to indi-
cate any motive Molineux could have for
wanting to kill Cornish.
"The trouble between Cornish and
Molneux occurred more than a year be-
fore the poison package appeared. No
evidence has been presented here to show
that in all that time Mr.. Molineux said
one unl1ind word, or uttered one I'M
charitable thought toward Cornish. All
the evidence in this case points away
from MolineuX and to another man. /
shall Indicate who that man is before l
sit down. The case points to that man
just as surely as the needle points to
the North Star.
Mr.. Black laid great stress on
Molineux's willingness to write for the
prosecution when he was under suspicion
before his arrest, and argued that it was
remarkable that the experts had found
few points of resemblance in his writing
to the disputed writing. AS to the
Barnet letters, he said:
Il don't know and l don't care when
or whore they were mailed, and Molineux
does not know and he doesn't care
Counsel emphasized the testimony OF
the handwriting experts to show how they
differed and how all admitted under
cross examination there were hundreds
of characters in the disputed and con-
ceded writings that in no way resemble
each other. Mr.. Black said that if a
man wanted to send a package to him
self he would not need to write the ad-
dress at all. my office is full of en-
velopes and wrappers addressed to me-"
said he. Could l not take one of those
IL wanted to send myself a package?
Mollneux never wrote that address. L
dont know who did, and in my opinion
the man who wrote it has not appeared
in this case"
coming TO the connection of Cornish
with the case, Mr.. Black declared that
ne was not arguing for the punishment
OF any one, but that he felt it his duty
TO snow the whole case to the Jury as he.
himself, saw it.
There was a crime and there was a
motive, he said, "and the motive noints
to Harry S. Cornish"
Mr.. Black recited from the records tho
story OF Cornish's divorce, his meeting
with Mrs. Rogers, and the senaration
from her husband and her later divorce
Mrs. Adams, Mrs. Rogers mother
was a good woman" Mr.. Black said
do you think she looked with comnlais-
ance on the conditions that prevailed?
There IS motive, the great consuming
motive force for all things. The motive
Cornish had against the life of Mrs
Adams, compared to the motive Molineux
had against the life of Cornish. was as
the volcano of Martinique to the tapping
of waves against the Statue of Liberty in
our own harbor."
Mr.. Black called attention to the evil
dence given, that the purchaser of the
bottle-holder, in which the poison was
sent, said he wanted the holder to match
the silver on lady's toilet table, and
from that he argued that the purchaser
knew the pattern of Mrs. Rogers silver.
Cornish, who was in court. appeared
to be little concerned by Mr.. Blacks
line of argument Once or twice when