The Savannah morning news., 1902-10-16
TRIAL OF M0LINEUX
SECOND ARRANGEMENT OF ALLEG-
ED MURDERER YESTERDAY.
PROCEEDINGS WERE RAPID.
SIX TALEsMEN HAVING BEEN AC-
CEPTED AND SWORN.

Venerable Father of the Prisoner
Remains Beside His SON During
the Observation-Disclosures Array
of Counsel VIII Handle Cnse for
the Defense-UsunI Protest Filed
and Exceptions Entered-Graphic
story of the Poison sent by Mail
to barnet and Mrs. Adams.
New York, Oct 15.@Fhe second trial
of Roland b. Molineux for the murder
of Mrs, Katherine j. Adams was begun
to-day in the criminal branch of the
Supreme Court before Justice John s.
Lambert. The proceedings were mark
| ed by the unusual rapidity with which
I jurors were obtained. six talesmen hav-
ing been accepted and sworn before
the court adjourned. Immediately af-
! ter the prisoner had been brought into
the court, Gen. Molineux entered and
seated himself by the side of his son.
The prisoner was represented by ex-
Gov Black, ex-District Attorney w. NJ.
! X. Olcott, Barlow S. Weeks and
George Gordon Battle.
After Mr.. Weeks had filed a protest
against the special panel of jurors on
| the ground of the unconstitutionality
of the law providing for 1t, and had
entered an exception to Justice Lam
bert's adverse ruling, the examination
! of talesmen proceeded rapidly. Six
! jurors had been accepted when court
adjourned.
! History of Famous Case.
The crime of which Molineux is ac-
a1 ts - s.-Ixo. HI
end deepest-laid of The century. AS an
active member of the Knickerbocker
| Athletic Club Molneux was intimate
with Henry G. Barnet, a wealthy club
member and bachelor who made his
home at the club. The two men were
| both infatuated with Blanche Cheese
| brough, a handsome young woman,
who gained favorable notice in musical
| circles, first as a choir singer and later
as singer in concerts. Molineux, ac-
cording TO testimony, first proposed
| marriage to Miss Cheesebrough in the
| spring of 1899. She refused him and
| showed preference for Henry G. Bar
| net, then Molineux's best friend A lit
tie later, Molineux after quarrel with
Harry Cornish, the physical instructor
of the Knickerbocker Athletic Club, re-
signed from the club and became an
active member of the New York Ath-
lettc Club. After leaving the Knicker-
booker Athletic Club. Molineux gave
his rooms 10 Barnet, still his warmest
friend, apparently, but his successful
rival.
In November 1899, Barnet was taken
Ill after swallowing some medicine
which came TO him through the mail,
and which was supposed to be sample
of Kutnow powder His illness resem-
bled diphtheria, but later it was dlscov-
cred that he had been poisoned with
cyanide of mercury, which was mixed
in the powder sent through the mails
Molineux did not call to see Barnet
during his Illness, nor did he attend
the funeral of his best friend but Miss
| Cheesebrough attended the funeral
and for a few days afterward dressed
in black. Two weeks after Barnet died
Molineux married Miss Cheesebrough.
The fact that Barnet was poisoned
| did not leak out until after the death
OF Mrs. Adams. 1t was known that
cyanide of mercury was in the Kutnow
powder sent to him, but it was sup
posed that he died from diphtheria, as
the physicians certificate stated. 1t
was the purpose of the club members
to prevent scandal in the club, If pos
sible, and the matter was hushed up.
Then came the poisoning of Mrs Adj
ans in an attempt to poison Harry
Cornish, ii was said, the man whom
Molineux hated. A bottle of bromo
settler was sent to Cornish through the
mail. 1t was in a little silver holder
and came two days before Christmas
1 1t was supposed to be a Christmas
gift. Cornish took the supposed bromo
settler to his home, where he lived
with Mrs. Adams and her daughter,
Mrs. Florence Rogers. A few days
after Chr stmas Mrs Adams was feel
ing Ill al q asked Cornish, so Cornish
testified, 10 give her some bromo self
in hA cflx
was brought and a dose taken out,
one for Mrs. Adams. Mrs. Adams fell
to the floor and expired soon after
swallowing the drug Cornish said he
took some Of the stuff left in the glass
and was made i'll, though one physi-
clan denied he was sick.
Then the story was told of the pois-
oning of Barnet. His body was dis
inferred and an examination of the
powder taken before his death proved
that the same poison which caused the
death of Mrs. Adams was instrumental
in causing the death of Barnet. For
weeks the police were at a loss for a
clew to the sender of the poison, and
the motive of the double murder. Cor
nish said from the first that he sus-
pected Molineux, but the police had
absolutely no information on which to
base this suspicion. Then came the
examination of the handwriting of the
sample of Molineux's handwriting was
obtained and experts declared that he
had addressed the poison packages. 1t
was on this evidence almost entirely
that Molineux was convicted and sem
fenced to death. Following the convie-
ton the family and friends of the con-
demned man through the efforts of
eminent counsel succeeded in staying
the execution for more than two years,
while Molineux remained in the con-
demned chamber of Sing Sing prison.
| Finally a second trial was obtained
since which time Molineux has been
confined in the Thumbs.
There were few better known men
in the athletic circles of New York
than Molineux. For years he was re-
garded as one of the best all-around
amateur athletes in the state. His
father and mother are among the most
prominent persons socially in Brooklyn.
and young Molineux figured more or
less prominently in society prior to his
| trouble.
|