The Savannah morning news., 1902-10-25
THE MOLINEUX TRIAL
DEFENSE SCORED AN ADVANTAGE
YESTERDAY.
MISS MILLER'S TESTIMONY.
MOLINEUX POSITIVELY DID NOT
PURCHASE BoTTLEHoLDER.

The Milwaukee Handwriting EN-
pert, the Next witness, Is Called
Down by the Court When At
tempting to Demonstrate by
Means of blackboard and Easel as
to How He Reached Conclusions.
Court Adjourned Until Monday.
New York, Oct. 24.-The defense in
the Molineux trial again claimed an
advantage to-day when Miss Emma
Miller, the woman who sold the silver
bottle holder. which accompanied the
poisoned package sent to Harry Cor
nish, testified positively that Molineux
was not the purchaser.
Much of to-day's session was devoted
to the examination of a handwriting
expert who was positive that the adj
dress on the poison package. three
Cornish letters on interlaced crescent
paper, the Barnet letters, admitted for
purposes of comparison only. and let
tiers admitted to have been written by
the defendant, were all written by the
same hand.
Miss Miller said she sold the bottle
holder submitted to her, but doubted
if she could recognize the person to
whom she sold 1t. She admitted that
she had demanded $3.50 before she
would give her testimony.
Miss Miller said, replying to ex-
Gov. Black, that she remembered sell
ing the bottleholder in question on
Dec. q, 1898. She sold it to a man
with grey eyes and a sandy beard. She
was quite sure Molineux was not the
man.
Edward Ehrhardt, a boy in the en-
ploy of Hartdegen & Co, testified that
he wrapped up the bottleholder, sold
by Miss Miller, and handed 1t to the
purchaser. He Is a new witness in
the case. The boy refused to attend
previous trials and said he was paid
his expenses for appearing to-day. He
said it was between 1870 and 2S0 on
Dec. u, 1893, that the holder was sold.
He could not now recognize the pur-
chaser.
John f. Tyrrell of Milwaukee, the
handwriting expert. was the next wit
ness. At counsel's request, Mr.. Tyr
rell looked at the H. Cornish" letters
on the three-crescent paper. Mr.. Os-
borne got him to say that he had made
careful study of them.
Each of the jurors was furnished
with a book containing Photographic
reproductions of all the written exhib-
it's in the case.
After recess the jurors continued
their examination of the exhibits.
There are sixty-eight of them In ALL
of which fifty-three are the conceded
writings of Molineux. and the others
are the poison package wrapper adj
dress, the Cornish letters on inter-
laced crescent paper, one of them the
Harpster letter, six Barnet" letters
admitted as standards of comparison
only, and five envelopes.
To Mr. Osborne's question, Mr.. Tyr
rell said he had examined the three
Cornish letters, and the address of the
poison package wrapper.
What do you find?" asked Assistant
District Attorney Osborne.
II find that all those writings were
made by the same hand" the expert
replied.
Have you compared the address on
the wrapper, exhibit A, with the Bar
net letter."
II have. 1 find that one hand wrote
ALL"
Now, tell us, in your own way how
You reached that conclusion"
The invitation was the signal for the
erection of a large easel and black
board near the witness chair and in
plain view of the jury. Mr.. Tyrrell took
a large sheet of paper and was pinning
1t to the board when ex-Gov. Black
protested.
what do you expect to dor Justice
Lambert asked the witness
II intend to illustrate the writings to
show how | made my comparison and
deducted my conclusions"
Excluded" ruled the court.
Mr.. Tyrrell pointed out the similarity
of certain characteristics in the writ
ing of the poison package and the
Harpster letter He found like pecu-
liarities in the writing of the other
Cornish letters and Of the Barnet let
ters that convinced him that all were
the work of the same hand.
Mr.. Tyrrell declared again that the
address on the poison package and the
Barnet and Cornish letters We're writ
ten by the same hand and then cOun-
sci got the witness to say he had com
pared the disputed writings with the
writings admitted to have been made
by the defendant.
And what conclusion did you
reach?" asked the assistant district at
torney.
lone hand wrote them ALL" said the
witness.
The jury seemed much impressed
with Mr.. Tyrrell's manifestation and
followed every word he said and ev-
cry movemnt he made as he picked out
letter after letter in the poison pack
age address and found its counterpart
in one or more of the conceded writ
ings of the defendant.
More than thirty women sat out both
nf ha Iuxr - -
asked the court officer in charge of
that section to reserve their seats for
them for Monday.
Tyrrell was still on his direct exam
ination when the court adjourned I'M
til Monday morning.