Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1900-11-08
WITH A PENKNIFE.
A Principal in the Notorious Rice
Case Tries to Suicide.
Alleged AccOmpIicc of Lawyer Patrick
Confessses that He Aided In the
Forging of Checks - Claims
Patrick Caused Millions
aire Rice,s DSath.

New York, Nov. 1.-The death of
the wealthy William Marsh Rice at his
Madison avenue apartments on Sep
tember 23: the attempt of his New
York attorney. Albert 7. Patrick, to
cash checks for large amounts which
purported TO he signed by the mil
lionaire; the refusal of one bank to
cash the checks drawn on it and tho
discovery by the bank officials that
Mr.. Rice was dead at the time the
checks were presented; the Subse-
auent claim by Patrick that Mr.. Rice
had made him by will the trustee Of
his estate, which amounts anywhere
from $3,OO0,0G0 to SS,000,000; the
charge OF forgery both as regards the
cnecks and the will placed against
Patrick and Mr.. Rice's valet, Charles
i. Jones; the arrest of Patrick and
Jones and their lodgment in Jail, have
kept New York interested for over 4
month in what, 10y the developments
of yesterday, promises to become the
most celebrated of the many cele-
brated crimes which the courts of this
city have been called on to investi-
gate.
The first incident which led up to
tine climax was the fact disclosed on
Wednesday that Valet Jones had been
taken to the district attorneys Office
and the subsequent rumor that he
had made a confession to the author
iries. Before the public had time to
learn if the report of confession was
true, calne the more startling news
that during the night Jones had in
his cell in the Tombs attempted sui
eide by cutting his throat with PEN
knife given him, he says, by Attorney
Patrick, also confined in the Tombs,
and for the purpose of getting rid OF
one witness to Patrick's alleged CRIME.
His crime, according to the corfes-
sion of Jones, parts of which the dis
trict attorneys office gave out was
nothing less than the murder CT the
millionaire by Attorney Patrick and
the purloining of valuable papers re-
lating to the estate. The taking off
of Mr.. Rice. says Jones, was caused
by the internal administration Of
some poison, supposedly mercury, and
the final application of a towel satu-
rated with some anesthetic, prcsum-
ably cnlorCform.
had been laid out Patrick gathered
up all the letters. | was with him
and had as much as he to do with
that. He gathered up two watches and
all the money that was in the trunk.
Patrick selected such as he wanted
from the papers. He told me that he
wanted all the valuable paper. The
IeXt day he returned and had with
him bank books and check books. He
had number of blank checks. L
have some checks that | want sou to
I'LL out he said. One was filled out
for sos, 900 on S. NJ. Swcnson & Sons,
one for. S25 900 on the Fifth Avenue
Trust Co. and one for S1J5,0O0 on The
same company.
He told me he had the right to
cash these checks before liCc's dca h
became known. He left at $50 or Q
o'clock and said he would telephone
me to dictate messages to be sent to
relatives and Baker, and to tell the
bank if it called up that the checks
were good. About 1850 o'clock he
called me up and said: We've made
a bust of it, He again told me to tell
1he bank that the checks were all
Wallace, of the Swenson bank, called
up and asked for Rice. He asked me
if the checks were in my handwriting.
l told him yes, if you send it up ! will
correct it. That is how he explained
The spelling of the name Albert
Albert instead of correctly. Then he
told me TO nave Mr.. Rice come to the
telephone. said 'Sery we'll, and
rang off Then | called up Patrick
and Cold him. He told me to tell
-hem if they called us up again that
Mr.. Rice was dead.
''Swenson came to the telephone
and ne asked about Rice. | told him
that he was dead. Then he wanted to
know all about it. | told him he had
died at the night before. Patrick
then called me up again and said.
"rhese people have kicked out of the
traces He then dictated to me the
message to he sent to the relatives.
The next day | saw iour men hang
ing around the house. They came to
the house and said they were lawyers.
/ telephoned Mr.. Patrick about these
men and he told me not to let them
in"
Mr.. Osborne was asked what part
Of the Rice estate Jones had expected
10 get. He said Jones told him Pat
rick assured him of being well cared
for, but had promised nothing more
definite. The estate, Mr.. Osborne
said is estimated at from $4,000, 900 to
9S,000.00O.
Attorney Patrick denies having fur
nished Jones the chloroform and also
denies the statements in the confess
sion.
Seized the ROer Gold.
Han burg, Nov. 2.--rhe Boersenha lie