The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-11-03
RICE PLOT ~ACC0MpLlCE?
Osborne SUSPICIOUS or THE WIZ
MESSED SIGNATURES.
One witness slIent-One Retort' HotIy ina'
uo Saw Rice sign the Patrick WIN
chloride Of Mercury In the hou's- 'ae'
Jones Gettins over HIS ""u"' ."
M. n, 1o,,,e, for MoiineuI Sees Him.

Yesterday afternoon that ne nau pcConh" WI"
WINGED that there was a third person VINO hau
a guilty knowledge % the conspiracy 10 sc'
hold Of the money OF the aged millionaire VIII
liam Marsh Rice.
4 shall mention any names at present" .
he said. and no additional arrests will be made
for a while, but there was one Of the witnesses
To certain assignments alleged TO have been
.,e,uted by Rice who has told a story about his
connection with the case which ! do not believe.
I do not say that this person had Il knowledge
that Rice was TO be- made away with, but l
think he did know all about tho attempt TO get
illegal possession Of Rice's property. u IL
turns out that this man needs watching. he VIII
be watched. lie will not escape. at all events.
II he shows any inclination to get away
The witnesses TO the assignments Of which
Mfr. Osborne speaks were Morris Meyers. a
notary In Patrlok's law office. and David l..
Short, a Commissioners Of Deeds for Texas.
whose appointment Patrick secured, and whose
office is at $50 Nassau street, From what IL
known thus far. these two men went to Rlces
apartment frequently to take ~acknowledg-
ments Of papers, and. In fact, did about all
OF that kind Of work Rice had to do. " was
these two men who witnessed the Signature
TO the will Of Rice in which Patrick was made
the residuary legatee. Meyers was asked
yesterday afternoon what he had 70 say 10
Mr.. Osborne's statement, and he said he had
no omment to make whatever. short said:
IF MI. Osborne insinuates that | had a knowl-
edge that anybody was trying 10 get an HE
gal possession oi Rice's property, he is a liar
had no such knowledge Maybe 1t is neces-
sary for me to say that | did hot know that
somebody was going to kill Rice. II It Is, III
saw IL I did not know that anybody had any
designs on either Rice's life or property. and
don't believe they had I went frequently
TO Rlce's apartments to take a~CknowledS-
ments of papers. and ! think ! was always ac-
companied by Morris Meyers II was. "a |
have already told Capt. McClusky and others.
on one Of these occasions that | cknowledged
the signature to Mr.. Rice's viii, II anybody
says that the signature to that will is forged
or that Mr. Rice didn't sign II, that person Is
q liar. | saw him sign the will. and ! don't
care who says he didn't. be II ex-
perts. the District Attorney or the District At
~torney's assistant. Mr.. Osborne After we
had taken the acknowledgements OF the papers
We had been sent for to Rice
brought out his will. told US what it was, and
called Meyers's attention TO a certain clause
IN IL. think Meyers read il, but | didn't. l
have no knowledge Of what the will contained
The will | speak OF was the one Mr.. Rice said
wns his last will and testament. have nothing
to fear from All investigation Of this case, and
/ shall be right here whenever ! am wanted
Mr., Osborne discussed the ca Sc several difler-
ent times YESTERDAY, and while he was talking
about II, just before he LETT his Office. he said.
been brought out. / have learned that about
six months ago DR.. Wisiam I. Bull performed
an operation upon Mr.. Ricc's face tor. as ] I'M
operation was performed DR.. Bull left some
tablets. bichloride OF mercury. To be dissolved
In water and used a. a wash for the wound.
Jones knew that these tablets were left there
by pr. Bull and so did Patrick. Prot.
Witthaus discovered bicnlorlde Of mercury Ia
RiGe'- intes'ines and kidney This Is nsTs
published report OF Wltthauss analysis said
hmercury. 8 But, mind YOU, Prot. Witthaus
having been prescribed 10y Dr. Bull. | intend
u Investigate this point Thoroughly"
Or Bull autho[ized Miss X j. Evans; GIeo Of
alton upon MIR Rice on Nov q last year. The
SSRerqhti, Sas Vi" fsrs a ,TiS'aI 81 2Te b iHI a sa spi'' M TAr ken on
three times once beior" the OPERATION. the
day lie reformed the operation and once after
Milton Mabbott OF 10 Flith avenue, who
had charge of the case ] went 10 Mr.. Rice's
house before the operation and found Jone-,
the valet. acting a. nurse | brought witt me
some blchlOride of mercury tablets. They
were of bluisn color II l. customary to dis
solve one Of these tablets IN a quart Of water
/ don't tank | left any Of these tablets. after
me, although IT l. possible mat Joh", may
have told mo that no uidn't have any In that
case may have given linn some, although |
don't think | Old
things which he had ordered Jones 10 9et for
Mr.. kice may have Included an order tor BIZ
Chord" Of mercury tablets, tut l." Goesnt re-
member. II l. quite r%oS-lhle. he said, that he
did Tell Jones To get some Of ih"N" tablets. Dr.
Mabbott, said that h" generally carries %ij-Srain
flf ha ttA,s mot think hn Loft my al tho Ilta
house
A6lne tablet Of bichloridc Of mercury contains
t,o and a half grains of that ~vIrulent poison.
connn9nl' c,ul"i c"rrn,lv" ,%,lhilinat IhiNIsa
fatal dose Il taken int, rnlllN. 50 IT may be
inferred that homes did not 90" Rice take sew
cr9l 90 such tablets provided by Patrick. 1t
must have been some other kind of tablet. the
grayl-h tabl"t' Jon"- mentions in ht~ con-
fes~ion
Mr.. Osborne also -aid that while he didn't
assume To "a hat Jones confession wa true,
whi!r he didn't oven know that an lursthetc
had been given 10 Rice. he was confident that
Jones knew u, much ~ Patrick DID about what
wa going on with rci"r"Ec"t ~ Rice Affairs.
and that before Tn" old man died both knew
what was going e haui en MIR. Osborne
then spoke w,th some " lrulth ~ " in-inul-
tions about the manner IN which JONES' 80
called confession was obtained. He said that
he had five Ihle witnesses who would
t.-tfy that no coercion had lie IN used. that no
promise, Of immunity had been made T. Jones.
s s.i DE-" '"0 "
Do you really intend to prosecute jones'"
vi 'i~IhlI Nv ~ ~h'NI
Il don't know, replied the Assistant Dis
trict Attorney, somewhat testify. I don't
know whether III prosecute Patrick and cal!
Jones as a witness, or prosecute them both.
Another informant OF lIE. sun said
No immunity was promised 10 Jones, and no
coercion was used. Indeed. no coercion was
necessary. JoHe, COuics-rd SIMPLY because
he had To. He had reached that stage whcr"
he had 10 tax TO somebody. And so he sent
this We-~lG' go Baker.
Il must see on or see the District Attorney.
Patrick has told me to 10 and commit suicide
II Nls learned that tins message was sent to
capt. Baker oul, a short time after Prof Witt
hans had rendered hi~ report. In which he
stated that he had found a minute unwelghnhl"
pulntitv of mercury in Elr"'S stomach aud "A
COMPARATIVELY large quantity Of the saIu"
metal IN the iuto.tlros and In one kidney. Pre-
sumiblN. II was after both Patrick and Jones'
had read the text of the chemists report In IA"
HowSuaUsrs that thcv found an opportunity
20 talk together and II was then. II at all, that
Patrick told Jones TO commit suicide" Prof
Witthau, handed his report To Coroner Hart a
week ago TODAY. Neither Jones nor Patrick
had been arraicucd In court since then, 80. ii
Patrick gave this advlr" At all, II must have
Re N given somewhere H. the Tomrs
From re- HprtS when can" from the Omh-
N"t"ri av Patrick i not az al disturbed over
jones' alleged confession IN" kce""r> say
that his bearing + UNCHANGED and that he does
not aIpeqr To he ~ al cast down lie inquired
after Jones and oN, rc'>ri a hop that l" would
get Wei
Mr.. Osborne seemed 10 be anxious Yesterday
IN know inst WNlf tprnrpT's pUNEifIQn h9ulin