The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-03-27
FOR MURDER OF RICE
LAWYER PATRICK BEFORE JUDGE
JEROME.
DAVID SHORT TEsTlFIEs.
HE EVIDENTLY HAD A HAND IN
THE GAME.

witness swears That He Witnessed
PAPERS for millionaire Rice and
saw Him Sign the Alleged Will.
nice Told Him Not TO Say Any
thing About 1t Until He Was Dead
and Gone-Witness Tried to Cash
Mig Check for Patrick After Rdce's
Death.
New York, March 26.-Albert T. Patrick,
the lawyer who is accused of numbering
william Marsh Rice, the aged Texas mil
uonaire, last September, was given pre-
uminary hearing before Judge Jerome,
sitting as committing magistrate, to-
day.
The first witness was David L. Short of
brooklyn, publisher. Short said he be-
came a commissioner Of deeds of Texas
at the suggestion of Patrick. Jones was
introduced to him, he said, as the private
secretary Of a wealthy Texas client of
Patricks. The witness admitted that on
several occasions he had left his official
seal at the apartments of Mr.. Rice, after
transacting business there.
ION June 30, you said you had acknowI-
edged three papers for Mr.. Rice?" asked
Mr.. Osborne
Yes"
He also said he had witnessed another,
Will.
did you see Mr.. Rice sign those pa
pers including the will?"
Short said he did. He said he signed
the three documents and Rice then said
Gentlemen, while you are here 1 want
YOU to witness another paper, my dast
will and testament"
witness then said Rice handed the will
10 Meyers, Patrick's law partner, who
glanced il over and returned it, and Rice
sat at his desk and signed ALI the papers;
Meyer and Short then signed as wit
nesses.
Mr.. Osborne handed the witness the
WILL which he identified. t-t
The witness also identified three other
Papers as documents which he had ex-
ecuted as commissioner on June 80. When
the will had been executed it was handed
10 Meyers to take to Patrick's office.
Did Mr.. Rice say anything to you re-
gardlng the wiH?" asked Mr.. Osborne.
Yes, he asked me not to say anything
about it until after he was gone"
Mr. Osborne then examined Short at
length on his last visit to the house of
Mr.. Rice, on Sept. 81. two days before
Tie death of Mr.. Rice.
Mr. Osborne then passed over to the
incidents following Immediately upon the
death of Mr.. Rice
Witness related how he had been sent
to Swenson & Sons to cash a chock for
5000 He did not know that Mr. Rice
was dead at the time. Patrick had not
told him.
80 you are positive Patrick sent you
20 cash Mr.. Rice's check for $4,000, and
did not tell you he was dead? Are you
sure Of this?" asked Mr. Osborne.
II am" said the witness emphatically.
Subsequently the witness told how he
had been given a check for $135,0O0 on the
Fifth Avenue Trust Company,
which he had taken to the Ct
fee Of that company to- have it
certified. He succeeded in having the
check certified. Witness admitted he had
not mentioned the fact that Rice was
dead at the bank. $500
William Hornblower, counsel for John
D. Bartine, one of the executors of a
will of William Marsh Rice, which was
executed on Sept. 26, 1896, applied to Sur
rogate Fitzgerald to-day for an order per-
hitting an inspection, microscopic and
chemical examination, and the leave to
take photographs of certain documents
under which certain of the millionaires
property was assigned to Albert 7. Pat
rick. Decision was reserved.