The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-04-05
CONFESSION OF coNsP1RAToR
AGAINST RICE.
KILLED WITH CHLoRoFoRM
Instigated by Patrick Dead Mans
Valet Says He Muir
dered Him.


lated voice and displaying no outward
sign Of regret Dr. remorse, Charles r.
Jones, secretary and valet of the late
William Marsh Rice, today confessed
under oath that he had ended the life
Of his employer and beneficiary with
chloroform. The confession was the
climax of a remarkable recital IN
which were laid bare the details of an
alleged subtle conspiracy, which had
for it's object the seizure of So, 1000, 900
in cash and negotiable securities, and
conversion of three millions in realty
to the use of the alleged chief conspira-
tor. ~
There was dramatic force in the di-
rectness and minute attention and de-
tail with which Jones approached the
tragedy. from the moment when he
covered the face of the sleeping man
with a saturated napkin and waited
for him to die.
The self-confessed murderer told the
story of the alleged plot from it's in
eeption. The capital crime he COM
mitted and all the minor offenses that
preceded it were, he declared, at the
instigation of Albert T. Patrick. 1T
was Patrick, he said, who conceived
the idea of forging. a will and forging
transfers and conveyances. 1t was
Patrick who had induced two persons
to witness the forged signature. 1t
was Patrick who determined that Rice
should die and it was Patrick who
sought to have him killed slowly
and then becoming impatient, had de-
termined upon quick action. And,
according to Jones, remarkable as it
may seem, Rice lever knew Patrick
during his life time and never saw
him but once.
Jones, according to his story, first
began his acquaintance with Patrick
when the lawyer called at the resi-
dence of Millionaire Rice in Madison
avenue, in October, 1899. He told of
the growing friendship and gradual
approach to the plot against Rice
which resulted in the scheme to de.
fraud and how he finally yielded.
Then came the transfer of the real anG
personal property to Pratick, over the
forged signatures of Rice, the stealing
of blank checks from the m~illionaire's
check book, their delivery to Patrick,
and forging of Rice's signature; the
proposition to put the aged millionaire
out of the way, first weakening him
by continuous doses of mercury, the
calling in of a physician at frequent
intervals, thus apparently providing
for the issuance of a death certificate
and the extreme care with the plan o!
slow poisoning and how this was de-
veloped. Then unfolding the plot il
the drama as if he was only an inter
ested spectator, Jones led up to thu
day of the murder.
He swore that Patrick had furnished
him with mercury pills of differen
composition from those first admins
tered, and told how the millionaire
had defeated the purpose Of the plot
ters by refusing to take them. Then
Jones said, Patrick began to displa,
impatience. He swore he brought tw'
ounces of oxalic acid to Patrick, who
he swears, told him to dilute on
ounce in % times it's weight in waite
and to give the mixture to Rice 70
the purpose of weakening his hear
action. To induce the old man to TAX
these several poisons he said he wa
compelled to take doses himself il
Rice's presence. One dose was reall.
not dangerous. It was the cumulative
effect of the drug that was to b
feared.
According to this remarkable COR
fession oxalic acid was too strong an
Jones was asked to use chloroform an
laudanum. Jones said he was afrai
to buy the drugs in the ne%ighborhoo
and he sent to his brother in Texas fo
them. They came by express. Thi
was followed by a meeting III tn
street with Patrick, who told him thu
the old nal was lasting too long
that he must be put out of the way q
once; that Jones must do the worl
and that there would really be u
harm in it. because Rice had poisone
his own wife years ago and deserve
punishment. Jones described his retur
to Rice's apartments and the disco'
cry of the millionaire sleeping reac'
fully in his bed. He told Of his stea
thy search for a napkin and the fasl
ioning of it into cone shape as direc
ed, he said, by Patrick. He detaile
the story of the placing Of a sma
sponge at the point Of the The
he told. of s%aturating the napkin an
sponge with chloroform m holdin
it over his own nostrils to test j
effect. &
Jones looked straight into the ey'
of Assistant District Attorney Osbul
and continued with a remor in b
voice. He described his return to Il
bed with the saturated napkin in h
hand, of the placing of it over the fa'
of the sleeping old man, of the fig
from the room, of the weary wait
80 minutes in accordance with his q
legged instructions; at the expiratit