The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-04-11
MILLIONS G v. N. R|CE
HE HAD NIADB SEVERAL WILLS AT
DIFFERENT TIMES IN
HIS LIFE
TEXAS MAN ON THE STAND
Tells of His Dealings With the Dead
Man, With Lawyer Patrick and
With Jones, the Valet
Secretary.

NEW YORK, April 10.-Taking Of evil
dence in the commitment proceedings in
the case of Albert T. Patrick, the lawyer
who is accused of having caused the
death of Mr.. Marsh Rice, was resumed
today before Justice Jerome.
The first witness today was Capt. James
A. Baker Jr., a lawyer Of Houston, Tex.
who was named as an executor in the
Rice will Of 1896. Capt. Baker in reply
to questions by Assistant District Al
torney Osborne said that Patrick had
never acted as attorney for Rice at any
time The will Of Mrs. Lizzie Rice. wife
OF William M. Rice, he said, was offered
Tor probate in Galveston, Texas. This
will was contested by the children of
Mrs. Rice, who employed A. 7. Holt
and Patrick as attorneys. The witness
appeared In these proceedings as attor-
ney for William M Rice, the testimony
In the case being taken in New York
city. He also said he had acted as Mr..
Rlces attorney up to the time of his
death, in September last. He knew Pat
rick in Houston, Tex, as far back as
1881. The first news he received Of the
death Of the aged millionaire was in a.
telegram sent him by Jones, the valet.
He Immediately telegraphed Jones to
confer with NJ S. Melvin, to maintain
the status quo until he (the witness) ar
rived in New York. He arrived in this
city on Thursday following the death Of
Rice and met Patrick. Mr. Melvin was
with the witness.
When L met Patrick said Baker. che
asked me to step into another room as
ne wanted to speak to me alone. said
MT. Melvin should accompany us, but 1
Went into back room with Patrick"
"a OF ln1 l,;-
with Patrick. who informed him that Mr..
Rice had lost confidence in the witness
and mad engaged him (Patrick) as his
legal adviser. The will of 1900 was pro-
duced by Patrick. who, after some OBJ
Jectlons had given the witness a copy
though refusing to endorse it as a true
copy OF the will. The witness also re-
ceived number of Rice's papers from
Patrick. Patrick had told him he did
not wish his connection with Rice to
become generally known ana said that
Jones, Rice's valet, was the only person
who knew of the relations The 1896
VIII was handed to Capt. Baker by the
assistant district attorney, and the wit
ness declared that the signature attached
thereto was Rfce's. Then the Syenson
checks were handed to the witness. who
declared that the signatures purporting
to be Rice's, were forgeries.
On DISCRIMINATION Capt Baker said
he had not known that Rice had a mania
for making wills. though through the
Holt litigation-which was over the will
of Mrs. Richie had learned that Rice
made several wills between the years
1873 and 1896.
At the conclusion of the cross examina-
ton of Capt. Baker, Mr.. Moore, for the
defense, conceded that an autopsy had
been held en- the body OF Mr. Rice.
Annie McHugh, Bessie and Leah Pels-
ner, operators in the Thirty-eighth street
telephone exchange, were called and tes
titled to having stamped slips recording
calls from Rice's telephone to one Ian the
house where Patrick lived.
DR.. Edward J. Donlin, one of the sur
geons Of the police department, testified
that he was deputy coroner of this
county in September of last year, and
performed an autopsy on the body Of
Mr.. Rice. He found the body in q we'll
preserved state, the lungs were slightly
congested and the other organs for a
man of Rfce's age were normal The in
testines were shriveled up. The body
had been ambalmed
Mr.. Osborne then propounded a very
Mr.. Moore objected, but finally DR.. DON
lin said that the congested condition of
the lungs were such as would have been
produced by inhaling an irritant, case
Gus vapor such as chloroform. There
were diseases which might produce this
congestion. but no traces of such dis
eases were found In the organs.
DR.. Hamilton Williams, a coroner's
physician, who assisted Dr. Donlin In
the autopsy on Mr.. Rice's body, cor
federated DR.. Donlin's testimony regard
ing the condition of the organs and the
of both lungs and he said he
found no traces of disease which would
bring about such congestion of the lungs
In his opinion the congestion was caused
by the inhalation of some irritant or
acid vapor, such as chloroform or ether
AS the the examination OF Dr. Win
Jams was concluded the court adjourned
until tomorrow.