The Savannah morning news., 1901-04-03
MURDERER OF RICE
VALET JONES TELLS HIS STORY ON
THE STAND.
TWO PRECIOUS VILLAINS.
A COLD-BLOODED PLOT CooLLY RE
LATED.

His NefariOus Plot to obtain the Old
Mans Wealth Entirely Through
Jones, who, According to His own
story, Was His willing ToOl-Find-
ing That the Old Man Was Not
Readily Killed on Jones ChIOrO-
formed Him at PatricI&'s InstiGa-
tlOn, and Deliberately Waited for
His Death.
New York, April 2.-Without the
slightest quaver in his we'll modulated
voice and displaying no outward sign of
regret or remorse, Charles F. Jones, sec
retary and valet to the late William
Marsh Rice, to-day confessed under oath
That he had ended the life of his employ
er and benefactor with chloroform.
The confession was the. climax of a re-
markable recital, in which was laid bare
the details of an alleged subtle conspir-
acy which had for its object the seizure
of three million dollars in cash and ne
gotiable securities and the conversion of
three millions in realty to the uses of the
alleged chief conspirator.
There was a dramatic force in the di-
rectness and minute attention to detail
with which Jones approached the tragedy
the moment when he covered the face
of the sleeping man with the saturated
napkin and then waited for him to die.
The self-confessed murderer told the
story of the alleged plot from its incep
ton. The capital crime he committed and
all the minor offenses that preceded it
were, he declared at the instigation and
direction of Albert T. Patrick. 1t was
Patrick, he said, who conceived the idea
of forging a will and forging transfers
and conWeyances. 1t was Patrick who in
duced 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, determined
upon quick action. And, according to
Jones, remarkable as it may seem, Rice
never knew Patrick during his life time
and never saw him but once.
According to this remarkable confession,
Patrick told Jones that the old man was
lasting too long, that he must be put out
of the way at once; that Jones should do
the work, and that there would really be
no harm in it. because Rice had poisoned
his own wife years ago and deserved
punishmens.
Jones described his return to Mr. Rice's S
apartments and the discovery of the mil
lionaire sleeping peacefully in bed; he
told of his stealthy search for a napkin
and the fashioning of it into a cone-shape
as directed, he said, by Patrick. He de-
tailed the story of the pinning of small
sponge at the point of the cone. Then
he told of saturating the napkin and
sponge with chloroform and holding it
over his own ncstrils to test its effect.
Jones looked straight into the eyes of As
sistant District Attorney Osborne and
continued his story without break, with
out a tremor in his voice lie described
his approach to the bed with the saturat-
ed napkin in his hand; of the flight from
the room; of the weary wait of thirty
minutes in accordance with Patrick's al
legged instructions; at the expiration of
the half-hour he returned and found Rice
dead. He then threw open the windows
to free the room from the odor of chic
reform, telephoned to Patrick that Rice
was dead, sent for a physician and then,
after expressing his grief az the loss of
so good and kind an employer, he said
he went to bed and fell into a sound
sleep.
Patrick Was Not Worried.
Patrick, accused by the witness Of be-
ing the arch-criminal, listened 10 the wit
ness with attention and occasionally
made notes of the testimony. Not even
the remarkable witness on the stand was
more cool, calm and collected than this
remarkable prisoner. Patrick's hand was
firm and steady He displayed neither
anger, fear nor resentment. When Jones
reached the description of the murder Of
the sleeping man, Patrick merely stroked
his beard and leaned back in his chair,
apparently slightly bored by the re'ita!
of the details.
Mrs. Francis, with whom Patrick board
ed at the time Rice died, preceded Jones
on the witness stand. She was called tc
identify two kilograms from j. NJ. Cote
man. Houston Tex, addressed % Pat
rick and to tell of some 'grayish white"
Mills which the prisoner was taking fer
malaria.
JoneS' Statement of the Crime.
Charles F. Jones, Rice's valet, when put
on the stand said he had worked as store
keeper at the Capital Hotel, Houston
Tex. owned by Rice. He met Rice in 1891
and had been Rice's secretary, valet ano
general utility man. Rice, he said, moved
TO New York in September, 1897.
witness first met Patrick in November
1901 Patrick represented himself as a
commercial man from Texas and wanted
n see Rice. Rice was in bed at the timc
and Patrick introduced himself as Mr.
Smith.
Patrick at that time, Jones said had q
long talk with witness. He asked whether
Rice had a legal representative in this
citv and showed himself uquisitive about
the affairs of the old millionaire.
In December, 1899, witness swore, Pat.
rick first approached him about the draw.
ing of a will. Jones was to draw the doc
umeut on his typewriter and get Rice tc
sign II when his mind was not quite clear
Jones told Patrick the signing of th'
win might be arranged. but that 1t would
be more difficult TO obtain witnesses.
Patrick proposed they should try to gel
| the witnesses Of the will OF 1886. Jones
| afterwards approached Weatherbee, th'
| clerk In Swenson a. Sons office to ge
! min, 10 act as a witness. Weatherbee re-
! fused and threatened otake Jones "hea.
off, II he dared 20 suggest any fraudulent
schemes against Rice.
Confesses His own ViIlainy.
Jones said:
~pafrick wanted me 10 be a witness Il
the viii but I refused. was very anx
| IONS 10 become beneficiary under the will
tbough. Patrick said this would nevel
! AZ 81 there would be suspicion Of undue
inauence attached 10 the viii, which
therefore would not be admitted 20 pro
patrick then sald ne would arrange fol
witnesses and mentioned Meyer and
I Short
pira had some papers 70 execute anf
/ Jones took them 20 fatrleks once, Nher'