Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-04-03
AWFUL CONFESSION.
Valet Jones Tells How He MUIR
dered Millionaire Rice.
Patrick Was Instigator and jores
Carried Out the Vile Plot.
Ono Of tho Most Astounding Stories Ever Told
In Court.

New York. April Without the
slightest uGavcr in his well modulated
voice and displaying no outward sign
of regret or icmorse. Charles +. Jones.
secretary and valet to the late William
Marsh Rice. today, confessed under
! oath that he had ended the life of his
employer and benefactOr with chlOrO-
form.
The confession was the climax of a
: rcmal liable recital in which was laid
bare the details of an alleged subtle
conspiracy which had for its object the
| seizure Of $3.000.000 in cash and neGo-
table securities and the conversion OF
$3,G0o,GC0 in realty to the u:es OF the
alleged chief conspirator.
| There was a dramatic force in the
iGircctncSS' and minute attention to de-
| tail with which Jones approached the
traGcdy-the moment when he covered
! the face of the sleeping man with the
saturated napkin and then waited for
| him to die. and the audience in the
court room became still and GREATNESS
as the climacteric period was round
cd.
| The sclf-confessed murderer told the
.tpi Va Aiit Fiot lioIii - my II
ton. The capital crime he committed
and all the minor offenses that pre-
| coded it were, he declared, at the in
stigation and direction of Albert r.
Patrick. 1t was Patrick. he said. who
conceived the idea of forging a will and
| forging transfers and cOnveyances. 1t
was Patrick who induced two persons
to witness the forged signatures. 1t
was Patrick who determined that Rice
| should die. and it was Patrick who
sought upon quick action. And. ac-
cording TO Jones. remarkable as it may
seem. Rice never knew Patrick during
his life time and never saw him but
once.
| Jones. according to his story, first be
gan his acquaintance with Patrick
when the lawyer called at the residence
of Millionaire Rice on Madison avenue,
| this city. in October, 1899. The witness
| told of the growing friendship and the
gradual approach to the discussion of
the affairs of Mr.. Rice which finally
resulted in the proposition to defraud
and Jones finally yielded.
Then came the details of the story of
| the transfer and convcyances of real
and personal property to Patrick, over
! the forged signatures of Rice; the
| stealing of blank checks from the mill
| lionaireS check book; then delivery to
Patrick and TO forging of RiCeS sigma
ture; the proposition to put the aged
millionaire out of the way, first weak
ening him by continuous doses of mer-
curry; the calling in of a physician az
frequent intervals. thus apparently
providing for the issuance Of IL death
certificate and the extreme care with
which this plan of slow poisoning was
| carried out.
Then. as calmly as though unfolding
| the plot of a drama in which he was
Interested only as spectator, Jones
| led up to the day of the murder.
He described a meeting in the street
with Patrick. who told him that the
old man was lasting too long. that hc
must be put out of the way at once.
that Jones should do the work and that
there would really be no harm i'm it. be-
cause Rice had poisoned his own wife
years ago and deserved punishment.
| Jones described his return to Mr..
| Rice's apartments and the discovery of
the millionaire sleeping peacefully in
1 Det. ne tosu 81 III, StedItuN search iof
4 napkin and the fashioning it into 4
cone shape as directed. he said. by Pat
rick; the detailed story of the pinninS
of a small sponge at the point Of the
cone. Then he told Of saturating the
napkin and sponge with chloroform
and holding il over his own nostrils
| to test il.
1t was at this point that the crowd in
the court room became so quiet that u
pin might have been heard to drop.
Jones looked straight into the eyes of
| Assistant District Attorney Osborne
and continued his story without a
! break. without Il tremOr in his voice.
He described his approach to the bed
with the saturated napkin in his hand ::
of the placing il over the face of the
sleeping old man; of the flight from
| the room: of the weary wait of 80 min
utes in accordance with Patrick's al
legged instructions: of the call for the
physician who came with Patrick to
find the old man dead.
| 1t is impossible to describe the cool
ness of the voice of the witness as he
related the different links which forged
the chain. Patrick. accused by the wit
ness of being the arch-crimnal. listen
ed to the witness with attention and
occasionally made notes of the tcsti-
mony. Not even the remarkable wit
ness 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
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