Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1901-04-04
JONES DIDN 7 VINCE.
Lawyer DANCED Threat of the
Death Chair.
STUCK TO MURDER STORY
Declared He and Patrick Were to
suicide-Foreed Signature Tested.
Easerness Recounted to Get the
Aged Millionaire out of the Way.

New York, April 4.-Charles F.
Jones. who was the yalet-seeretary to
William Marsh Rice, the aged million
aire, who, according to Jones comics.
sion, was murdered by the use of chic
reform in September last, finished
| his testimony on direct examination
| in the proceedings before Justice Je.
rome charging Albert T. Patrick with
murder.
| The story of the murder and con
spiraey which Jones outlined on Tues
day he Wednesday filed in with a
wealth of detail and GOODNESS end
nerve which under the circumstances
was almost overwhelming.
Determined to Kill Rice Speedily.
According to the story OF the valet
secretary he and Patrick had drawn
up the bogus will and were waiting
with what patience they could Tor old
man Rice 10 die when mill burned
| down In Texas. Rice's connections
there desired to rebuild it and he
spoke of advancing the 100000 o"
| $125,000 to replace the burned prop
erty. Patrick told me to use all my
influence said Jones, with Rice not
| to rebuild the mill as this would take
out all the ready cash from the es-
| tate But Rice insisted on adyanc-
| ing the money and presently author
| lied a draft for $4,000 from one Of
his correspondents in Texas. Word
! Of the draft arrived in New York on
| Saturday and Jones, in accordance
with his compact, told Patrick about
1t. 1t was only $4,000, but according
/ to the valet, Patrick felt that he could
not spare even this much out of the
millions that he was already count
/ ing as his own.
sHe then said" testified Jones,
that he would have to do something
| to get Rice out of the way before Mon
day, when the draft would arrive"
Even more illustrative of the eau
! tion and thoroughness of the alleged
/ plot conceived and carried out by
| these men was another instance re-
lated by Jones. The manager of
Rice's estate in Texas-a man named
Cohen-was in the habit of sending
check made out in his name for his
salary to Rice monthly. Rice paid
him by signing the check and mailing
| it back to him. When one OF these
checks came along and after Rice had
signed it and given it to Jones to
mail he turned it over to Patrick in
order that the latter might practice
on the signature. The next check
/ that came from Cohen was signed
with the forgery of Riee's name and
sent along in order by its passage
through the banks of Texas that they
might test the merit of their forgery.
| The experiment was an entire sue
cess and gave them great confidence
in the greater forgeries yet to come.
| He was asked about the effort he had
made at suicide in the Tombs. He
told of Patrick's suggesting that he
! take the blame Of the whole thing;
of his refusal to do so; of Patrick's
! handing him a knife with which to
cut his throat and Of the throat cut
ting itself, with as little feeling as he
showed the day before when he told
how he chloroformed his helpless
millionaire benefactor.
A Severe Cross-Examination
Robert E. Moore, Patrick's lawyer,
and the same man who saved Dr. Ken
nedy from the death chair at the re-
| cent trial, went about his cross-ex-
animation in a spirit of thoroughness
that would have dismayed most men.
Gradually he felt along the outline
/ of Jones story until he had satisfied
himself that there was nothing to be
gained by patient siege. and then
he attempted to storm Jones' posi-
ton. When he spoke of the killing
OF Rice he called it murder, and he
kept the electric chair in the mind OF
the man on the witness stand. who
answered everything calmly and
/ quietly.
1t was impossible to shake the ties.
timony of the witness.
| Attorneys for Patrick extorted a
| statement from Jones that he hoped
| by telling his present story to escape
the death penalty for murder. He
said his lawyer. Mr. Battle. had as.
sured him that he could do nothing
for him: he knew Battle had talked
| TO Osborne, and he thought if he did
tell the whole truth some measure of
! consideration would be shown him
! This and his conscience, he said. in.
duced him to admit his guilt of muir
der. Patrick's defense will be a gen
eral denial, 1t will not be revealed
In detail until the actual murder trial
takes place, which will probably not
| he until October next. Jones. accord
ing to the defense, was the arch con-
sprator and Patrick was only the
/ innocent tool of the valet The great.
est stress will be laid upon the fact
| by the defense that Jones is
| self.confessed periurer and that in
consequence his testimony and con-