The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-04-04
And Events Following the Arrest of
the Valet and Lawyer Patrick for
Forgery and Murder.
ATTEMPT TO COMMIT SUICIDE
BOTH PRISONERS WE'RE DESPOND.
ENT WHEN IN THE TOMBs.
And the Lawyer Gave Jones Knife
to End His Life, but Did Not
Try to Finish His own.

NEW YORK, April s.-Charles F. Jones'
who was the valet-secretary to William
Marsh Rice, the aged millionaire. who. ac-
cording to Joness confession yesterday
was murdered by use of chloroform in
September last, finished his testimony to-
day direct examination in the proceed
ings before Justice Jerome charging Albert
T. Patrick with murder.
When court adjourned on Tuesday people
went out of the little room in which Justice
Jerome was conducting the examination of
Lawyer Patrick filed with wonder at the
extraordinary story of the who con-
fessed that he had placed over the face of
his benefactor as he slept folded napkin
saturated with chloroform, thereby caus-
ing the death of the millionaire. To-day
they heard the same story repeated under
a different condition. but with even more
dramatic surroundings. The story of the
murder and conspiracy which Jones out
lined on Tuesday he to-day filled i'm with
a wealth of detail and with a ccoiness anl
nerve which under the circumstances was
almost overwhelming.
According to the story of the volet-secre-
tary he and Patrick had drawn up the
bogus will and were waiting with what
patience they could for old man Rice to
die when a mill burned down in Texas.
Rice's connections there desired to rebuild
it, and he spoke of advancing the 500, 600
or sl25.000 required to replace the burned
property. Patrick told me to use all my
influence, said Jones to-day, with Rice
not to rebuild the mill, as this would take
all the ready cash from the estate" But
Rice insisted on advancing the money and
presently authorized draft for $25. 900
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 it. 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 counting as his own. "He then
said" testified Jones, that he would have
to do something to get Rice out of the way
before Monday, when the draft would ar
rive"
ARCH PLOTTERS.
An instance of the caution and thorough
ness of the plot conceived and carried out
by the men was another incident related
by Jones' The manager of Rices estate in
Texas-a man named Cohen-was in the
habit of sending a check made out In his
name for his salary to Rice monthly. Rice
paid him by signing the check and mailing
1t back 10 him. When one of these checks
came along, and after Rice had signed 1t
and given il TO Jones to mail Jones 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 Rices 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 success and gave them great con-
fidence in the greater forgeries yet to come.
There was one point to-day in which it
was confidently expected Jones would give
some sign of emotion. 1t was when he was
asked about the effort he had made at
SUICIDE in the Tombs, but expectation was
again disappointed He told of Patrick's
suggesting that he take the whole blame
Oh The affair, of his refusal to do so, of
Patrick's handing him knife with which
to cut his throat, and of the throat-cutting
itself with as little feeling as he showed
the day before, when he told how he chlo-
reformed his helpless millionaire benefac-
tor.
But it was on cross-examination that
emotion proof Robert f. Moore. Patrick's
lawyer and the same man who saved DIR.
Kennedy from the death chair at the recent
trial. went about the cross-examination in
a spirit of thoroughness that would have
dismayed most men. Gradually he felt
along the outline of Jones's story until he
had satisfied himself that there was moth
ing to be gained by patient siege, and
then he aimed to storm Jones's position.
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 as calmly
and quietly as if the thing were merely A
perfunctory rehearsal. II was impossible
to shake the testimony OF the witness lie
had a memory like an almanac, and his
replies were phonographlike in their brew
ty.
Perhaps the only point where the attor-
neys for Patrick even appeared TO shake
the nerve and the confidence of Jones was
when they extorted statement from him
that nc 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 Os-
borne. and he gathered that IL he did tell
the whole truth some measure of considera-
ton would be shown him. This and his
conscience he said. induced him TO admit
his guilt of murder.
Patricks defense will be general de-
nal. 1t will not be revealed In detail until
the actual murder trial takes place. which
will probably not be until October next.
Jones. according to the defense. was the
arch conspirator, and Patrick was only the