The age-herald., 1901-04-08
PATRICK SAYS
 JONES DID NOT
 KILL MR. R|CE Says He is Playing a Des-
 perate Game AN EFFORT TO OFFSET WILL Valet Has Been Permitted to
 Roam the Streets SOME SERIOUS CHARGES MADE  Lawyer Patrick Says the Confession of Jones Is Merely an Attempt to Have the Public Preludgc
 Him Guilty.
SOME SERIOUS CHARGES MADE

Patrick. who is charged with the murder of millionaire William M. Rice, made a statement tonight concerning the case. He had been asked to say something con- corning a story printed in a morning pa per to the effect that Valet Jones had spent several hours, accompanied by a policeman attached to the district attor- ney's office in touring the tenderloin dis trict. According to this story, hotels concert halls and gardens and theatres had been visited by the prisoner and his this point Patrick said:
 q have known that this kind of thing has been going on for several weeks could not have sworn that such was the case but I have heard from various sources that Jones was plentifully sup piled with money, was taken out buggy riding and was otherwise treated with consideration
 Patrick then went on to speak of the Rice murder case This is the first time that he has made any statement since his arrest He said:
 Jones is Not Guilty.
 "yones never killed Wm. H. Rice Had he done so he never would have testified to it, especially as the district attorney has promised him no immunity, nor would his counsel, even though provided by Cap tain Baker have permitted him to do so His confidence is due to the fact that William Rice, at the age of s4, died of heart failure, as did his brother F. A. Rice yesterday at the age of 70, and there will never be any proof otherwise The only crime of which Jones Is guilty is that of conspiring against the 1900 will, and that of perjury in the first degree of the proceedings. His fairy story Is the result of a collaboration with Captain James A. Baker Jones lawyer, MT. Bat tie, who is hired by Baker, Assistant District Attorney Osborne and Professor Witthaus the professional expert. whose report Osborne for the last six months, has been expecting in a few days, and who swore that Rice died of mercurial poisoning if he did not die of something else
 '"The object of Jones' story is to have me held in prison, pending the will litga- ton. I have already been in prison six months on the forgery charge, without aven being indicted, and I don't believe that there is any serious intention to try me on a criminal charge before a fury My arrest on a murder charge and the desperate attempt to hold me is due entirely to my ability and attempt tc hof1 ct,a The stock in trade of the opposition to the will of 1900 will Is their already dem- Onstrated ability to control the district attorneys office; that Is to say, that DOT fion presided over by Osborne, over which there seems to be no administrative sr1- pervision-
 Tactics Against Him.
 ''so far as the tactics employed against me have been she giving out by MT. Os- borne continually of statements known by him to be false in order to cause the pub- lie to prejudge me guilty so as to justify false imprisonment and to prevent fair trial; the wrongful impressions of myself and the bounding by detectives of those who appear to favor me; the abuse of the process of the courts by wrongfully sub poeaning in the name of the court per sons to personally appear before him and submit to examinations in his office.
 '"The use under the guise of witnesses of professional handwriting experts to swear that the signature of the 1900 will checks, assignments. etc, are forgerief and the procuring of false testimony are all in the same line Jones swore on the witness stand and Osborne admitted in open court that Jones informed Osborne about January that Jones had killed MT. Rice with chloroform and that subse- quently in corroboration of Witthaus or February ? the present complaint chars- ing me with killing Rice with mercurial poison was made at the instance of Os- borne in an attempt to deprive me of all knowledge of the nature of the accusa. tion against me until he had used as witnesses those who he supposed to be ir my favor.
 q have found that Jones has been foi several weeks past permitted to roam th< streets So far as am concerned have no objection. provided that Jones be kept within the Jurisdiction of the court.
 Tt would take but little corroboration to convict Jones upon his own confession. but 1t would take great deal to convict me upon Jones' accusation If am held or indicted for murder, Jones will cer- tainly be also, and I would surely be acquitted. but in his effort to have him. self corroborated he might be conv1rted. innocent though he is, and then he would ------------- ---------------->-----