The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-02-21
A STORY OF VILLAINY
VALET JONES GIVES DETAILS OF
RICE MURDER.
PATRICK WAS THE AUTHOR.
WITNESS FREELY coNFESsEs his
CRIME.

Cone shaped Towel, Put "A
Sponge Soaked with the Drug i'm
the Small End, and Placed the
Cone over tine Sleeping Mans
Face-Then He TeIephoned Pat
rick.
New York. Feb. 20.z-A very dramatic
point in the trial of Lawyer Albert t.
Patrick for the murder of the Texas
millionaire, William Marsh Rice was
reached this afternoon. Charles f.
Jones, the valet, had been relating the
circumstances leading up to the some
what sudden death of Mr.. Rice in Sep
tember. Then plunging at once into
the details he held the attention OF his
audience to the end of his recital
Freed of minor points his story follows:
| In August Patrick grew impatient
Mr.. Rice, though an invalid, was living
too long to suit the lawyers purposes.
Patrick said he would come to the
house and kill him himself il necessary.
He suggested chloroform. and Jones
said he would get some. The idea of
/ chloroform as means was suggested
by magazine article 1t was deter
mined on after Jones talked with a
| physician, who said a person whose
heart was affected, as was Mr.. Rice's,
could be most easily killed with it, and
that little trace of the drug would be
left. Jones got a two-ounce vial Of 1t
by writing to his brother in Texas.
Jones then branched off into the al
| legged plan adopted to weaken the al
ready sick old man. This was by Civ
ing him mercury and iron pills. The
| pills brought on debilitating diarrhoea.
Then unwittingly friend brought Mar.
4 Rice present OF bananas. OF these
4 the old man ate nine The fruit made
his exceedingly ill., and yet the weak
| ening doses of mercury were kept up.
\ BY saturday being about the eighth
/ day OF the last illness, Mr.. Rice be-
came delirious. This testimony brought
the events up to Sunday the day OF
/ death, and the witness had said that
4 during these ten days OF illness he
had kept Patrick informed of the de-
tails personally end by telephone.
William Marsh Rice's quick death.
declared the witness, was decided at
a conference between Patrick ana
| Jones held Saturday night. Jones had
1 told the lawyer of the arrival of a
draft for $25,0OO Patrick told him IL
was time 10 apply the choioroform
now, that the draft had come and that
| Capt. Baker was coming, or they
would lose all. Jones agreed.
Tones here told his story of the
| actual killing. He made a cone of a
| towel in the small end of which was
a choroform soaked sponge. Creeping
| into the room where Mr.. Rice lay
sleeping, he quickly covered the sleep
ers face with the large end of the cone.
| Jones rushed out of the room. In half
| an hour he came back He removed
| the cone. Mr.. Rice was dead. Jones
swore he telephoned to Patrick the
words. M. Rice is very ill.," the
afreed signal between the two of death.
Jones story of the end was concluded
by the statement that Patrick came to
the house and removed all of Mr..
Rice's papers.
Grew Tired OF Waiting.
Some time In August" Jones said,
in the course of his narrative, pat
rick asked me If 1 did not think MIR.
Rice was living TOGO long for our well
fare. He thought 1t would be good
thing If we would put him out of the
way. He said II I'd tell him some
night when Mr.. Rice was sleeping
soundly he'd come up and do it If l
would not
What was said of chloroform ?"
asked Assistant District Attorney Os-
borne.
Patrick said that would be an easy
| way to put Mr.. Rice away. An article
| IN a magazine gave the idea. Something
was said about getting chloroform, and
| Patrick said it was very hard to get:
| the { one had to have all sorts of GER
tificates before the druggist would sell
| 1t. / told Patrick he could leave that
II me. l sent my brother s. and he
sent me chloroform in a 4-ounce bot
tie. Patrick said he had often won
dered what would be the effect OF
chloroform on a person afflicted with
heart trouble. put the question to DIR.
Curry and he said so little chloroform
would be needed to kill person who
had heart disease that 1t was doubtful
IL any traces of the poison would re-
main after death. told Patrick what
Dr. Curry had said"
Jones wrote to his brother again, he
said. this time at Patrick's suggestion, 4.
and got two ounces more of chloroform.
Every time l saws Patrick" con-
tinued the witness, "he asked me if
Mr.. Rice was failing and seemed very
much disappointed when / told him
Mr.. Rice was gaining strength. One
day he said. Why don't you give him
mercury He knew that DR. Curry
had prescribed mercurial pills for me-
/ told him Il would be impossible to
give Mr. Rice anything In his meals,
but that l might persuade him that
they were good for him by taking
some in his presence. Rice took two
and they made him Ill. He thought
the illness was caused by some eggs
he had eaten. He continued to take
the pills. about one In two days They
did him good. Patrick was surprised
when / told him. He gave me some
pills OF mercury and iron that he said
would not hurt me, but would settle
Mr. Rice. ! took one and II made me
sick. Mr.. Rice took one also IN my
presence. He told me he had taken
a second one. They brought on q Sc
we're di0rrhoea."
Zones told of the visit Of Mrs VAN
Alstyne. a friend Of Mr.. Rice's. She
brought him some bananas and he ate
rlne Of them. They made him very M,
and Dir. Curry WDa called IN. That was
about ten dave before bis. death
"On the Wednesday or Thursday be-
fore his death" the witness went on.
ne took another mercufini pil The
ufKf day ~ WAS very sick ana On kaf-
Brday he VAS delflouH DR. Curry
visited him and gave him some medl-
eins ( told Patrick = dfRft f0f 1000
had arrived from ne ~ mili The
nerf day. HundaY ~. Curry said NJ.
Iiioe eaf Hftiing along we'll bur must
~ oafefui al ~ be fpo1 Patrick fola
nH ~ 81 flul knoW what Df curry
sald| nn4 : 1i9 ~ raififk neiq - Ma
eeoiinssl en Eiehf rass