Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-02-21
IELLS 0F RICE 5 DEAIH
Climax in the Testimony OF Val.
ct Jones at the Patrick
Murder Trial.
Mercury and Iron Pills Given
the Millionaire to Hasten
End.
Patrick Was Unable to Wait and
Decided to Use Chloro.
form.

| Albert T.. Patrick for the murder OF
the Texas millionaire. William Marsh
ice, was reached yesterday afternoon.
Charles f. Jones, the valet had been
relating the circumstances leading up
to the somewhat sudden death of Mr..
Rice in September. Then, pluneing at
once into the details. he held the at
tention of his hearers to the end of
his recital Freed of minor points, his
story follows:
In August Patrick grew impatient.
Mr.. Rice, tho an invalid, was living
too long TO suit the lawyers purpose.
Patrick said he would come to the
house and kill him himself if neces-
sary. He suggested chloroform and
Jones said he would get some. The
idea of chloroform as a means was
suggested by magazine article. 1t
was determined on after Jones talked
with a physician, who said u person
whose heart was affected, as was Mr..
Rice's could be most easily killed with
| IL and that little trace of the drug
would be left. Jones got u two-ounce
| Vial of it by writing to his brother in
Texas.
| Jones then branches off into the
alleged plan adopted to weaken the
1 already sick old man. This was by
giving him mercury and iron pills.
/ The pills brought on facilitating
diarrhoea. Then unwittingly friend
brought Mr.. Rice a present of bananas.
| OF these the old NTH ate nine. The
! fruit made him exceedingly i'll, and yes
the Weakening dcses of mercury were
kept up BY Saturday, being about
the eighth day of the last illness. Mr.
| Rice became delirious This testi-
,nony brought the events up To Sun
dav, the day OF the death. and the
witness had said that during these
ten DAYS of illness he had kept Patrick
Informed of the details personally and
by telephone.
William NJ. Rice's quick death. de-
clared the witness, was decided upon
at n conference between Patrick and
Jones held Saturday night. Jones
had told the lawyer of the arrival of q
draft for $4,000. Patrick told him II
was time to apply the chloroform now
that the draft had come and Captain
Baker was coming, or they would lose
ALL Jones agreed
Jones here told his story of the ac-
tual killing. He made cone of a
towel. in the small end of which was
! q ehloroform- soaked sponge. Creep
ing into the room where Mr.. Rice lay
sleeping he quietly covered the sleep
er's 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 Mr.. Rice is very
m the agreed signal between the two
of death. Jones story OF the end was
concluded by the statement that Pat
rick came to the house and removed
all of Mr.. Rice's papers.
! At the opening of the court Recorder
Goff ordered stricken from the record
1 n statement made by Charles #. Jones
| on the witness stand yesterday. con-
I corning a remark which he said he had
I overheard Patrick make to Fred b.
/ House. his counsel. At that time House
was attorney for both Patrick and
Jones. and according TO Jones, Patrick
said to the attorney that he had acted
| thruout as tho he was playing a game
| of chess. Houses reply was alleged to
| have been that he was afraid Patrick
was poor chess player.
Jones testified today that at Patrick's
request he obtained and gave the de-
4 PENDANT some Of the inks used by Rice
in signing documents on March g. 1900.
1 Patrick said he would have Short and
Never use different inks. but that Mr..
Rice's name was to be written with the
( ink used by the old man. Jones then re-
peated his story of the visit to Patrick's
/ office when the will OF 1900 was read to
/ him. Patrick and Meyer and Short
/ We're present Jones said. We had
some trouble in securing privacy, be-
cause q Col. Walker was In MIR. Pat
rick's office. and Patrick could not get
rid of him. Patrick said Short and
Meyer were going on their vacations.
and he wanted them to witness the will
before they went, in case of Mr.. Rice's
death while they We're out of the city.
That was in July, 1900. The will was
not signed then
/ Jones said he saw the will shortly be-
fore Rice died, and then 1T was signed.
Jones said he and Patrick had talk
about the will on the Thursday after
Rice's death. Two Wills had been made,
one dated May &c, and the other June
30. Patrick said he had destroyed the
one dated May &C. Patrick also said
that the names OF the witnesses of the
Will of July, 1900, were signed to the
document the day after Rice died
Asked If Patrick had any models of
Ilices signature, the witness replied:
4 Yes; | gave him two checks signed by
4Ir. Rice. l gave him the checks Mr.
Rice signed for the July salary. / also
gave him some blank checks. He said
he could arrange for the signing. That
was the expression he always used.
do not know If he meant he would sign
them himself"
What did you do for your salary?"
Patrick brought me back the checks
or a check. took the chance of get
ting it cashed and spoke to Patrick
about II, and he said it would be a good
thing 10 get those signatures around
Jones said similar action was taken
on checks for the salary of A. b. Co
hen, one of Mr.. Rice's agents in Texas
for July and August. Cohen was in the
habit of sending along the checks filed
in for Mr.. Rice's signature.
Il gave Patrick those checks" the
witness said. land he returned them
signed. Then we got Mr. Rice to sign
similar checks
Where are those checks now?'