Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-01-18
Patrick's Persist
ent Fight for Life
Will Not Give Up Hope Although Case
Has Now Reached is Final Conclusion
After Six Years Of Litigation.

Arrested October 4, 1900.
Trial begun January 20, 1902.
Convicted March 20, 1902.
Put In death house at Sing Sing
April Z. 1902.
Appeal for new trial February 10.
1908.
Court refuses new trial June 3.
1906.
Refuses stay Of execution June IA.
1905. :.
Execution 'nxed for August 1e,
1905.
Motion for reargument and stay
Of execution granted July "a, 1906.
Renewal OF motion for reargument
October 2, 1905.
Resentenced to died December 6,
1906.
Unsuccessful appeal to United
States Supreme Court.
Resentenced to die January %,
1906.
Governor Higgins denied applica.
ton for reprieve, January 4. 1906.
Governor Higgins received peti.
ton Of clemency. January Is. 1906.
New York. January 1S.--The' night
for life made by Albert T. Patrick,
which. after six years OF litigation.
has now reached it, ANAL conclusion,
has been q Of the most persistent
In the records Of criminal jurispru.
dence. The crime for which Patrick
vas convicted, as is well known, was
the alleged murder of William Marsh
Rice, an aged millionaire. who laid
the foundation Of I!s fortune In Tex.
as. While Rice died on September
20, 1900, Patricq was not arrested IN
II October "a, and then ne was not
accused OF murder, but OF forging
the dead mans names to checks.
Weeks passed before the capital Of
tense was formally laid at his door.
and it was not until January 20, 1902,
that he was arraigned before Record.
er Gof. The trial was n Of the
longest in the history the state II
was March q when a verdict OF
guilty was rendered. The expenses
Of the trial and its prelimnaries 9
roughly estimated as $3.50, 900. There
were $500 pages OF testimony taken.
Patrick's conviction was largely
brought about by Charles +. Jones,
the valet of Mr.. Rice. Jones was ar
rested at the same time with Patrick
and lodged in the T0mbs. While Inn
prfsoned there he tried to kill him.
self, hacking at his throat with q
KNIT. At. the time he said the knife
was given him by Patrick, who told
him that he had better kill himself.
rather than suffer death in the cleo
trio chair. He was still suffering
from his wounds when he made his
confession, declaring that Patrick had
induced him to kill his master with
chloroform.
Patrick came to New York from,
Texas In 1901, and he acted as coun-
for Rice In several suits. Jones
said that Patrick suggested the maxi
ing Of a bogus will for Rice in De-
1899. They were looking
through Rice's papers and found his
real will, In which. after making
small legacies to relatives, he left
the bulk Of his fortune to the William
Rice Institute for the Advancement
Of Science, Art and Literature In
After a short time Patrick brought
the valet a bogus will. under which
Patrick was to get half the estate.
The relatives received several times
tn amounts which were really left
them, and the remainder went to the
Rice Institute. Patrick figured that
the real will could. be used as 4 club
10 make the relatives accept the bo-
gus one.
Rice himself suggested the death
which came to him when he told
Jones Of an article which he read In
health magazine regarding the use
chloroform. Suspicion first attach
I'd to atrick when he presented seve.
-al chucks purporting to have been
irawn in his favor by Mr.. Rice at
New York banks. These checks call.
ID for an aggregate Of S26OO00. Two
II the checks accepted by a
company and two others we're
by bankers.
/, Rice's safe deposit value was opeE
ID; and found to contain securities
worth more than 100000 0 Follow.
ng the conviction Of Patrick. Jones
vas rele6sedp bSsthe district attorneys
,Iice. and went to Texas, supposed
be dying Of consumption. After
lis conviction Patrick was sent to-
ling Sing, where he has since been
prisoner In the death chamber.
lie has spent his time chiefly In the
tudy q medicine IN an effort to prove
hat Rice could not cone TO his
in the manner claimed by the
tat at bio trial.
New furniture carried BY Johnson
3 aon. next 10 ROoonWald's. the Plaza. /