Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1906-12-28

DISCOVERY OF FINGER PRINTS ON
RICE WILL MAY PROVE HIS
INNOCENCE.
MAY SHOW WILL GENUINE.
Patrick Is Not Satisfied with Life Sen.
tence Instead of Death-Wants
Pardon.

NEW YORK, Dec. 21.-Thumb markf
on the disputed will of the late William
Marsh Rice may result in freedom fol-
Albert T. Patrick. A determined effort
is now being made by Patrick's wife and
her brother to clear the name of the fa
nous prisoner.
To Disprove Murder.
Patrick will seek to prove that Rice
was not murdered but that his death
was due to the causes ascribed by Dr.
Curry in the death certifcate-"old age
weak heart, diarrhoea and mental wor
ry."
Following this Patrick will contend
that he did not forge the Rice will as
alleged and that because the will de-
prived interested parties in Texas of
vast fortune he had to be put to death
to enable them to acquire possession OF
it.
Without Patrick's knowledge new and
hitherto unpublished evidence concernt
ing the alleged forged signatures, which
Justice of the appellate division rei
garded as of such grave Importance that
he Immediately advised its discoverer to
lay the facts before Recorder Golf, whd
presided at the murder trial and wig
three times sentenced the prisoner to dls
in the electric chair, has been obtained.
claims signature Genuine.
Albert III. Hamilton of Auburn, n. VI
an expert in toXicology and in disputed
handwritings, holds this information and
over his own signature has made tht
declaration that the visible proof can bd
shown that the disputed signature on
which the prosecution relied to ESTABLISH
motive is the genuine handwriting OF
Rice. Recorder Golf was advised, but
the receipt of the letter was not aci
knowledged. David B. Sill as counsel
was informed, but, as subsequently ex.
planned, he regarded the principal effort
to be made, the disproving of the crlmet
before disproving the motive and ha
made no answer.
AS the case hinged almost exclusively
on the genuineness or falsity of signai
ture the exhibits in the Patrick murde{
trial were introduced as the most COM
vincing illustrations of the inability OF
any person to sign his or her name So
day that they would ''superimpose.' In
the technique of the handwriting expert
that means, if one signature were placeq
over another the curves, angles ana
spaces would vary widely. So. 1T was
assumed that where the superimposins
showed that the two signatures were
identical it was an evidence or tracing
and consequently forgery.
Thumb Print May Free Patrick.
In GAuulluillS luc ulSpuICu ANASS SD
natures-those which it was alleged Fat
rick Disqualification discovered on one
faint smudge at the upper part ana
at the outer curl of the r. and Jus,
above the dot of the 81" With the aid
of a magnifying glass he discovered that
the blot had been caused by the imprint
of forefnger. Closer examination dis
closed the corrugations and lines of the
cuticle, which, according to the Bertillon
system Of measurements, are not alike
in shape, size or direction in any two hui
man hands in the world.
Without telling of his discovery to
anybody Hamilton went to Rochester
and made an examination of the full
set of exhibits in the law library of the
court of appeals. He scrutiniZed the
great mass of admitted signatures OF
William M. Rice and after a long search
found check on which appeared tiny
smudge over the last three letters of
showed this to be the imprint of finger,
made when the ink was nearly dry.
Finds Prints Are Identical.
Hamilton made a measurement and to
his amazement discovered the lines to
be identical with the lines in the dis.
puted signature he had examined in Au-
burn This indicated that the latter was
written by Rice, as the other was known
to be.
Samuel Bell Thomas, who has had
charge of the medico-legal end of the
Patrick case and whose efforts in OBJ
tanning the signatures of $500 physicians
in New York state certifying that the
medical expert testimony for the prose.
cution was open to grave doubt, was
amazed when shown the statement of
the Auburn expert.
''Its Importance can not be over eSti.
mated said Mr.. Thomas. eff what
Prof. Hamilton says in his signed state
ment is true it destroys absolutely the
motive for murder in the case against
Patrick, without which the prosecution
fails utterly.
Patrick May Be Insane.
ALBANY, N. Y, Dec. 21.-There is
a grave doubt in the minds of many as
to whether or not Patrick is a fit subject
for the asylum for the criminal insane
at Mattewan. A report was made to
Gov. Higgins after he had announced
that he had committed Patrick's SEN
tence that the condemned lawyer would
not accept a communication but would
continue to fight for his freedom.
patrick will have to be CAREFUL" said
the governor, cor he will find himself
at Mattewan. He has apparently lost
his head. The strain has probably been
too much for him."
Mattewan is the asylum for criminal
insane.
1t is said that Patrick has written
many letters recently to the governor
and that some of them were so worded
that they left little doubt of the pris'
oner's insanity.
Prisoner Not Satisfied.
Ossining, n. Y, Dec. 21.-Albert T.
Patrick announced that he was not sat
isfed with communication and would al
once begin his fight for freedom.
writ of habeas corpus will be applied
for, it was said, in the United States
court making Warden Johnson the de
PENDANT.
The first news of the action of Gov.
Higgins was made to the prisoners eel
in the death house in Sing Sing prison
by his wife.
Mrs. Patrick left New York immedi
ately on receipt of the news from Albany
and upon her arrival here she was per
mitted to go at once to her husbands
cell.
Patrick seemed not at all surprised tc
learn that the governor had interviewed
to save his life.
MRS. MYERS is FIGHTING