New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-08-09
SAY ROBBERS SLEW RICE
Cleveland Police Abandon Theory
That Enemy Killed Him.
FIND DISCHARGED CADDIE
Will Probably Release Him
William Nelson Cromwell Adds
$4,000 to Reward.

Cleveland. Aug S.--The theory that Will
lam L. Rice. the millionaire attorney. who
was murdered near mis- Euclid Heights
homo on Friday night. was assassinafed for
revenge was practically abandoned by the
police this evening. The discovery of new
clews Yesterday and to-day. all of which
point to attempted robbery as the motive
of the crime, has confirmed their opinion
that hold-up men are responsible for the
LAWYERS death. Friends of Rice still be
ileve he was assassinated by q personal
enemy.
The police say they have learned that a
robbery had been planned by professional
criminals In the neighhorhod of Mr. Rice S
home on the night of the murder. This in
formation has convinced the authorities
that Mr. Rice was killed by thieves whom
he accidentally encountered and attempted
TO arrest.
The two objections to the robbery theory
are that the body found lying in the
full glare of an arc light and that nothing
of value had been removed from It. The
police explain this on the ground that the
murder was preceded by a struggle in which
Mr. Rice's assailants were forced into the
light and that noise of an approaching au-
tomobie frightened them away before they
had a chance to rife their victim.
To stimulate the already active search for
the murderer of Rice the reward for the
apprehension OF his assaiants was in
creased to $4,000 to-day. In addition to
the s. 600 reward posted last Saturday by
Mr. Rlce's law partners. William Nelson
Cromwell of New York. who accompanied
Mrs Rice to Cleveland from an Eastern
summer resort. offered another 5000 to-
dav Mr. Cromwell was close personal
friend and business associate OF Mr. Rice
He has taken charge of Rice's aft airs.
1t became known to-day that Pasquale
Guiliamo a seyento-cryoar-o1d Italian. was
arrested on the Euclid Golf Club links last
night and exa min q closely as to his
wherea bouts on the night of the Rice muir
der Guiliaino. a former cadde at the
Euclid links was discharged at Mr.. Rice's
instigaton after fight with the master
caddie He had carried the clubs for Mr..
Rice many times. The boy was put
through a rigid inquiry. as a result of
which the officials say they do not think
he is connected with the crime. The boy
Will probably be released.
Two suspected persons arrested in War
rem. Ohio yesterday were released to-day
They attracted suspicion to themselves by
their eagerness for news of the murder
developments.
Mr. Rice's funeral took place this after
noon. It was attended by the leaders or
the county and city bench and bar and by
scores of prominent business men who had
been associated with the lawyer in his
various financial transactions.
Marshal Brockway of Euclid Heights
village is still working on the theory that
Rice was killed by chicken thieves. He
regards the bag of stolen chickens found
yesterday in the bushes sixty feet away
from the scene of the murder as the most
tangible Ciew Vet unearthed.
County Detective Doran argues that
Rice. returning from the Euclid Club.
where he had spent the evening, met the
thieves returning booty laden from the
henhouse of ". 2 Palmer. his next door
neighbor. and. attempting TO arrest them,
was first cut and then shot. The theory IS
that the robbers. frightened by the lights
of an approaching automobile. then fed,
discardins the bag of chickens as they ran
c Fl. Stewart. associated with Rice in the
Realty Trust Company, is one Of those who
favor the theory that Rice was killed by 4
personal enemy
Il was at first inclined to believe robbery
fuller inveStiga ton of the case seems to
explode the theory. It now looks like the
crime of some enemy. If il were, he must
have been a man Of considerable import
ance as Mr.. Rice had not been concerned
for years in small affairs
The thing that cinches the failure Of the
robbery theory is the fact that DIR, Phil
lips who discovered the body, did not hear
the shot. Il his machine was not close
CROUCH for him to hear the pistol, It is
Cerrsin that robbers would have had time
to rife the body
1T may have been a murder plot. with
more THAI one assassin implicated. IT does
not seem probabI that one man would
have used 3 knife or some blunt instrument
and q gun. a. vas brought out in the au-
topsy.
The place of the crime. street inter
section under an arc light. also seems to
explode the robbery theory 1t looks as If
the assassin was waiting for Rice and Rice
alone and was so placed as 10 get him
whether he took Euclid Boulevard TO the
rear entrance of his home or went around
10 the front entrance. taking Derbysh1re
Road to Overlook Road