New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-11-29
DOCTORS STILL DISAGREE
AS TO HOW RICE DIED
Physicians and Scientists on
Both Sides Stick to Original
Conflicting Theories.

Dr. r.. J. Donlin. surgeon IN the
Police Department, who. when attached
20 the Coroner's staff, performed the
autopsy upon the body Of William Marsh
Rice. and whose testimony was largely
responsible for Patrick's sentence 20 the
death chair. said last night he still firmly
believed his original testimony was night
II declared and testified he said,
chat congestion OF tho lungs could be
produced by the Inhalation ~ some irrl-
tatiug yapor such as ala acid or chloro-
form. / never said that RIce's death was
due 10 chIoroform poisoning. The other
side YOU probably remember. declared
that the condition Of the lungs was due
to the cmbalmiug huid that had entered
and produced the cOngested condition In
which they were found.
go. &c was a fair Hght between the
doctors OF our side and those Of the
other, and they lost Judge Goff sustained
US and remarked that We had made a
more careful and sk.ltui examination
than they had"
And, on the other hand, there Is Dr.
John II. Iarldn, professor Of pathology
i'm the College Of Physicians and sur
grous. who also made a thorough cN-
animation Of the body, and who likewise
emphatically asserts that his original
testimony was correct He f. one OF
those who said that the embalmIng AUid
had entered the lungs and congested
them IN referring 20 the testimony last
night he said:
Il can ind no justification FOR the de-
Cislon OF those doctors as TO the chloro-
form theory. IN my opinion those men
were not competent to have arrived At
such an opinion, as compared TO the
many famous specialists who testified
otherwise. have not changed my Opin-
ion one whit"
Dr. Hamilton Williams, OF staten
Island, vino assisted Or. DOnlin iu his
autopsy was out Of town and his opinion
could not be- obtained.
In the minds Of many lawyers there
seems 20 be doubt as TO the possibility OF
Patrick ever again becoming a member
Of the bar or the Bar Association. SIlas
r. Brownwell. secretary Of the assOcia-
ton, said:
81 doubt II the pardon will restore
him to membership. A pardon, / UNI
derstand. restores all his rights to cit
izenship, but 1t wouldn't restore his
membership to the bar. There are two
moves for hlm-one TO make an applica-
ton 10 vacate the disbarment and the
other to make new application for adj
mission. The Appellate Division Of the
Supreme Court, / understand, disbarred
him because of his conviction. When the
conviction OF felony is set aside on APP
peal IL Is a matter of course TO set aside
the disbarment, out when he IS pardoncd
the case Is utterly different. / am in
clined to think that IL would have no
effect upon the application for restora-
ton to membership"
William VI. *. Olcott chief counsel for
Patrick, said last night that the pardoncd
man would be I'm his office early this
morning, at which time d statement, no
doubt, would be given out lie said:
Patrick was never guilty OF that
crime as was at the first convinced. /
made careful examination Of the legal
and medical evidence and never faltered
in my belief that he was enormously con-
victed. | especially examined the precise
scientific evidence that the medlco-legal
aspect Of the case afforded, namely, Rices
death by cnloroform. Chloroform could
not. scientifically, have left the body IN
the condition I'm which it was found"
Dr. Timothy d. Leblanc. the Coroner's
physician who testified as to his knowl-
edge of the condition OF the lungs of those
who have died from chloroform poison
ing, said last night that he thought It
quite possible that Rice died from natural
causes
II performed autopsies upon the bodies
OF two men of about Rice's age who had
been poisoned with chloroform. After
hearing the prosecutors physicians de-
scribe the condition OF Mr.. Rice's lungs /
was convinced that the conditions did
not agree with those I had knowledge OF.
The conditions as described by the physl-
clans were not. In my belief, character
lsuc OF chloroform poisoning"