Forged Checks Drawn in His Favor

Lawyer Albert T. Patrick, who is charged with having caused the death of William Marsh Rice, the Texas millionaire, will probably know this afternoon whether Justice Jerome will hold him to await the action of the grand jury. It is generally expected that the testimony in the committment proceedings will all be in this afternoon.

The first witness to-day was William J. Kinsley, expert on handwriting. The witness was handed several checks paid by Swenson and company and signed by William Rice and was then handed the 1900 will and the checks for $25,000 and $65,000 drawn on Swenson and company in favor of Patrick. Mr. Kinsley said that in his opinion the signatures on the will and the checks were not written by the person who signed the checks presented by the prosecution and having the genuine signature of William M. Rice.

Assistant District Attorney Osborne then handed the witness the assignment on the Fifth Avenue Trust company and what is known as "the cremation letter" and Mr. Kinsley said: "I have already compared the signatures on these papers with the admitted signature of the late Mr. Rice, and I say that, in my opinion they were not written by the same person."

Defendant's counsel, Mr. Moore then asked the witness if he had any personal knowledge of the handwriting of Mr. Rice other than that certain signatures were shown him as being in Mr. Rice's handwriting, and the expert replied that he had not.

David N. Carvalho, another handwriting expert, corroborated Mr. Kinsley's statement.

Assistant District Attorney Osborne then said that the prosecution rested its case until Prof. Witthaus, the analyst, could appear. Prof. Witthaus was not in court and a recess was ordered pending his arrival.