Two o’clock on Monday afternoon, eighteen hours after the death, Jones, at Patrick’s direction, began to notify the relatives that Rice had died the evening before, and that the funeral would take place the following morning.  The telegrams to Baker and to Rice, Jr., in Texas, were in the following extraordinary form: 

Mr. Rice died eight o’clock last night under care of physicians.  Death certificate, “old age, weak heart, delirium.”  Left instructions to be interred in Milwaukee with wife.  Funeral 10 A. M. to-morrow at 500 Madison Avenue.

It is significant that care was used to convey the information that the death was a natural one with a physician in attendance; that the body was to be interred in Milwaukee, without reference to the cremation.  This may well have been so that if any suspicions of foul play should arise, the recipients, realizing that they could not reach New York in time to arrest matters there, might hasten to Milwaukee to intercept the body, where they could be met by Jones with the cremation letter in his pocket and his urn of ashes under his arm.

But the telegram did arouse suspicion, and Baker and Rice immedately wired Jones as follows: 

    Please make no disposition of Rice’s remains until we arrive.  We
    leave to-night, arrive New York Thursday morning.

Baker also instructed N. A. Meldrum, a Texan then in New York, to co-operate with Jones in preserving everything intact.

In the meantime, however, Swenson had notified his attorneys, who in turn had informed the police and the District Attorney’s office, and that evening at about eleven o’clock James W. Gerard, accompanied by a detective, who posed as the lawyer’s clerk, interviewed Patrick at his home.  Patrick informed Gerard that he had an assignment of all Rice’s property and also a will of Rice’s of which he was executor.  This was the first reference to the will of 1900.  He also informed Gerard that he would not receive a cent under its provision.  To have explained the real terms of the will would, under the circumstances, have excited too much suspicion.  Yet he was eager to let the Swensons know that as executor he was in a position to control the profitable banking business that would arise from the settlement of the estate.  In the meantime four Headquarters’ detectives, representing themselves as lawyers, visited the apartments.

Patrick hurried to 500 Madison Avenue, where he learned of Meldrum’s presence in town.  Things were turning out far from the way in which he had expected.  He then hastened to his office down-town, which he reached about half-past one in the morning, and, alone, destroyed great quantities of paper, attempting to dispose of them through the toilet bowl, which was so clogged that the water flowed out upon the floor, necessitating an apology to the janitor.  In the silence of the night misgivings came upon him.  He lost his nerve, and at two o’clock in the morning called up the undertaker and revoked the signed order for cremation which he had given.  Leaving the office at about five in the morning he first visited Meyers, thence proceeded to his own boarding-house, and from there went to the apartments, which he reached at eight o’clock.  Here he found the detectives who had been on guard since early morning to forestall any attempt to remove the body.