At the funeral itself he attempted to conciliate adverse interests and to win witnesses for his purpose.  He had begun to do this the very night that Rice had died, when he told the elevator man that he was remembered in Rice’s will.  He had also informed Wetherbee that he had a five thousand dollars’ legacy.  At the funeral were Blynn, one of Rice’s nephews, who had come on from Massachusetts, and two ladies, to each of whom he stated that they had legacies which would soon be available provided there was no contest of the will.

[Illustration:  Four forged signatures of W.M.  Rice, which bisected and rearranged haphazard fit exactly, thus showing that they were made from the same model.  This would be an utter impossibility in the case of four genuine signatures.]

[Illustration:  Forged assignment of vault at the New York Safe Deposit Co. from Rice to Patrick.]

The detectives now informed Patrick that he was wanted at Headquarters, and Patrick invited Potts to accompany him, informing the latter that the police suspected that there was something unnatural in the cause of death, but that he could explain satisfactorily.  As a matter of fact no such intimation had been made to him by the police or anyone else.  At Police Headquarters after an interview with Inspector McClusky he was permitted to go his way.

Patrick returned to Rice’s apartments, sent for Short and Meyers, and conferred with them there.  He took this occasion to tell Maria Scott, the colored woman who worked in the apartment, that she was suspected of having poisoned Rice, and that she had better say nothing about his death.  Jones told her that she was remembered in the will and that it would be worth her while to stand by himself and Patrick, who would see that she was taken care of.  Meanwhile the coroner had sent the body to the morgue for autopsy.

The autopsy was performed on Tuesday, forty-three hours after death occurred, by Dr. Donlin, a coroner’s physician, in the presence of Dr. Williams, also a coroner’s physician, and of Professor R. A. Witthaus, an expert chemist.  The two physicians testified at the trial that the organs of the body, except the lungs, were normal in condition, save as affected by the embalming fluid.  They and Professor Witthaus agreed in their testimony that the lungs were congested.  Dr. Donlin spoke of their being “congested all over”; while Dr. Williams characterized it as “an intense congestion of the lungs—­coextensive with them.”  Outside of the lungs they found no evidence of disease to account for death, and beyond the congestion these showed nothing except a small patch of consolidated tissue about the size of a twenty-five cent piece.  They testified, in effect, that nothing save the inhalation of some gaseous irritant could have produced such a general congestion, and that the patch of tissue referred to was insufficient to account for the amount of congestion present.  Dr. Donlin