His Valet Chloroformed Him. His Lawyer Forged the Will. The Fortune Built Rice University

On September 23, 1900, one of the richest men in America was found dead in his New York apartment, and the death certificate said old age. It was a lie. William Marsh Rice, worth more than $4 million and with almost no family left, had been chloroformed in his sleep by the valet who brought him his meals, on the orders of a lawyer who had forged a new will leaving himself the entire fortune. The plot unraveled over a single misspelled check, a payment of a huge sum on which the lawyer's own first name was written wrong. What the killers never got was the money, because Rice had already promised nearly all of it to build a school. Subscribe to the channel: @cursedfortunes In this video, we tell the full story of the Rice murder, including his rise from a penniless young man to one of the wealthiest men in Texas, his secretive second marriage and the hidden 1896 will that began the first war over his fortune, the lawyer Albert Patrick and the valet Charles Jones, the slow poisoning by mercury and the night of the chloroform, the forged checks and the bank clerk who caught the misspelled name, the 1902 murder trial, the disputed medical evidence, the death sentence and the full pardon of 1912, and the founding of the Rice Institute, which opened its doors exactly twelve years after the murder. 🔔 Subscribe so the next story of a great fortune and the family it destroyed finds you. 💬 Comment where you're watching from and tell me whether you believe Albert Patrick got away with murder. 📢 Share this with anyone who loves a Gilded Age mystery, on Facebook, Reddit, or a group chat. You are the reason this channel exists. Chapters: 00:00 Opening 01:18 The rich man who lived like a poor one 15:43 A fortune measured in land and leaf 22:53 Two wives, and no one to leave it to 30:54 The secret will and the first war over the money 45:53 The young man who brought his meals 53:48 A sickness with a source no doctor could find 1:08:40 Dead of old age, the telegram said 1:16:55 The name spelled wrong 1:24:51 Baker, the autopsy, and a confession in a cell 1:40:37 Death house, a commutation, and a pardon 1:48:20 September the twenty third, twelve years on Sources: Rice Magazine, A Murder, A Mystery and a Vision A Murder, A Mystery and a Vision Texas State Historical Association, Handbook of Texas, William Marsh Rice William Marsh Rice: Life of a Texas Financier and Philanthropist Rice University, William Marsh Rice, A Centennial Portrait William Marsh Rice: A centennial portrait New England Historical Society, The Texas-Size Story of William Marsh Rice https://newenglandhistoricalsociety.c... Encyclopedia.com, Albert Patrick Trial 1902 Albert Patrick Trial: 1902 | Encyclopedia.com HistoricalCrimeDetective.com, The Murder of Millionaire William Rice by Albert Patrick, 1900 The Murder of Millionaire William Rice by Albert Patrick, 1900 DISCLAIMER: This video is based on real historical events and figures, drawn from the sources listed above alongside primary archives, biographies, court records, period press, and leading historical scholarship. While every video is heavily researched, occasional minor inaccuracies in dates, quotes, or specific details may occur — historical sources sometimes disagree, and interpretation is sometimes required where the historical record is silent. Any errors are unintentional. #WilliamMarshRice #RiceUniversity #GildedAge #GildedAgeHistory #TrueCrime #HistoricalTrueCrime #History #AmericanHistory #Houston #TexasHistory #NewYorkHistory #AlbertPatrick #Documentary #Millionaire #ColdCase #Forgery #MurderMystery #CursedFortunes #TurnOfTheCentury #Inheritance