RICE, John
Source: Waynetown Despatch 3 April 1908
Mellott was stirred from the even tenor
of her way Sunday by the suicide of John Rice, a well known citizen of that
place, carbolic acid being the chosen route by the victim of self-destruction.
The report is that Sunday morning Mr. Rice told his wife that he was going to
Newtown to spend the day with a sister, and started as she supposed to Newtown
but it later developed that he had gone to the barn and there took an overdose
of carbolic acid and died. The discovery was made by a neighbor who went to the
barn about noon to feed Rice’s horses. The alarm was given at once and the
coroner was summoned who found that death came as above stated. However it is
rumored that there has arise grave suspicions that it may be a case of murder
and there is talk of a more thorough investigation than was made at the inquest
Sunday. There is talk of exhuming the
body and holding a post mortem to determine if these suspicions are true or
not. Rice was about 44 years old and conducted the draying business of the
town. It is said that he had been mentally deranged for a year and his mania
was insane jealousy of his wife, which most likely led up to his tragedy of
self-destruction. - kbz