Rice - John - 1908
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