, 1874-12-18
Cause Of Ills PrOtraCtel and Fatal
Illness,
History Of His Career as Actor and
Manager.
"reminiscences Of Early Theatrical Days
in Chicago.
Els Political Career.

1EHLtrNh9 WOr11IuB uiapAtcn WIS f9Colfoa
horo requesting all tho mon1bors OF tho family
Of tho Hon. j. d. Tico at prcsont In tho clsy to
1aston to l,tu side II thoy winhod to SEQ him
alive: tho Telegram stated that ho waa falling
rapidly aud that llo could 1--we but fo,7 days ut
tho furthcst. III obedience to this melancholy
nlossago, hts daughters md sons-in-law loft for
Norfolk In tho afternoon. Hardly an hour
lad elapsed after their departure whom
auothcr telegram camc, Btating TINT Mr..
Rico had died at half-past o'clock at tho
houHo Of hiH aon-iu-law, alr. Kinaba!l. Oh Froo-
man Btrcot, whore ho Was stopping with his wife.
Tho family will, however, continue on their
journey, and will probably moet tho remains Of
their father ut Nichmoud, whonce they will 10
brought to this city.
on1d1N OF HIS BicKNEsg.
When AIr. Nico camo homo at tho expiration
Of tho Inst Bcsnion Of Congress- his face waH al-
most as ruddy, his stop us firm, aud 1is general
lealth apparently good, ns n hts carlicr ycaro.
uo was n nan Of aauirnblo constitution,
who, during long and buBy lfo,
had boon almost ignorant Of tho meaning Of tho
word sickness. Yet theso outward signs Of vol.
boing woro deceptive; the constant confinement
Incident to Congressional dutiea, which ho pot-
fo,,nod with raro faithfulnaas, had told upun
man whose previous habits OF life had boon 10
active aud energetic. Tho hot woathor Of
climate to which ho had boon stranger ance
his boyhood, together with the change In food
and water, produced chronic diarrhaa, which
lie neglected. to check in its oarly atagoa,
When ho grow worao, aud demanded
medical treatment, inatead of returning
homo, or going to some Northorn watcr-
ing-place, ho left Washington only to
20 to Norfolk. Ho exchanged place which waB
hot for ono which was infinitely hotter, and
though llo improved somewhat, IL WIS due more
to the cousation Of labor tl,an to the change OF
climate. His reason for soliciting Norfolk was
that ono of his daughtors was married to J. 7.
Einball, an Engineer in the navy, rho was
stationed there.
ArTEn HIS RETURN.
Soon after his return 10 Chicago, ho wont to
the residoucc of his aon-in-law, George L. DUH
lap, Esq., at Geneva Luke, hoping that in that
gcnial spot ho might regain his fading strength.
But tho discauo had fastoned itsoH too
strongly upon him, and his whole Bum-
mcr was II succession Of alight gaiue
always followed by gtlll aeyorer attacka. As tho
monthaa wore OIL, aud tile political contest grew
warm, ao felt compelled to withdraw from tho
po1itlcnl arana and to rcnounco his claims for
TINT denomination which would otherwise have
been unanimously tonderea him. When the
Convention met Oh tho goth Of October, a letter
was read from him in which llo adycrted to his
tasiug health aud withdrew his natno AZ candl~
datc. a month ago, as tho wonthor grow colder,
lo
RETURNED To NORFOLK,
hoping to find soMo relief In It's 1nlder climate.
4 slight improvement wuR followed by rela,,se,
which prevented him from going to Washing
lou. Tho disouso grow WORSE, and Inflammation
OF tho bowels set iu, which proved fatal it, TOW
hours. and the genial gentleman, the ne
had $tk..
oilicor, died far from Ills old lomo from tue poo
rlo who loved md honorod him. but ministprcd
to BY the atIcctountc hRndg Of 1la vito, and by
tho daughter ut whose house ho was atAping.
Hts EARLY LIFE.
John BfaRo Rico waH born In tho yi1}ago Of
Eahton. Talbot County, MARYLAND, in 1900. His
father Was shoemaker, aud ho learned tlat
trade. dcrosing Aia attontion especially to
wolnena Shoes. II il not known how long
ho worked at tlia humble calling, nor
is it cortNu that lie might not hayo stuck to tho
lust many years longer, and tho whole current Of
his life havo run in different cllnnnel. but for
nn accidental circumstance something in this
wise: Tho manager Of Baltimore theatre John
tho streets of the Maryland metropolis ono day.
overheard rich muaicai yoico trolling out Bpng
nsllo shoemakors shop. Ho stopped aud lis
tenod for q nloMent, and then palAed on, but
with an oyo Tor talent OF oil kinds, he mudo it
convenient soon after to drop in Ut tho ehoe-
snop' aha hnu out tho posseesor OF the
, mno oaI'tono. xat,or ,e p1aoi hesotiatlan tno
young hnoamaher o,L WY engaged na cior6tor IN
clemens y i4oatte, anu IL Mas toro tho ssaGo,!afe
u JoHls -. luce ooR',l: LUIS Was Ill !o3o. The
following year found him nlombor OF tue com.
pany OF LUG
,,,: "ahnot nAi"4Ai 1AEAiAe+
fnasaaetpnia, WAofe Nc "as ehaaSod lot Sing
lhE pasta .Ithat la he WIS member Of tho
esoaua' ano oScassonal'y i was on tor song he,
sMeo W;sa ncss WING VIVA, H. rhaaen'a 10 married
Mlss mary anu "n.!ei, ..is, oanShtef OF tile Old
aanagef and @ctor, William marrep long since
aGceaaea, aha s1a.or or William Narran. tue
eGieotatou G;s.. Wa comeulan o. tno noston Musonm
Az !sH warren %na % taen piayins honorette pnrts AZ
tno Maina. ,. asFedt dnoA1fy: Az luce alose,
duen1'y "en1 ~ 11oanS' n l., who're no oponed
Ae
n,... NATIONAL AArnl4uEA1nE; ~
Ihat anacftak'nE, however, proved failure,
ana a,l no uaeamo asaoela.ea win heniy T. Mecch,
aida rnH psaP1oror tro ot tao namy alaHeam: e re-
nalhoa t thole 1our or IVY Seafs aa manager; and
tnonco "ent 70 bun9io where M no 1ol1cd tho
'o9 OF tdo
9A IuoaH bGAllo1lcu ab manager, l1Qv.