Chariton courier. (Keytesville, Chariton County, Mo.) 1878-current, 1895-05-31
Suicide Of R. N. Rice.
He Ends His Existence by Taking
Strychnine.

lHsuTtu III tne M8ccdOceS TOT o.
900 Which Win Go TO His
Aged Father and
Mother.
Robert Mitchell Rice, q young man
% years OF age, who has been max
ing his home with his half uncle,
Giles c. Rice, living one mile east OF
KeytesviIle, for the past three years.
working in the capacity OF q farm
hand. committed suicide last Sum
day evening by taking strychnine.
There was nothing unusual in the
young mans demeanor during the
day to indicate that he contemplat-
ed self-destruction. he was in his
accustomed good humor up to the
time be went up stairs and swallow
ed the deadly drug, which was about
$50 O'Clock in the afternoon, and
while no one was about the house
but the female portion OF the fam
lily, some OF whom noticed young
Rice 60 to the safe and get q tea
spoon and teacup but thought
nothing OF it.
1t was not discovered until an
hour afterward that he had taken
the poison. and then all efforts to
fesuscitate him were in vain, death
ensuing in a5ou. half an hour from
the time be was found lying on the
bed upstairs.
A email. round paste board box
which contained about seven grams
OF morphine wac found in the tea
cup. which was sitting on q note to
Miss Daisy Rice. under the edge OF
the bed. A line written on piece OF
paper that was lying across the top
of the teacup read: "Take care OF
the box; the note will explain"
The note mentioned was written
to Miss Daisy Rice, the 10 year,old
daughter OF Giles Rice, and was
dated Dec. 26th. 1894. 1t contained
words of kindness and affection for
the young lady to whom IL was
written. proving that the writer was
very much enamored OF her, as he
stated that he loved her better than
he did himself. but there was no eI.
PLANTATION why he had taken his own
life. The strychnine is supposed to
have been purchased about the time
this note was written, and was
bought at Gaston's drug store in
Keytesville.
Young Rice was the son OF n. H.
Rice. who was resident OF Charlton
county many years ago, but, with
the exception OF one year spent il
this county and one year in Ran.
dolph county, has lived ir California
and Texas since the late civil war.
The old gentleman 10 now "a years
old and resides in Moiave, Cal. The
sad, untimely and wholly unexpected
death of his son will be q severe blow
to him in his declining years.
For the past four years K. N. Rice
had lived near Keytssville. one year
with John Carroll, but for the past
three years he had made his home
with his uncle, Giles C.. Rice, who
says he never had q better hand
work for him.
A year ago the Sth OF this month
young Rice joined the keytesville
tent Of Maccabees, and had his in
surance policy for $4,000 made pay
able to his parents. All OF the mem
bers of the young mans immediate
family live either in California or
Texas, with the exception of two
brothers, A. FL. Rice, OF Moberly, who
holds responsible and lucrative
position with the Wabash railway
as car inspector and w. T. Rice, who
recently left Keytesville for Colorado.
At the coroner's inquest, held Sun.
day night by DR.. g. N. Dewey, cor
oner, the verdict was that deceased
came to his death by taking strych-
nine, q poisonous and deadly drug.
The funeral obsequies were con-
Quoted by the Keytesville tent Of
Msccabees at the City cemstery
Monday afternoon at 5 o'clock. and
IN appropriate talk made and pray.