The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-09-29

OANCD a. WAN With MIX. PATRICK
Mr.. Rice had large interests in fexas
and other States. and he spent part
Of his day IN writing letters and direct
ing the large enterprises with which he
was connected. lie had large sums of
ready money. and frequently made loans.
His legal adviser, MIR. Patrick was at
one time bitterly opposed u him III
lawsuit. Mr.. Rice had brought an action
to recover s1,50u,O 200 which ais wife had
given by her VIII to her relatives. Mr..
Patrick who represented the defendants,
later resigned from the case and become
Mr.. Rlce's counsel. The case Is still IN
litigation.
Mr. Patrick had sometimes called at the
apartment OF his client He was moi,
/ there, however, within the ten lays Which
preceded tho death OF Mr.. Rice
| Mr.. Rice wes exceedingly eccentric In
his manner of life, and III: diet was
something Which caIsed his phys,tien
much arSiety. He was his own cook. ana
the dishes which he prepared were FREE
quertly severely criticised.
Mis- Van Alstypc of 81 Fifth avenue.
relative Of the second Mrs Rice, for
Mr.. Rice was twice widower, called at
the apartment one day and gave Mr.. Rice
some advice in culinary matters. She
told him that fried bananas made very
palatable dish, and advised him TO cook
some.
He fried lve bananas last Sunday week
and ate them with much relish He was
so pleased with the fruit that he ate four
more bananas raw. He was shortly after
that taken with severe pains and suffered
from Indigestion. Dr. Walker Curry of
% East sixtyfrs street. VINO was sum
Inoned, found the recluse in i serious
condition, he says.
OVEREATINQ, PHYSICIAN SAYS
Mr.. Rice was i'll for several days. He
seemed better Wednesday and then ate a
soup OF his own devislng, wh'cn, in the
opinion OF his physician. was responsible
Tor another acute attack OF indigestion.
DR.. Curry gave more strict directions
about diet. He thinks Mr.. Rice was
troubled by eating 100 much food. He az
tributes his death largely To tfo disturbed
digestion.
Mr.. Rice insisted upon attending to his
business affairs. He went out in the
street last Friday, according TO his sec
rotary. Ma. Rice directed him TO write
out the checks for Ire large amounts
mentioned on Saturday morning.
MIR. Jones said that mis- employer
seemed TO be entirely rational. although
he was very weak. Mr.. Jones iook the
checks to the office Of Mr.. p0liik. mt
7y5 Broadway.
MIR. Rice grew worse Last Sunday. and
his physician called dpon him at about
10 O'Clock in the MOI ming. He found that
Mr.. Rec was very weak, and told MI.
Jones TO call for him later in the day.
Mr.. Jones says he found Mi Rec dead
in his bed at 8 o'clock Sunday night. DR..
Curry, wlo was hastily summoned said
the millionaire had been lead for proba-
hly twenty minutes at that hour.
STATEMENT FROM DIR. CURRY.
DR.. Curry made out death certificate
which seemed to fully cover the ground.
The death was ascribed to old age, weak
heart, Indigestion and mental distress"
Dr. Curry, when seen last evening at his
office, talked freely sad traukly OF has
reasons for making the death certhcate
SO comprehensive.
There was no disease n any o. Mr..
Rices organs he said. The leart was
a little weak, but still there was N" VaIVu
lar disease The indigestion vas cue 10
,mprudence In diet :ather than from any
real ailment.
I'm fact, until this last attack NJ
Rice was gaining in strength. Lad m
duoed him to modify ms aict shu 10 'aho
less seyara exercise.
can his organs were sound enough TO
Justify the mans belief. often expressed
to me. that he would live to be nun
dred years old. He had, however. iost
much money by the burning OF some OIL
mills in Houston. Texas, several weeks
ago.
"Then came the Southern cyclone,
which destroyed many houses which ne
owned in the city of Galveston. Although
he was still very wealthy man after
these disasters. the fact OF MS losses
preyed upon his mind.
''The eating of the bananas, / THINK
was what produced the conditions which
finally brought about his death me
autopsy performed at the margGe. ! I'M
derstand, revealed a congested condition
Iof the lungs. That could have been
caused by the death struggle
CODY SATURATED WITH CHEMICALS.
1t had been Mr., Rice's wish that he be
cremated. is the assertion made by Mr.
Patrick. Several weeks before his death.
Mr.. Patrick says that his clieut had de-
cided to direct that his body be disposed
of by fire after his death.
Mr.. Patrick asked him TO make that al
rection in a letter which. after some re-
nection. Mr.. Rice did. Mr. Patrick has
in his possession this lettc~
IL was expressly stipulated in TINS
communicate ton that no embalming tu.d
should be used. The undertaken. who
took charge OF the body. however. de-
cIared he could not keep II without the
.use of fluid. Mr. Patrick says. The body.
although il was intended for cremation,
was therefore saturated with a powerful
chemical mud.
The funeral was held in The Madison
avenue apartments at 10 O'Clock vester-
day morning. No provision saS teen
made for the attendance OF the relatives
of Mr.. Rice. Two nephews from Spring.
field. Mass, did arrive here in time, how
ever. 10 attend the obsequief.
When the brief service Tor the dend
had been read. Mr.. Patrick told those
who were there that the body had been
taken ia charge by the coroner and tbs,t
the cremation would not occur. There
was received o few minutes later tele-
gram from Mr.. Rice's brother, asking
that the body be kept so that he might
see Il upou his arrival from Texas.
The body was taken TO the morgne
after the funeral services.
BALKED BY EMBALMING FLUID.
The autopsy showed that the heart was
sound and the lungs congested. The
general condition OF the body indicated
senility. There was some trace Of irri-