New-York tribune., 1903-04-24
COL. RICKEY A SUICIDE.
DRINK BEARS HIS NAME.
Took Acid in Street-Had Long
Been III.

Colonel Joseph Kyle hickey. said to be the
originator OF the drink known as the gin
rickey.'' committed suicide in most dramatic
manner yesterday. dying in his home at No. "A
West Twenty-hfth-st
For several weeks Colonel hickey had been
suffering from a complication Of diseases. He
had been under the constant attendance Of his
family physician. DR.. Maddox. and also had a
man nurse attending him. DR.. Maddox ordered
that the colonel stay in bed, but he was so well
known In the neighborhood where he lived that
he insisted on going out and visiting his friends
every morning.
He left his house about 1870 a. yesterday.
went into the loboy of the Hoffman House. and
talked with frie.ds fY long time. Then ne
went into a drug store near by and, 1t Is sald'
purchased some carboIic acid, telling the drug
clerk he wanted il for a disinfectant.
Patrolman Riordan was standing at Twenty
ffth-st. and said Good morning" to Colonel
Rickey as the latter passed him. To his sur
prise the policeman did not get the customary
nod from the colonel. and then Riordan noticed
that Colonel Hickey appeared to be hardly able
to walk The policeman took hold OF the
coloners arm and walked with him to his home
The door was opened by Mrs. Hickey. VINO told
the policeman to take her husband into the rear
parlor of the apartment. The policeman placed
the colonel on q lounge and went to the door TO
out He had hardly turned MS DdCh AO"
ever. when he heard q crash, and on looking
back saw Colonel Hickey lying on the floor.
hurry call for an ambulance was sent to the
New-Yorlx Hospital. and Dr. E. B. Finch, Of No
Q West Twenty -fourth-st. was also summoned
The physicians, who arrived at the house about
the same time found the colonel dead.
Afrerward an empty vial that had contained
the acid was found in the coloners clothes. Mrs
Hickey had been with her husband all the time
he was in the house, and had not seen him take
the acid. 1t is thought, therefore, that ne drank
the poison in the street.
Colonel Hickey was sixty-one years old He
was born in Wisconsin and spent his boyhood
days in Iowa After the Civil War he went to
Fulton Mo, where he married Miss Sallie HOW
ard. daughter Of DR.. Howard Of Howard
County. Mo Then he went to St. Louis. where
for many years ne was engaged in the brokerage
business. Eight years ago he came here, ana
lived in the Hoffman House until recently.
Coroner scholer announced last night that
d.. Weston had performed an autopsy on the
body Of Colonel Hickey at his home, and had
found small quantity Of carb0lic acid IN the
stomach.
Colonel Rickey committed suicide" said Cor
ouer Schoier: "the autopsy settles all doubt
think he must have taken the acid with whs-
key. Alcohol acts as an antidote TO caFDoHc
add, and taken in whiskey, the lips or tongue
would not be burned. On account OF the eondi-
tion Of his heart il would only require a snldLl
quantity of tho acid to kill him.
Mrs. Leslie Hanchett, Colonel hickey s oaVsh-
ter. was also with him when he died. Mrs
Hanchett who lives with her husband in East
Saginaw Mich, received a telegram from
Colonel Hickey a few days ago. What the tele-
gram contained she refuses to d1vuige' Dut au-
rnitted that il caused her TO come here at once;
Colonel Hickey served at one time on IIe
staff of Governor Woodson, OF missouri ne
was a politician in Missouri and an untahIns
attendant at conventions, where he was always
the centre of a set of good fellows AS a fa-
contour and epicure it is alleged the colonel
was always in the van. He exploited and popu-
arized the gin rickey, though II IS asserted COW
mel Watterson christened the drink
It was at the ST. Louis convention that nonl,
mated TiIden so the story goes, that ColoneI
Watterson. after being locked in a room for
eighteen hours where he as q MEMBER OF IIle
COMMITTEES on resolutions had been trying 10
build a party platform, emerged hot, tired ana
thirsty. Seeing Hickey. he called TO him TO JON
him in = cooling tipple. When asked by the
bartender what he would have, Colonel WatIe[-
son who had partaken Of the beverage WIN
Colonel Rickey before, said oh. give me one
Of those-of those. ah-rickeys-' AND the flcAeS
.I,aI