The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-01-03
TAKES HIS LIFE.
A Young Man From this State
Commits Suicide in
THE CITY OF MOBILE.
Was Short In His Accounts With the
Company for Which tie Worked.
He Was Popular and His
Death Was a Shock to
g. His Friends.
THE CITY OF MOBILE.

rho State says Ii lWdlQ CdIeW N Ut
80 years of age, a local society favor
lite and a prominent club man, who es
tinated his friends in Mobile by tbt
hundreds, committed suicide some
lime Thursday morning in the Office
Of the VIRGINIA Carolina Chemica
company, OF which he was the mana
ging agent. A 30 calibre Smith &
Wesson revolver was the means select
I'D by the young man and he took hi;
life deliberately, after ieavirg a tele
gram advising persons at N .necy'S-x
5. c., Of his suicide.
Another letter near this gave prac
tically the reason for suicide. Rict
was found dead III a chair where he
was sitting when be sent the bullet
crashing through his brain. Temple
Q larles, q clerk in the rth ,e, was the
man to find the body. This was short
ly befor, 9 Jllock Thursday morning
The police were at once notified ant
Dete c5ives Murphy and Lacey were ir
charge of the tta;e and IF lots when
newspaper reporters arrived on thu
scene.
Correspondence which was c1nven
iently placed by young Rice before
taking his life gave the PROBABLE reas1r
for committing suicide. His accounts
are ovardrawn and it Is because II
this. that he took his own life, al
though he did not leave any message
to that f.ct but placed the cores
pondence between officers Of the com
pany relative to bis financial status
In q position where this could be sur
m'sed. After q thorough InVestig itio q
by the detectives aud Ohief Rondeau.
The body was taken charge Of By the
Roache undertaking company.
Just what time Edward Carew Rice
ended bis existence In the manner &C.
lected by him Is not known, but that
it was done some time early Thursday
morning is evidenced by the fact that
bis body was fast becoming rigid and
a pool of blood on the i)Cr beside the
chair was thoroughly CONCEALED. An
other evidence vas the fact that he
had taken of bis coat and placed 1t on
a table where 1t was found to b, wet,
Which indicates that Mr.. Rice enter
ed the Office during the heavy down
pour Of rain shortly before 6 O'Clock
Thursday morning. The surroundings
show that the suicide was q deliberate
one. .
He could have secured financial as
sistance in various ways had he but
made his wants known to his friends,
IS those who visited the office Thurs
day morning proclaimed. Not one Of
ais friends was aware that be was
In financial trouble until the c!rcum
stances of his suicide became known
Thursday morning. That his suicide
was pre- ueditated is conclustvely
shown by the following telegram which
young Rice placed c nspicu 'usly on q
table: Mobile, Dec 2Sth. 1905 Send
this to b. T. Sloan, Ninety Six, S,
o., Ed. Rice found dead In eff e
Thursday morning, Signed, V rginia
Carolina Chemical Company"
This told the story OF eide ano
the following | tier, under date Of D.
Lesmber 9th, addressed to E. A. Ia
Dor, of the sales depar tment Of the
Virginia Carolina Chem c u company,
at Montgomery, Ala, and signed by
the president Of the company, which
had been sent to R ce by Mr.. Tabor,
gave the reason for the suicide
this letter being placed in pos
ition WI ere it could be seen: An
swering yours of December 26th, J
beg to advise that Enclosed slip show
that the account OF E @. R c., agent
is overbrs8 n to the extent Of S66S.
u.s."
Among his intimate friends El~art
Carew Rice was known as Git
Rice, an appellation which Is not ex
planned but indicates determination
To them this suicide was a terrible
bow and they were at q loss to &C
count for the cause. Y Jung r ce CAM
to Mobile about tree years ago from
Greenwood, S. O. A short tims ate
his arrival there he began to max
many friends and it vas not loag be-
fore he was q favorlte in the ranks o
the social set of Mobile. He was a Yer
enthusiastic member Of the Manassa
and Atheletic clubs and also OF sever
al franternal organ zations. He was
very interesting .conversationalist an
made friends rapidly. =
THE NEWS AT GREENWOOD.
A dispatch from Greenwood to tn
Stota uous. News was recaiyed her