The Washington herald., 1910-12-25

New York, Dee 2L-ThIs morning, for
the third time in his thirty years of life.
Dippy Rice. of Chinatown and the Bow
cry, tried 10 end his troubles with a pistol
bullet II was no 'phony" attempt at
suicide be it understood. The bullet en-
tered his head in front of the right ear
and came out under the left eye That IL
missed the brain was no fault Of Dippys.
The stage setting for a suicide couldn't
have been better-the sIauke-flled hack
room of a Chinatown club" after clos
ing hours with such celebrities as Niger
Nike Sater, Jimmy Kelly, and Jimmy
Brown sitting at the tables Before he
nred the shot Dippy called up his "gar'
on the telephone and told her 10 listen for
the report II was a hitting way for
member Of the Nake-Yake Brady gang TO
die
And then 10 have the doctor say, "He'H
pull through" Surely. some men have all
tbs luck in this world and others have
none AT all
Comes of Good Family.
John Rice is Dippy's real name, and It
is said that his relatives are Woodworking
and respectable folk. II was the police
who christened MIN Dppy. 4 man who
cannot keep his hands out of other peo-
pies pockets is technically known as
dip Rice has been arrested so many
times on the pocket-picking charge that it
is not strange that they gave him the
name OF his trade. Dippy has seldom
failed 10 be among those present when
the police had made general roundups of
The dips
Jimmy Brown is the proprietor of the
Chatham Club IN Doyers street, where.
Dippy fred the bullet into his head thIs
morning Niger Mike Salter has had
his name in print many times. Jimmy
Kelly, the third OF the three noted men
who witnessed Dtppy's attempt to die
IS the proprietor of the Mandarin Cafe,
in ChinstoWns Bloody Angle. He was
paying u visit of courtesy" 10 the
Chatham Club last night
At I o'clock the front doors of the club
were closed and Brown took his three
friends into the back room. They had
not been there long when a friend Of
Dippy's walked in, strobe over 10 DipPy,
and said in a firm voice
Now I've found you. You've got to
core home.
AN right, said Dippy, wait till I
call up me gal"
Calls Up His Girl"
Dippy took the telephone receiver of
the hook and gave central a number
In half a minute he was conversing with
some one whom he called Ray" Judg-
ms from the replies he made, Ray"
seemed 10 be upbraiding him. After a
while he said:
"All right I'll do it, sure. Listen and
you'll hear it.
Then he placed the transmitter in a
way for her 10 hear. Before any one
could stop him he drew a revolver from
his pocket held the muzzle to his cheek
and blaZed away. As he slid 10 the floor
the telephone bell began to ring wsdly.
Ray was on the wire. She wanted
10 talk 10 Jimmy Brown. She asked
him if Dippy was still there.
why Ray said Jimmy, hes just
shot himself
Wen. if he isn't unconscious, let me
talk TO him. said the girl
They propped Dippy up in a chair and
held the transmitter in front of his mouth
and the receiver to his right ear.
Got His bum Ear.
Hey, dat's me bum ear" said Dippy.
'Hold it to de other one"
Did you hear it," he shouted into the
telephone. Gee you ought 10 see me
nov. I'm an awful sight. Good-by"
His strength left him and he slid out
of the chair Dr. Hoch came from the
Hudson Street Hospital and took him
away.
Dippy shot himself three years ago in
2 dive in Water street After a few days
i'm the hospital he was back in his old
haunts looking as we'll as ever. a year
later he fired a bullet into his head in
hotel at Delaney street and the
Bowery. He nearly died that time. and
lay for weeks in Bellevue Hospital in a
dangerous condition.
This morning Dippy tried his best to
do a better JOB. If he had pointed the
pistol a little farther back he would prob
ably have succeeded. AS it is, he will
have two ugly scars in his face.