Evening journal., 1911-10-04
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The Humiliation That Death
Spared Allen ThOrndike
Rice
BY Holland.

very Few persons pfoDdDiy now re- |
member the late Allen Thorndike
Rice, and TO the younger generation
the name means absolutely nothing.
Yet twenty-five years ago Allen Thorn
dixie Rice was thought TO have the
most promising future Of any young
Republican of New York state and was
DENIED a more interesting and piquant
character than even Theodore Roose-
velt. with whom Rice was intimately
associated in politics OF the late
eighties
He was Boston born, but lived for
many years in Europe and was a
graduate Of one Of the English univer-
stiles. He returned to the United
States about 1876 when he was only
twenty-three years OF age. He was re-
ported TO be the possessor Of a very
large fortune, and Of scholarly, as
we'll as a practical turn OF mind, a rep
utation that he justified by buying the
North American Review, the Oldest
and staidest Of American periodicals.
and by entering upon career Of prac-
teal politics He was candidate for
Congress In 1886, in a New York city
district, but was defeated and he
gained national notoriety by his ad-
vocacy of the Australian ballot. lie
was. in fact, the first to bring that
form of ballot TO the attention OF the
American people.
BENJAMIN Harrison was one Of MIR.
Rices intimate frineds and after Har-
rison entered the presidency he nomi-
mated Mr.. Rice minister to Russia ana
| the nomination was promptly con-
/ firmed Rice however. never went 70
Russia. He was taken in three days
before the date fixed for his sailing
and died from some acute intestinal
trouble. Mr.. Rice was personal
friend of the late William r. Grace,
who was twice Mayor of New York,
and il was from Mr. Grace that
learned the following incident Of Mr..
Rices last hours.
Late one afternoon J was in an
elevated railroad train on my way
home when saw across the aisle, but
some distance from me. someone beck
on TO me" said Mr.. Grace. I'm an in
slant l realized that it was Allen
Thorndike Rice and that he seemed
TO be in distress. hurried to him and
saw that he was seriously Ill. He was
suffering intense pain. He told me
that he had been stricken after he en-
tered the car and that he was afraid
he would not be able TO reach his
hotel
"He seemed grateful when l offered
to accompany him to the Fifth Avenue
Hotel. where he lived. had to support
him upon my arm down the elevated
station stairs and lift him into the
| carriage which l summoned. / feared
that he would lapse into unconscious
ness before he reached the hotel. After
we got him TO his room and put him on
his bed he seemed a little easier, and
when the physician came Rice bright
ened up a little. so that I felt 1usti-
fed in saying to him that l hoped he
would recover from the attack by the
next day so that he would be in good
shape to sail for Russia.
"He looked at me with pathetic ex-
dression and motioned me to bend
over him; and when | had done so ne
told me in a whisper that he never
would get to Russia, and that IL was
probably just as well.
After I left him ! thought there
was something unusually Significant
In his remark that it would probably
be Just as we'll If he did not so e
Russia. / did not, however, fathom
the meaning until two or three weeks
after Rice's death. Then every one OF
his friends we're surprised at the reve.
lations which were made when the eN'
? animation of his estate was finished
D. We had all supposed that Rice was 9
very rich man: we found that there
was little or nothing left of his estate
He had some personal belongings
books and bric-a-brac-and he owen6
the North American Review, which
think cost him more to run than ne re
ceived from Il IN the way of income
He must have realized. therefore, tha
as Minister to Russia he would not b'
able to maintain himself in the style
to which he was accustomed an'
which was necessary at the Russian
court. for he was not the kind Of maj
who could live upon his salary. So
have always believed that when hl
realized that he was stricken with
mortal illness he also felt that h'
would by It be spared the humiliation
of being unable TO maintain the luXur.
and entertainment at the Russiai
court which his manner of life and nj
reputation as a man of wealth woul'
have executed from him.
1--WE were never able to tell hoV
great a fortune he brought to tn
United States or how he had useI
whatever wealth he had obtained
Copyright, 1911. by + J. Edwards. Al
rights reservedl
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards viii tell 0
esxVbo,, Tfncoln'S Son Refused 10 Lea