Evening star., 1932-01-13
VERDICT OF SUICIDE
RETURNED IN DEATH
Charities Group to Provide
Funeral for JobIess Man
and Care for Aunt.

A certificate of suicide was issued TO-
day by Coroner Joseph D. Rogers In
the case of William Earl Rice, 25, who
WAS found shot through the heart in
his room on the second floor, at 1908
Seventh street, yesterday afternoon.
Rice's body was found by his aunt,
Miss Kate Rice. She was grief-stricken
over the suicide, explaining she had
raised him since he was a baby His
mother and father are dead, she said.
The body was stretched across a
small bed, fully clothed, including an
overcoat. A small-caliber revolver was
lying on the floor near the side of the
bed. Rice had been unemployed for
many months, with the exception of
job at a fruit stand around Christmas
time.
Aunt Sewed for Living.
Miss Rice, the aunt. said she had
been mending clothes for a living.
She had been given aid a number
of times by the Catholic Charities. it
was learned today at the headquarters
of the Washington Community Chest.
The Catholic Charities will pay the
funeral expenses The latter orgaya
zation is a member agency of the
Community Chest
Attention is called to the prompt
ness and efficiency with which the
Community Chest organizations handle
emergency calls for aid in statement
from Community Chest headquarters
in reference to the Rice case.
Statement Is Issued.
The statement follows:
within 80 minutes of the time when
the Community Chest was told news
paper reported that the man had shot
himself and that his aunt, Miss Kate
Rice, appeared to be In need of help,
two workers, one from the Associated
Charities and one from the Catholic
Charities, were at the home, ready to
do anything needed.
Because Miss Rice had been a client
of the Catholic Charities about q year
ago, Miss Marty T. McCrac&cn, worker
for that organization, took charge,
with relatives at Mount
Rainier and Boyd, Md, and arranging
for one of them to stay with Miss Rice
until the funeral is over, making
funeral arrangements and underwriting
the funeral expense and visiting the
two insurance companies in which Rice
had policies. She found that two poll
cies, of quite recent date, would prob
ably be invalidated because of ths
manner of death of the deceased, but
that something would be realized from
an older policy.
Asked Aid Year Ago.
"The Rice family first came to the
attention of the Catholic Charities more
than year ago, when Miss Rice asked
for aid from the st. Vincent de Paul
Society. One of the officials took an
interest in the case at the time and
provided the woman and her nephew
with food from time to time.
Their last request for help was made
in February. 1881, and neither Miss
Rice nor her nephew has asked help
from the Community Chest or any CT
its member organizations since that
time, this being shown by the records
OF the Social Service Exchange as well
as by those of all welfare organiza-
tions connected with the Chest.
Miss Rice is a dressmaker and has
been able to make enough, by part
time work for neighborhood tatlers, to
pay for rent, clothes, food and fuel for
herself and nephew. The nephew, she
said worked when he could, but had
not been employed since Christmas
She attributed his act to dependency
over his inability to find work.
Miss McCracken reported conditions
to the Catholic Charities and that or
ganization is standing by to see that
Miss Rice receives every care and that
the dead man receives proper burial"