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Tuesday, and in looking back over tiie day's events, neighbors surmised that he had made careful plans for his death last night. They said iic had ffivcn the Knoxes the name and telephone number of his nephew, ami told them to notify the nephew if anything happens to me.When the nephew called at his home Tuesday, he .sent him to the Knox home to request that they look in on Mr. Jones about 9 p.m. It was believed that Jones died of the bullet wound about 10 minutes before 9 p.m.Baytown police said Jones apparently had held a mirror before his face while lying on his hack in bed, but a pistol to his head and pulled the trigger. The bullet entered above his right -ear and enrcrgeri above the left.Two notes, one directing that Earlhman funeral hnmp be called, and the other adrcssed to Lester Knox, were found on a tabic besidehis bed.The murder of Rice was one of the most widely publicized in the nation’s history.Rice was about 54 years old when he was killed while asleep in his New York apartment. He had made wills and written other legal instruments directing that his vast estate be used to endow the William M. Rice Institute for Advancement of Literature Science and Art.Rice received a charter for the school in 1891, but the dr nth ofDECKERDRIVE IN THEATRE iTONITE-PRINCE VALIANT '«?SAILOR OF KING;’THURSDAY ONLYFEATURE XO. 1 -GKOKGE .15EXTAFFAIRS OF MONTE CARLOFJEATTKF, XO. ‘2 -JOHN WAYNE • inPALS OF SADDLEIn his court testimony. ,»ones saia he had brought about Rice’s death by undermining his health with medicines, some of which were prescribed to’ a physician and some by Patrick.He said he met Patrick on the evening of Sept. 23, 1.900, snd they went Lo Rice’s apartment where they found him sleeping, Jones said he placed n cone containing a chloroform-sonked sponge over Rice s face and left it there for 30 minutes.Jones returned to his home in Pelly and quietly began a new life.’ He lived with his . brother, Horace, in the old home of his parents just off Travis street until the house burned several years ago. They then built the big frame house at 20fJ Travis. He never married. He and his brother wereeons in nt companions, with Jonnxdirecting their business affairs until Horace Jones died a few years ago.After World War II. Jones began developing the real estate holding which had been in his family. The Jones property also was in the. center of recent oil activity in the Goose Creek oil field. 'During a brief oil boom three years ago, six or seven producing wells were located near the old family home-. »teau. Although not considered wealth. Jones was regarded ns very well-to-do bs- his neighbors.lie was a familiar figure on the streets of Baytown. Children in his neighborhood knew hirrwns -'the old gentlemen who buys us ice cream.M At Christmastime, he gave the neighborhood children a dollar each for spending money.Eccentric in his personal habits, he would not employ servants and did his own housework, cooking and other domestic chores. After, his health failed, Mrs. Knox provided his meals.Almost stone deaf, and in very serious condition many times in ’ the past year, be sLill refused to have anyone spend the night with him or carp for him at home during the day, When ho could no longer care for himself, he went to a hospital and remained until he fell able to earn lor himself.Neighbors who had taken his meals to him. said they would look in on him occasionally, but seldom offered to do more for him because ho wa.s independent and resented any suggestion that he might be helpless or needed assistance of any kind.lie paid for his meals, and was not hard to please, the neighbors said.
Newspaper Details
Baytown Sun
Baytown, Texas, US
Wed, Nov 17, 1954
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Greg O.
USA 25 Apr 2019
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