Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-07
Ruined by a Fortune
In Eleven Months
Special Correspondence of The Star.

LONDON, March 81 1907.
~ UINED by fortune! Such. In
X nutshell is the story of Josselyn
~ Robert Augustus Riley. He ran
through $4,000 in eleven months-was
swindled out of most of it-and has since
for years, in various climes, been living
the life of the social outcast, the man
for whom the world has no use. There is
lots of blue blood in him. His father was
Capt. Frederick Augustus Riley, who served
with distinction through the Crfmean war
His uncle is Lord Stafford. The Earl OF
Muncaster stood godfather for him at his.
christening A few days ago he appeared
in the dock Of Bow street police court,
charged with stealing an overcoat. He
was released on his own recognizance. as
the evidence made 1t clear that some other
fellow really stole the garment and
loaded upon Riley the proof of his guilt.
found him the day after his release at
the address he had given in the police
court 1t was a dingy lodging house in a
slum street and he occupied wretched
room on the top floor. He was shabbily
clad and-but there is no need to describe
him in detail. Everybody is familiar with
the type of human wreckage which he rep
resents-the man who might have been
something decidedly different. He talked
freely after he had adjourned to some
place more conducive to a free exchange
of conversation.
80 you want my story for an American
newspaper" he said. You think I would
look well in type. a sort of human docu-
ment illustrating the ruin that follows the
sins Of the smart set which Father
Vaughan keeps hammering at. Well, 1
don't mind. I've got rid of most things
| started in life with. including. l suppose
a sense of shame. To begin with, then,
must have been born IL sucker
But you weren't born in American" I
nterposed. startled by his glib usage of
American slang.
NO l wasn't, but I've been there and
picked up some of their lingo. Good place
in him; bad place for the man who hasn't
I'm one who hasn't. That is why America
didn't agree with me. Perhaps if 1 had
been born there l might have turned out
tons there of the right way to train a
fellow in the way he should go
But to make a fresh start he went on
II was born sucker at Twickenham
Historic place. you know Americans go
there to see Popes Villa. My dad died
when l was thirteen. That was bad for
me because he N ght have Strengthened
me out before | had gone so far on the
wrong road l couldn't turn back. / was
sent to Belmont College, Windsor, and
afterward to Sandhurst where they train
young swells for the army. That was bad
for me. too for there | got the notion that
swells privileged class. that hard
work is derogatory to their dignity, and
that TO go the pace should be the chief
aim or their HE.
Il put that idea into execution as soon as
got out of SanSnurst 1 went to Brighton
for a holiday. There 1 met the kind of
chaps that l have since learned are always
looking out for suckers. They showed me
how to get a good time and shared it-at
my expense. But the expense was greater
than 1 could meet on the allowance my
mother made me- My new friends though.
soon showed me a way out of that diff.
Guilty. They introduced me to a London
money lender. 1 signed some document by
which l represented myself to be of age
which I wasn't, and acknowledged the
ceipt of a loan of f5O0. But all l got in
cash ESQ. The rest was in shares In
something or other in some outlandish
place l had never heard of. They turned
out to be worth nothing, of course With
| the friends who had introduced me to the
| money lender 1 went that night to the old
Pelican Club We played cards. When we
| left the club they had the whole Of the
c15O.
They suggested another visit to Shylock
He advanced me more money on the same
| terms. 1t went the same way-wine and
I cards In the course OF few weeks l
| had borrowed G7OOO on my expectations
and lost 1t all. Then Shylock said lie could
let me have no money on my own name.
| My friends suggested that could use my
mothers name. / did. The only excuse
| / can make for myself Is that my cendi-
| ton was such that 1 did not realize what
| 1 was doing That money went the same
way
'Shylock would let me have no more
My jolly companions let me have enough
| to keep me going until I came of age.
| Then 1 had to shell out Ell $50 to settle
with my creditors. I was fine specimen
of an aristocratic ass in those days. You
will hardly credit it. but 1t is a fact, that
| suspicion never entered my head that the
jolly chaps who stuck so close to me and
had such prodigfous luck always in win
ming my money were sharpers. A week or
two after came of age 1 went with them
and some other friends l had picked up to
| a pigeon shoot at Bodiam In Sussex There
l lost $4,000 in one day. betting. My
| friends suggested that l try my luck at
dice. had never tackled dice before but
they told me novice always had luck at
dice. l have thought since the dice were
] loaded, Anyhow. when I woke up next