The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-03-20
Russell Riley, Who Died in
St. Louis, Was at One
Time a Pensacolian.
A NUMBER OF RELATIVES IN
THIS CITY SURVIVE HINT is
SAID HE HAD AMAsSED A FOR
TUNE OF OVER ONE HUNDRED
THOUSAND DOLLARS, HAVING
BEEN A PROSPEROUS DRUGGIST

Russell Riley, known in st. Louis
as the mysterious man. and who died
suddenly Monday of apoplexy, and
about whom much has been published,
was former Pensacolian, and has a
number of relatives in this city
among them being Mrs. E. j. Wilson
and Henry NJ. Roche.
According to old residents, Riley
left Pensacola about thirty years ago,
going to st. Louis. where he amassed
fortune in the drug business But
little was heard of him after his de,
parture from this city. 1t is said
that he also has relatives in Mobile
Search Will be Made.
According to the following special
from ST. Louis search will be made
for the relatives of the deceased:
Public Administer Troll has taken
charge of the estate of Russell Riley,
the druggist and man of mystery be-
Eeved to have come originally from
Mobile. Ala, who died from apoplexy
East night. Although Riley kept a
drug store in the vicinity of Four
teenth and Olive streets for nearly
thirty years so little is known of him
that a search will have to be made
by the public administrator to find
his relatives.
1T is said he had two maiden sis
tiers living in Mobile. Murray Carrie
ton. st. Louis millionaire dry goods
man and his wife, were the closest
friends of Riley. 1t is supposed that
there is a letter in Riley's safe ad-
dressed to Carleton, which will throw
some light on the mystery which he
so carefully concealed during his life.
Troll will open the safe tomorrow.
Riley was perhaps seventy-f1ve
years old. He lived at the BIuegras SIS
hotel for the past several years. He
was always at the drug store by a.
m. and never left until II p. M He
is supposed to have amassed a for
tune of 100000 or more in the drug
business, but even his closest friends
have no idea of what he was actually
worth. An old Confederate soldier,
who called at the drug store today,
stated that Riley was a very close
friend of Gen. Robert z. Lee, and that
the hero Of the Confederacy once pre-
scented the druggist with a sword
Riley was fond of talking about
the South and the civil war. II -
known that he had a sister who mar
ried a Union soldier. who is said to
have been killed during the war.
Riley carried scars said to have been
the result of wounds he received dur
ing the war.
DIR. J. P. Chic. who has an office
over Riley's drug store. told report
er that he had never heard the drug
gist talk about anything but the
weather and the South. Riley was
well educated, was a lover of books,
art and flowers
Troll sent one of his deputies to
q PlnnOraCc To foI- Oho Of
his effects there. and to try to find
something that would lead to the
discovery of the whcrea bouts of the
dead mans relatives. The body will
not be buried pending the search"
Relatives in Mobile.
Riley also has rel, .tives In Mobile,
according to the following special to
the T1mes-Democrat rom that city:
The relatives of Russell Riley. the
man Of mystery of St. Louis who died
there Monday night, are living in Mo