The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1909-11-29
HANCOCK
DR.. Ben RIDDfR DISCARDS
HIS PICTURESQUE ATTIRE
Clothes and Now Dresses as Ordinary
Citizen--Waiting for Money With
Which to Wed-Will Quit Road and
Settle Down With Bride.

The millionaire Tramp" is no more
save i'm name. Ben Ridder, who recent
ly visited the copper country, has sue
cumbed to the wiles of the love-bug
and discarded his leggings, his pictur-
esque cape of blue with the red lining,
his shfty cap, and now dresses as the
ordinary citizen.
His genealogy traces. according to
his own story from basket containing
baby which was hung on the door
knob of a member of the Danish reich
stag some 80 years ago in Copenhagen,
Denmark. He was the baby.
Ridder seems to be in hard luck,
says the Duluth News-Tribune. He
ratified a portion of his uniform i'm SUI
perior and got $1.S5 Then he lectured
there and got about $40. lie paid part
of his hotel bill and worked a clothing
store for suit of clothes such as an
American citizen wears and came to
Duluth, owing a "small bill" of $50
or Whereabouts to the Superior people.
"That is but small matter. / can
pay that quickly" says Ridder. What
| want to do is to settle down and get
married. My sweetheart In Minneap-
oils, Miss Ellen Christensen, has been
thrown out of home, out of the Danish
Methodist church. and ostracized by all
her friends of years.
IL want to get married and make her
a home. / don't care whether 1T Is
one or two rooms, but l want to settle
,erl. tnFttl hn
zig forever and 1 am going to work
for n living.
81 am a fine writer and think l can
get a job somewhere that would be an
advantage. Tomorrow" then the re-
rorter suggested that today would be
Sunday-"Well. then, Monday, l am
going to try and get some bills to col
lect. | have the honor of being ad-
mitted to practice law before the Uni
ted States supreme court.
How did that happen? Where were
you admitted to the barr"
81 was admitted in California and
practiced there six years"
"How did you happen to drift way
out there after coming from Denmark?
"Wen, in New York l practiced med
icine and with Mrs. Vanderbilt and ia
cob Riis | saw the underside of lire
and decided I would get out and look
at it from the level.
81 started, intending to follow the
life but a year Then got the wan
derlust" and have kept at 1t for nine
years, but now i want to settle down
and work and support the girl | am In
love with and expect to marry soon
That is how | reached California.
"Whv don't you get married If you
are so anxious?r
.'Well, | wrote to my folks. my los
ter parents-my father has for 3S years
been editor of the most prominent
socialist paper in Scandinavla-ano
asked them for $1,000. My mother re-
piled that my father was In Paris OF
business for the government and Ntha'
she did not have ready cash unless she
sold her jewelry.
"Of course did not want her to dc
this and so for month or so, until my
father gets back to Denmark, VIII ID
unable to get money unless work ioi
IT, Then I can get 81 900 or $4,000 II
necessary If l want 1t.
"What do your people say about tine
life you have led?'
my father is proud OF IT, out ma
mother is great church woman, ah'
she does not like it."