“MONTE CARLO WELLS” REAPPEARS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1018, 14 March 1912, Page 4

“MONTE CARLO WELLS” REAPPEARS.

As I walk along the Bois de Boulogne With an independent air, You can hear the girls declare; He must be a millionaire,

You can hear them sigh and wish to die, And see them wink the other eye

At the man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo.

And now the man who broke the bank, the hero of the song all .England was whistling and singing 20 years ago —the song that was, like Grossmith’s Choirboy.

Played on barrel-organs, And by a German band; And was selling in its thousands. Far and wide throughout the land —has been arrested for a vulgar swindler ! —-“Monte Carlo Wells became famous by winning ,£40,000 in five days at the worldfamous Casino, and twice caused the bank to suspend play whilst more money was sent for. He was more or less only “a nine days’ wonder,’’ and was forgotten by the world long before the “melody” of the song his doughty deeds inspired ceased entirely to haunt the highways and byways of London town. At the lime of his great Casino coup Wells was a smart, youngish-looking man in the middle age. To-day he is a benevolent looking old man ol over 60, who has been recognised by the French police as Lucien Rivier, the mysterious 365 per cent, banker for whom all France has been looking for since April last, when he disappeared irom his newly-founded bank, situated — appropriately enough just v opposite the Paris Opera Comique. There has been in the history ot finance no such miraculous banking as was promised by The Fortnightly Dividend, which was the name given to his institution by M. Lucien Rivier, the mysterious banker of Paris. M. Rivier, who was an unassuming, elderly person with a bushy beard, almost white, arrived in Paris, and opened this bank without any great flourish ot trumpets. He had circulars printed and distributed by tens of thousands, promising 1 per cent, interest a day on all funds entrusted to him. The minimum accepted was £1 and the maximum ,£4OOO. Those who ventured their capital were paid every fortnight 15 per cent, interest, and all France rose to the bait. Money poured into the “Rivier Bank,” and many who thought that they were really getting 365 per cent, a year left in heir deposits and interest, and advised their friends to trust this benevolent banker. Then the Paris police began to act. A police inspector called on M. Rivier, and asked him how he expected to be able to contrive to pay such generous interest. The banker was too busy making money for his client at the moment, but promised to go into details the next day. When he left that evening, he informed his valet he might be a little late in the morning, but he was not seen at the bank again. The bank continued to receive deposits, but the interest demands of the earlier depositors soon exhausted the cash resources ol the institution, and then the bank’s safes were forced, with a view to ascertaining what securities there were available. There were none. All that the safes contained were a few worthless books, and in one a brief memorandum from M, Rivier declaring that as he “haled to be bothered by the police,” he left all powers to his successor, who would replace him at noon. But no successor turned up. All the police hunt for M. Rivier proved quite futile until last Saturday, when, unless it is a bad case of mistaken identity, he was arrested on the yacht Excelsior, which has for some mouths past been lying in Falmouth Harbour. It was a handsome boat, manned by an English crew, and the owner was known to be a white-haired old gentleman, and believed to be a wealthy foreigner, who was on a pleasure cruise with his young wife. This lady was alleged to be no wife at all, but Mdlle. Jeannie Pairis, a person whose extradition is also desired by the French authorities. Loudon correspondent, January 26.