Exile From Hub - Elliot Ritchie Leaves His Bed and Board - Boston Daily Globe - 11 August 1894

Exile From Hub¹

Eliot Ritchie Leaves His Bed And Board

Persistent Creditors Made Life a Constant Burden

Insolvent, but Refused Poor Debtor's Oath.

Good Fellow Socially and Man of Big Heart.

Fight in Court Over Property or No Property.

Where is Eliot Ritchie?

Quite a large number of Boston people are asking this question/

It appears that Ritchie, who was once a well-known coal dealer in East Boston, suddenly and mysteriously left the city a week ago, and has not since been heard from.

He went away without letting his creditors, his intimate friends or even his wife know of his going.

In many respects Ritchie's was a remarkable career. His first wife was the daughter of a rich Boston man, Nehemiah Gibson, and she brought her husband considerable money.

For many years Ritchie, did a large business, and he lived in clover. He had excellent credit and was regarded as a most successful man.

But misfortune came. He failed in business, tried to go through the insolvency court, was cited into the poor debtor's court, was sent to Charles st. jail, and finally, crushed by defeat, afraid to face the music, he disappeared.

Speculation is rife as to his whereabouts. Some think that he has gone to Canada, others think that he is in hiding nearer home.

No one knows just how he was fixed as regards money. One rumor has it that he has plenty of real estate out away, upon which he can realize at will, the property being kept back from his creditors. Another rumor is that he is pretty hard up.

It is stated that shortly before he skipped he was borrowing small sums of money to carry him along from day to day.

Just previous to his sudden going away he was engaged soliciting advertisements for the Banker and Transman, a trade paper, and the day before he was missed drew $25 on account, so that if these sums were all he had he cannot gone far from Boston, for Ritchie, as one of his friends remarked to the reporter, is not the man to live on crackers and cheese if he can help it."

Ritchie always liked to live well and he was troubled considerably while in Charles at jail as to his food, and got tired of the everlasting soup that was served to him as a poor debtor, and although some of his friends sent hum luxuries he had no mind to risk a second arrest, and so fled from the scene of his triumphs and failures.

His friends say that he will come back when he gets his head again. So far he has done nothing of a criminal nature but it is believed that he has gone crazy over his troubles.

Eliot Ritchie is between 50 and 52 years of age. He is amna of highly nervous temperament and socially a good fellow. He always took things easy, even at the worst. He was and excellent entertainer and knew how to tell a story.

He would have been a success as an actor, but as a coal dealer he has turned out a failure.

Then, too, his friends say that he had a big heart. He was always kind to his help. Even in slack times he would keep on his full force rather than discharge any one. He was well liked in business by merchants and customers. It is reported also that he used to give away a great deal of coal in small quantities to poor people.

Ritchie married 25 years ago the daughter of old Nehemiah Gibson, once one of East Boston's prominent citizens, president of East Boston ferry company, alderman for several terms, ferry director, president of the Maverick national bank, while Asa. P. Potter was vice president, and a man who amassed a fortune of nearly $200,000.

Mr. Gibson, Eliot Ritchie's father-in-law, died about 12 years ago, and left his property to be divided equally between a son and a daughter, the latter Ritchie's wife.

Some time before Nehemiah Gibson's death, Ritchie formed a partnership with Charles Gibson, the son, under the firm name of Nehemiah Gibson & Co.

They did a large business with tugs and steamers, in addition to a large family trade.

Then, later on, Charles Gibson sold out to Ritchie, but the latter still continued doing business under the old firm name.

Then a few years after her father's death, Mrs. Ritchie died and left all her property to her husband.

Four or five years later Ritchie married a Mrs. Baker, the divorced wife of Capt. Baker, who owned a tow boat. Before the marriage Capt. Baker had attached Ritchie's property, in a suit against him for alienation of his wife's affections. The case, however, never came into court, as it was understood that Ritchie paid liberally to have the suit abandoned.

After his marriage with Mrs. Baker, Ritchie traveled through Europe and all over this country, taking his wife with him. Mrs. Baker had a daughter, a rather fashionable young women, who lived with the Ritchies on Wyoming at, Roxbury.

Ritchie was in business at 25 Lewis st, East Boston. He had a beautiful and luxuriously appointed home at 3 Wyoming st. and this house, until recently, was in his wife's name.

When trouble came and his creditors got uneasy and pressed him hard, Ritchie got his wife to sign the house, worth about $16,000, over to the Market national bank, which claimed to be a preferred creditor.

There is no doubt that for several years Ritchie's expenses were largely in excess of his income, for, while he was a close man in many regards, he spent money freely in other directions, lived high and kept up a costly home, with carriages and horses and other luxuries. In his business, too, he had several fine teams and run things with a high hand.

Most of Ritchie's business was done by notes. He would often give notes for a couple of months amounting to $2000. He bought his coal from O.D. Witherell, 102 State st. in large quantities, and it was his custom to pay for the coal with notes, and sometimes when they became due Mr. Witherell would take them up of course adding interest and allowing them to run for various periods.

As the years  went on, Ritchie's notes given to many creditors began to accumulate and become troublesome, at least his creditors did.

His pleasure trips became more frequent, and his being away so much caused his business to suffer. Finally, Mr. Witherell held so many notes that he would not allow Ritchie to have any more coal. Then his business, once large and prosperous, dwindled to a mere commission agency. He would get an order and buy coal from some East Boston dealer to supply his customer.

So his business went on for about two years, then came the crash.

Ritchie failed June 18, 1892, for nearly $60,000 with assets in proved claims amounting to nearly $40,000, and some real estate property, which is still a bone of contention as the creditors cannot get hold of it.

Among Ritchie's creditors are a large dry goods house and a large jewelry firm of Boston, also several East Boston coal dealers, O.D. Witherell is the largest creditor.

Ritchie sought the protection of the insolvency court, and the case dragged along until about three months ago. The proceedings were private, but it is said that Ritchie could not or would not make any proposition to his creditors. His friends advised him to settle in some way, and if he had any property to make it over for the benefit of his creditors, but it was all to no purpose.

It being the general opinion that Ritchie had property, O.D. Witherell had him arrested for debt, using one of the $2000 notes as the basis for the complaint.

Ritchie was sent to Charles st. jail.

Every day he was brought into court to take the poor debtors' oath, but each time he declined to do so. He had previously, on several occasions, stated that his brother, Wesley Ritchie, was holding property belonging to him and which he (Wesley) refused to surrender.

At the time of Eliot's incarceration in jail Wesley Ritchie was not to be found in Boston.

After his brother had suffered three week's imprisonment, Wesley, who is a wealthy man, appeared and went bail for him in $4000 bonds, double the amount of the note.

When the name of Eliot Ritchie was called in court, he was not present, and Wesley had to forfeit the bond or else pay the debt, which, with interest, amounted to $2200.

Wesley paid the debt. Ritchie was released from jail and then some time after he fled.

His friends say that the trouble was too much for him. For some time before he was missed., he acted strangely, and it is feared that in a fit of despondency he may have taken his life.

Any how, dead or alive, Eliot Ritchie, the once prosperous merchant, is an exile from his native Boston, and his wife anxiously watching for a line from him.

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