PRINCE OF SWINDLERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20596, 21 June 1930, Page 26 (Supplement)

PRINCE OF SWINDLERS.

SPECTACULAR CAREER.

ROMANCE AND VILLAINY.

• M THIEF ALL MY LIFE."

There stood in the dock of a London police court tho other day a young man who might havo been. created in a crime " thriller." Though only 37 years of ago,' says tho News of tho World, he has already acquired the reputation of being one of tho cleverest " confidence men" tho world has over known.

Fow, people at the court realised that Gerald Rivcri, aged 37, who was sentenced to six months' imprisonment for attempting to obtain money by false pretences, had such an amazing history. Ho is better known, perhaps, as Gerald do la Riviere," but in whatever name ho has masqueraded he' Ims always strliek tho saiho spectacular note in carrying out his frauds. Well might Detective Reeve describe him to tho Clerkenwell magistrate as: " A very clever confidence trickster, and a known associate of clover convicted confidence men, against whom the police had received a largo number of complaints recently from persons travelling on boat trains:" .

It was only in jVlarch, 1928, that Riveri received his last sentence of 12 months' imprisonment for stealing a suitcase and a pocket-wallet from the Royal Automobile Club, and on that occasion ho remarked

to the police officers who arrested him,' "I have been a thief all iny life. Scotland Yard will know me. If I had a gun I would ' splay ' you two, I took the cftso because my wife has a lover at the club, and I wanted to see whether there was any correspondence in it." ; The ono real fact in the statement is that Riveri has been a thief all his life,' and a very polished thief at that, living in the best West End and Continental hotels, frequenting the gaming tables at Nice, Monte Carlo, and other famous resorts, spending money like water and depending'entirely on his wits for a living. Born at Southend'on-Sea,' Riveri iS man of-nood family and excellent education. It was his propensity for gambling which brought about his downfall in tho first place, his naturally extravagant habits helping him on his downward path, lie first fell into tho hands of tho police in 1911, when he was bound over for stealing five £lO notes. .The next year, he was given 12 months' Borstal treatment for obtaining £SOO worth of jewellery by fraud. On coining out of prison his family deemed it best to send him abroad, and lie was sent to Australia. Posing as an Italian Baron.

Rivori migrated to Argentina, and from tlienco to South Africa, where ho was engaged in diamond and gold mine work, but at length returned to Australia, where he became known as the associate of orie of the worst gangs of confidence tricksters. It was thero that ho made tho acquaint- 1 anco of " Captain " Biggar and Bludger " Bill, two of tho most notorious international criminals. In Sydney Riveri posed as an Italian hnron who was the close personal friend of an Indian raj all whose famo is worldwide. In Adelaide ho masqueraded as a British knight, but, no matter what his pose was, he always appeared to havd plenty ot money, and in this way moved only in the highest racing circles. It was whilst Riveri was engaged ill making the patrons df Australian racing pay for their credulity that ho met his wife, who was then the daughter of a wealthy resident. They fell genuinely in love with each other, and it was not until after she became his wife that she learned ho was a trickster. Iy spito of this sho stood by him, allowing him to live upon tho £I4OO allowance which her father mado her. When tho father sent her £SOOO to furnish a flat in London she handed over half the amount to pay her husband's debts. She had also pawned her jewellery to get him out of difficulties.

Returning to England. Riveri renowed his acquaintance with " Captain " Biggar and many of tho hitter's lieutenants from " down under." Ho was present with Biggar when tho latter was arrested for card-sharping at a West End flat, one of his victims being a well-known theatrical knight. Rivori absconded, and it was some time before ho was brought to justice in England. Not long after Riveri had absconded he and two other men attempted at St. Moritz to get £SOOO from a very wellknown gentleman by tho old card trick known as " Anzac poker." Fortunately, the gentleman made inquiries of the police, and was ablo to stop his choquo when ho discovered tho kind of men ho had been playing with. For his offonco in this country lie was sent (o prison for 18 months, but that did not deter him from taking up a lifo of crimo immediately ho canio out.

Itiveri invented a wonderful " rncing system " which could not lose, and managed to inveigle a Liverpool engineer to " invest" in it. Ho told his victim that his scheme was to back horses for big races a long way ahead, and ufc long prices, and then lay against the horses when the prices shortened. Engineer Parts With £ISOO.

By various devicos the engineer, a Mr. Watkins, was persuaded to invest £3OO in this scheme, and it was all placed on Black Gauntlet for the St. Leger. The horse lost, but Mr. Watkins was informed that bo had won £BO. Encouraged by this success, the North-countryman agreed to make his total interest in the scheme up to £IOOO, and ho parted with a further cheque for £7OO. This money was invested on Spoanvort for the Cesarewitch. That horso also lost, but showed a profit of £2OO. But although Mr. Watkins had won ho had not seen any of the money, and when Riveri wont to him with a story of a delayed remittance and a request for a loan of £SOO bo grow anxious. Riveri reassured him, and in exchange for a perfectly worthless chenuo for £l7Bo—the victim's investment, his winnings and the amount of the loan—ho paid over £SOO. Another term of imprisonment followed this, and then came the sentence in 1928, from which Riveri could not liuvo been long released when ho set out on the crooked game onco more, which has ended in yefc. another sentence.