{sentenced to 18 months Impriconinent)
Shanghai, Apr. 1.
After an unsuectestl verbal barile bys counsel, Mr. H. D. edges, and a prolonged statement in which he sed. to-serve his time. in the local deal, "Jack ET. Riley, slot machine Beerator and bigetime gambler, was Sentenced. to 18) onthe" imprison: ment In MeNeil'sJetand Penitentiary Judge Millon J. Helmick inthe His." Court for China yesterday. wes convicted on numerous counts of engaging in commercialized fambling here, operating a crap table St'Parren's Might Club. and slot machines "at DD's. and. various other chublishments, In a tirade against a terrain section ofthe press here who] had called him a "gaol-breaker," and *fair-weather friends" who. had "icicked him when he was in trouble," he declared that a Mr. Chisholm had given him a "Rush Act" 18 months ago for $100, for which he said he still held an 1.0.U, He was given 18 months on the first three counts and one month on each of the other counts, the sentence to run concur rently.
have been painted by the former prosecuting attorney and the press as a very hardened criminal," Riley declared, and went on to say that they had associated him with machine guns and gaol-breaking and that people here were entirely ignorant his life except the worst side of it, He deni Mig act Ju, dummolng lis the advice of his counsel he had U.S $254 iL as a foolish act. On pleaded guilty to the gambling charges, Referring to the report that he had escaped from prison in Oklahoma after serving two of a 25 year sentence for con-joint robbery, he asserted that he was convicted purely on circumstantial evidence, Later on he described how he became an unwilting {ool in the hands of the ac~ tual participants in the robbery who had engaged him to drive a car to the scene of the crime and who escaped while he alone was arrested, Reverting to the question of his American "citizenship, he told the court that he went to the American Consulate in 1932 to swear an aMdavit, that he was an American, ax he was desirous of returning to "America to clear up the Oklahoma affair, but the authorities would not permit him to go. He admitted that he was unable to give them his right name. He had even gone the length of making pre parations (0 have a retrial of his case in Oklahoma.
Talking of slot machines, Riley said he had received them in parts through the Customs and Post Olfce by porce! post and thought his national status was similar to those of White Rus. sians here who are under Chinese jurisdiction, as he had not been Togistered and the American author!- ties here would not let him register in 1997, "About my running away here, am not sorry," he added, and closed that he had an' insurance policy which would take care of him Mnaneially for the rest of his life. He would not have to go to the poor house. He was not sorry about the V, S,$25,000 bail which he had for-felted, characterizing. it as a gamble in which he had lost, Speaking of an insurance man who had given evidence against him on a former appearance, he declared with acrimony that the'man had solicited a policy from him for which he had paid for twenty years. in advance, He was at a loss {0 understand why the party concerned should testify against him, "Everyone knows that I was in the U.S. Navy." he continued, and declared that he had been commended for bravery and had been discharged fas a second class officer, not as n sea man as had been alleged against him, Dwelling on an affidavit which Mr. Chas, Richardson, Jr, and the Marshal of the Court had'mentioned was made by his mother to the American authorities that he was adopted into a "Riley" family, accused asserted that his mother did not know a thing about him since he was. four years old, His father, he said, had placed him in_an orphanage before going to the gold-fields, when he was at the age of four, and died when he (Riley) was eight years old, He declared that he had never been adopted by anyone and had sold newspapers in America and worked his way through He went on to say that he had adopted the name of a crony, E. 'T. Riley, before coming out to China from San Francisco, After remarking bitterly: "This just shows how much my mother knows about my life, since she left me," he referred to-a Mr, Maloney whose name also had been brought out and said that Maloney was an old pai whom he had Inelped, When he had amassed a fortune, he declared, 2 lot of relatives had written to him.
envisioned spending the rest of my life in jail and didn't have the will power to come back." Riley con tinued, adding that if his bond had been Fevoked or he had been put simply on his honour to return, [would have not Jumped ball.
After expressing his regrets for running away, he disclosed that during his freedom he had visited the [French Concession in the evenings and asserted that not a single police man would arrest him, declaring that they Mked him and observing wryly, "That is how much ce-operation the /Marshal got from the French police."
Riley went on to say that he had Jample opportunity to leave Shanghai, but did not have the heart to go-to a country which was not the ally of America, preferring to remain here Jand to fake "the rap," It had been suggested by the prosecution that he was a criminal even before the charge was brought against him in Okla hhoma, and declared that he had not seen the inside of a jail before he was 25, although he had no parents {to look atter him, His grand-father was a well-to-do cattle man, Riley Jeontinued, but had allowed his six children foo many privileges and his father had died from drink, All his life he had abstained from Jdcink and smoking, Riley went on to say, adding that he liked cards, feinémas and daneing and had his bad habits, observing that he was no Jangel." He had joined the navy at Salt Lake City at 19 and later be~ feame associated with the merchant marine after a perfect record of four years, "Aller coming here, he said, he had worked for three years. with the Shanghai Power Company, which Job he secured through Mr. Fessenden, Being fond of craps he had played dice at night, winning more in tone evening than his whole month's salary. He said he had worked eight years for Gande, Price and they had Trusted him with everything they got." JAtter declaring. that his commercial record here was above reproach, Riley said he had never owed any: jone and even after he had jumped bail his lawyer had received $3000 egal fees, He had received many notes and bad cheques, "It is not my habit to put money over my honour and name," he de-telared, and said that he had given Jalms io old people and had a wide elvele of friends; all of whom were oer Chinese, Russians and Eurasians fand would not be afraid of putting his case before a public vote, He had not attended cocktail parties and his dea of settling down was to be a Jeattle ranger. He admitted a failing {for shooting craps, which he said had resulted In his being kicked out of the Navy twice, Did Farren's close up after his arrest? Riley next asked, and pointed Jout that the day slot machines were taken out of the Marines Club, the pele of drinks had gone up 30 per front, and they had made 35 per cent, fof the profits of the slot machines, which prompted Judge Helmick' to observe "Yes, but you got the re-Railey explained that he had to' pay for the upkeep of the machines which had been brought out {from Chicago, He was paying income jax to the Chinese authorities and all these years had not been told by any tone that he had no right to operate slot machines here.
After saying that he had not got a "break," Riley accused the Marshal fof the court of getting evidence against him behind his back. He had ought an interest in: the building. housing the Farren's resort, he said, to help a friend who was' going to, lose his whole business. He denied being a "big shot" at Farren''s polntting out thay if that was the case he would not "have operated the crap table, but would go where the "big money" was, Continuing, he said he had never Jocen inimfeni towards the press, but they had. kicked him when he' was trouble, They had accused him having machine guns which he ematieally denied, declaring that he had Inever asked a permit to carry a gun in his life, "Somebody has got to be the goat {for the gambling in the badlands and Tam the one", he went on to declare, and pointed oft that poker snd other games were being played at the JAmerican Club and others who had been warned to lay off, which warn jing had not been given' to him, 'The gambler should be as guilty Jas the operator of the "gambling. Hhouse, Riley said and asked that he fne allowed to serve time in Shang! jin which case, he said, he would pay his own passage later' to America.
In opening the case Mr. Leighton [Shields, the District Attorney, submitted numerous documents to estab-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.