sentences:  His name first appears in print in the on October 9, 1892 edition of "New York Times", where he is described as the "President of the Fair Association" for St. Louis.In the March 18, 1893 edition, he is quoted as the "President of the Jockey Club" of St. Louis; and the July 16, 1896 edition includes the statement "Rolla Wells, President of the Jefferson Club, resigned last night, announcing that he could not support the Chicago platform" (the "Chicago platform" referring to William Jennings Bryan).On April 1, 1901, the "New York Times" reported that "One of the hardest fought municipal campaigns in the history of St Louis closed to-night" and that the candidates were "Rolla Wells, Democratic; George W. Parker, Republican; Chauncey I. Filley, Good Government; Lee Meriwether, Public Ownership; Leon Greenbaum, Social-Democrat, and Lewis C. Fry, Socialist-Labor."