riley moved to indianapolis at the end of 1879 to begin his employment with the "indianapolis journal". it was the only metropolitan newspaper there with daily editions and had a wide readership. he wrote a regular society column that often included verses of poetry. thereafter riley met many prominent people and began a close friendship with eugene v. debs. he enjoyed riley's works and often complimented his sentiments. riley had used the pseudonym "jay whit" since he began writing poetry but finally began to use his own name in april 1881.