 Ramba uchiverenga ndima ino - Pashure pemazuva mashanu, panguva yaakashandisa mari yake yose, Riis akawana basa rokuveza paBradys Bend Iron Works paRwizi rweAllegheny pamusoro pePittsburgh. Mazuva mashomanene pashure paikoko, akavamba kuchera kuti awane mubhadharo wakawedzerwa asi nokukurumidza akadzokera kubasa rokuveza. Paakanzwa musi waJuly 19, 1870, kuti France yakanga yazivisa hondo kuGermany, aitarisira kuti Denmark yaizobatana neFrance kutsiva kutorwa kweSchleswig nePrussian, uye vakatsunga kurwira France. Akadzokera kuNew York, uye, pashure pokunge aita chikwereti chezvizhinji zvezvinhu zvake uye asina mari, akaedza kunyoresa pahofisi yemumiriri weFrance, asi akaudzwa kuti kwakanga kusina hurongwa hwokutumira uto revazvipiri kubva kuAmerica. Achibata pfuti yake, akabuda muNew York kusvikira adonha nokuneta; paakamuka, akafamba achienda kuFordham College uko mupristi weKaturike akamushandira zvokudya zvemangwanani. 