Source: Hon Rupert Cecil Craven.  

Stephen Ellis's ledger shows as Bad Debt

Cuckoo - Rupert was an ex-lieutenant in the Royal Navy. The Cravens eventually became partners in ivory hunting in the Lado Enclave region of the Belgian Congo, where Charles died of blackwater fever towards the end of 1909 and was buried at Koba (on the British bank of the Nile). His death was mourned by all.

Debrett - sometime Midshipman RN, Lieut. 3rd Battn. Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Roy. Berkshire Regt.) and Capt. Electrical Engineers Vol., is Hon Capt in the Army and Major Royal Scots Fusiliers; SA 1899-1902 (medal with 5 clasps) and WW1 in Flanders, Cameroons and EA (thrice wounded, despatches, 1914 star)  

Gethin - about 1910 - called at a farm near Baringo for a cup of tea - met Lottie. 'Lottie was French and had been a maid to Mrs Rupert Craven whom I had met some years previously under rather peculiar circumstances. There were two brothers Craven. Charles Craven had held a commission in the Scots Guards and on resigning had come to EA with his brother Rupert. Both were pretty wild and fond of the bottle. Rupert had a wife whom he had left living on a barge in Marseilles Harbour, with her maid Lottie to look after her. At that time I had an Aunt living in a hotel near the Marseilles docks who asked me to visit her before I left for EA, which I did. Shortly after my arrival, while at dinner one night, we were startled by shots going off and bullets coming through the window near our table. In a few seconds guests and waiters were flat on the floor while more shots came into the room. When the firing had stopped we continued with our dinner, the waiter explaining that in his opinion it was some drunks outside having a good time. None of us seemed to see the joke, least of all my aunt. When we had finished dinner the Head Waiter approached my uncle (my aunt's brother), who was also on a visit saying there was a police officer outside who would like to see him. It was then explained by the police that there was an English woman living on a barge in the Harbour just outside the Hotel, who was mad with drink, and she was seeing robbers trying to get on the barge so opened fire, as she thought, at them. The police had been on board under great risk of being fired at and found the English woman and her maid with quantities of jewellery strewn about the deck of the barge. The woman was hopeless, as she was so drunk they could get no sense out of her. The police now asked us if we would accompany them to the barge and help them with enquiries, so off we all started at about 10 p.m. When we got near the barge we were challenged by the police who then allowed us on board. There was Mrs Rupert Craven on the verge of D.T.'s and her French maid, Lottie, trying to comfort her. The barge was in a filthy condition, everything thrown about including large quantities of jewellery, which appeared to be valuable. It seemed by Lottie's account, that Mrs Craven's husband had left her and cleared off with his brother to EA. They had come by canal from Northern France and on reaching Marseilles found they had run out of money. The French police were most concerned about Mrs Craven's behaviour and ordered her out of France. How she got to Mombasa I am quite unable to say, but after a short time in Nairobi she was carried on a stretcher to the station as a D.B.S [Distressed British Subject]. Lottie came to EA with her mistress and married in Nairobi.' 

Adventurers - Lado Enclave - 1909 - '..... an old friend from Nairobi, the Hon Charles Craven, who had come up with his brother Rupert to get some hunting, but had been seriously ill with blackwater fever. ..... The Cravens stayed to lunch with me, and I was sorry to hear that they had not had such good luck with their hunting as had fallen to my lot. .......... On my return to Koba after one of my trips, I was met with the news that the Hon. Charles Craven, with whom in company with his brother Rupert I had once or twice foregathered in the Congo, had died of blackwater fever. I arrived just in time to attend his funeral. ....... Two hunters with whom I came a good deal in contact at that time were the Cravens, brothers of the late Earl of Craven. Rupert was a retired naval officer; Charles had been in the Guards and was an ex-heavyweight champion boxer of the army. These men came out to EA about 1903-04 as prospective settlers in what is now Kenya Colony and chummed in with Quentin Grogan, brother of Kenya's well-known E.S. Grogan, who was already at that time a keen hunter. They formed a party of good fellows who met with fair luck in their hunting during the years they devoted to the business, and they went on a long trip to Mount Elgon with quite good results. This group was one of the boldest lot of hunters out at that period, and I fell in with them from time to time in the Congo and Lado Enclave. They generally patronized "The Harbour Lights" when in Koba, and I still possess a set of dice that Charles made for me out of some ivory chips. He fell ill there, and on my advice went up to the hills of the Enclave where the air and climate were as cool and healthy as Kenya Highlands. In the serene air and conditions of these uplands he quite recovered; but on resuming his old life on the lower plains of the Nile, he contracted blackwater and died at Koba. I shall never forget his funeral, for it was by far the most solemn and impressive that I ever attended. Under the blue sky and vivid green of the tropic Nile Valley, he was laid to rest covered with the Union Jack. Rupert lost his zest for the game after that, and having endured a few more of the inevitable ups and downs of an elephant hunter's life returned to England. He came out again, however, during the War, as an officer in some corps, the name of which I forget.

North - Running wood fuel contract with Railway 1905/6.

EAHB 1907 - Voi

W.A. Kempe diary 28 Mar 1907 [at Mombasa] When we arrived at the house I walked in first & found it in a filthy state full of dogs of all sorts & Mrs Rupert Craven an awful looking woman 3 parts drunk having breakfast. I stood still aghast & said ‘good god’. Barnes came in & the Hon Rupert appeared with his head cut open more or less drunk & we slunk up stairs & out by another door to the office from which Barnes wrote asking them to clear out which they luckily did quietly. In the evening while we were at dinner the Hon Rupert came in very drunk & sat down at the table. His wife came in later with an askari wanting to run him in & he had a knife handy. Barnes got him outside whipped his knife out of his belt & chucked it to me & marched them off. He went to the Hotel where Price John refused to have them but was persuaded to take off Mrs who went to bed with 3 revolvers swearing she would shoot her husband if he appeared while Rupert was conducted to Edgells & reduced to a state of stupor with drink.