Richard Wells was born and educated in England, and served an apprenticeship as a chemist in London. He came to South Australia at the end of 1853 and, because he had some knowledge of shorthand, was engaged as a reporter for the Adelaide Times, where he rose to the level of sub-editor. In 1858 he was engaged by the South Australian Register, also as a sub-editor, but shortly afterwards was appointed editor-in-chief, a position he held for a number of years until being compelled to resign due to ill health. Whilst employed there, he also wrote a column, Rough Notes, under the pen-name 'Candid'. This column was the forerunner for the series Echoes from the Bush, by John Howard Clark (q.v.).
Hoping to improve his health, he went back to England for a time, before returning to Australia. Some time later, he went north by ship, escorting a cargo of goods for the construction of the Overland Telegraph Line in the Roper River area of the Northern Territory, before returning to Adelaide via Darwin. Shortly afterwards, he again visited the Roper River with M. Todd, with whom he travelled overland then back to Adelaide. Here, excitement over the mining boom in the Territory and the near-completion of the telegraph line was at a peak, facilitating the establishment of a new newspaper in the new settlement. A complete and up-to-date newspaper plant was shipped north and Mr. Wells returned as manager and editor of the new venture.
On 24 February 1875, while Wells was heading south for a holiday, the mail steamer Gothenburg, on which he was travelling, was wrecked off the Queensland coast . Wells drowned (along with over one hundred others who were on board), leaving a young wife and child to mourn him.
