The Benton weekly record. [volume] (Benton, Mont.) 1880-1885, 1881-09-08
James Gordon Hsemneda.

4 Mr.. Bennett ia not at all handsome o,
striking if5personM appearance. His face
is long and thin and wears an expression
OF settled melancholy, as if the pleasure oil
the world had palled on him. He does moi
seem at all broken down il health and
does not have the appearance Of n man
whom dissipation has worn out, bat he
does look AS though the world yielded him
no further enjoyment and as il his only
occupations now were to Kill the time.
Certainly he has provided himself with ex-
cellent weapons to kill 1t With. j
His house here. which lie bought some
i time since for 500, 900, he has converted in
to palace. He calls it Stone Villa and it
stands just opposite the Casino-~a place
which is also virtually his own, since he
advanced the money with which it is built
and holds mortgage Of one hundred
| thousand dollars Oh it--on Bellevue
avenue, the principal street in the new
part OF the town. Stone Villa il a large,
plain. tWo-story structure Of granite, orig
inally square. bat now provided with a
projecting octagou dining-room of Mr..
Benefits own design and surrounded with
a broad and very airy vcranda The
grounds, which the owner has just decor
ated with some costly and beautiful mar
bic statues bought III Italy, poised curious
| " on sWiyels or pivots, 80 that they turn
about, are surrounded with a low granite
wall. which does not obstnlct the view OF
even child.
| Inside the house everything is sumptu-
Gus. Livericd servants are always in at
tendance, day and night, relieving each
other IN phalanxes. The octagon dining
room, which has windows opening to the
air on all Of its eight sides but one, is a
marvel of completeness. From the hosts
seat at the chief table-an elaborately
by the way, by a local cabinetmaker-elec
trie. bells communicate with all parts Of the
house, enabling him to communicate with
any servant he wants. In this dining-room
the tables are always spread, in the kitchen
cooks arc always onduty and Mr.. Benefits
friends are at liberty to come in and order
what they want at any hour Of the day or
night It Is shot meals ut all hours" at
this establishment and free meals, too, to
Ill who enjoy AIr. Benefits friendship.
The host may be said to entertain every
night, for there are always guests at his
house and their wants are carefully pro
FideG for. ssszsz7z=sas7
Stone Villa is strictly % bachelors hall
the greater part OF the time. The only
female member Of the household is the
housekeeper, who is elderly. All the other
servants, including cooks and chamber
maids, are men. But, Notwithstanding
the almost exclusively masculine character
of the household, Mr.. Bennett does not
deny himself the pleasure of feminine
companionship. The ladies of society here
either do not believe the stories Of his So
cial irregularities or else have forgotten
them, for they welcome him freely TO their
entertainments and attend his, and often,
accompanied by their husbands, call at his
house. When he makes q yachting party
to 60 out on the PoIynja, which is quite
often, he has no difficulty in getting togeth-
er very brilliant and exclusive little as
semblage. These yachting parties Of Mr..
Benefits, by the way, are characterized
by all his usual magnitlcence. Last sum-
mer he took a party up to Rocky Point on
the Pozynta and gave them q clam bake.
The usual price pei plate at clam bakes at
this place is so cents. Mr.. Benefits cost
500 for each guest. The table was spread
with his own silver, too, and the wine was
from his own cellar. You can imagine,
.perhaps--I can't-what the mere eaeables
must have been to cost $40 a plate.
Mr.. Benefits stables are as much an OBJ
iect of his pride as his house and bis yacht.
The stables on his own grounds. are not
large enough to accommodate his horses
and carriages, and he has been compelled
to rent two others in the immediate vicin-
ity. His eight polo ponies take up good
deal of room as well as a good deal Of at /
tention of their owner. Besides these,
which he occasionally uses for otheTpur
poses than polo, as the freak may seize
him, there are sixteen carriage horses, OF
various sizes andstyles, ranging from large
coach horses to ponies for phetons. He
has also every conceivable sort*of carriage,
ranging from the coach, to be drawn by
four or six horses, down to the dalntiest
little village cart. These expensive turn
outs are not often Seen, however. Mt.
Benefits ordinary means Of conveyance
around town is Il village cart, which he
drives himself lie is seldom accompanied
bv d servant. imagine that i ! had q
yearly income Of $750,0O0 I should find
some more comfortable vehicle for my ev-
eIy-diy riding than a village cart. | don't /
know whether this contriyance has reach |
ca Chicago vet; II had not Nhs}1 lHff
home last winter and was new tG fil*5 EIeEl
/ arrived at Newport. although tI1e. people i
assure me that it has been tie ordinary
single carriage here for years It's simply
i Girninufiye dog-ear1 unpainted, two
wheeled, with two seats, facing fore and
aft, and very uncomfortable. It has the |
graceful, musical np-and-doWn cha9-a-
clug movement of i uoal-eart, and gives
-, d +arritsfa hack l.hn if Toti ride far in it.