Omaha daily bee., 1888-01-20

yards always supported by u walking stick,
his excuse being that owing TO his lameness
he was unable to walk as fast as the others.
About 1883 it became known that Benson was
IN the habit Of receiving supplies Of tobacco.
Searching inquiry was set afoot. II was OBJ
vious he could only obtain his supplies
through the warden and later IL was discov-
cred that he had succeeded in exchanging
tobacco for the food of his fellow
prisoners. All along he denied the
charges and he was strapped and
searched but as the searching proved
futile these proceedings furnished Benson
with capital chances for memorials and it is
needless TO say that he made the most of the
hardship. Ultimately the prison authorities
were put upon their mettle. They were con.
WINGED that their suspicious were right
though their conduct appeared to place them
in the wrong. They determined to bring the
matter TO an issue. Without moments
warning Benson was ordered to his cell for
solitary confinement AS soon as he got
there it was noticed that in stripping he stood
awhile on one of his eggins Having
completely disrobed he was ordered
to the farthcst corner of the cell where his
clothing. article by article, was handed to
him after being closely examined. The leg.
gin upon which he stood pcrsistently, was
subjected to special inspection, and in it was
found small flannel bag containing two
ounces Of tobacco. The authorities were
thus able to Justify their suspicious and Ben
son was sentenced to a dietary punishment
for the offense.
Benson. though a man of great intellectual
capacity was not remarkable as student. He
drew book once week from the library,
but INDUCED in only casual reading. Often
when supposed to he at work or reading he
was discovered standing on stool looking into
the corridor to see what was going on.
For this offense he was frequently punished.
While in prison he often expressed his nten-
ton OF writing q book that should contain
his prison experiences. and he frequently ap-
Piled for materials to enable him to keen
memoranda. but the application was steadily
refused. Benson is a lingust and a musi-
clan, and at Portsmouth prison the harmon
ium in the synagogue has not been opened
since he last touched the keys. Not
only did he play accompaniments
at the services, but he trained the twenty
five or thirty Hebrews who were fellow
prisoners, and formed the best choir in the
establishment. Having a tolerable acquaint-
ance with every European language it is
singular that when he went to Portsmouth
he knew nothing of Hebrew. He, however,
placed himself under the tuition of an homo
rary Jewish visitor and grasped the language
in short time. He also composed a number
of Jewish melodies. All are still in the
prison and are remarkable evidences of his
taste and skill. Bensons father died in 1854
and though he often boasted that his frauds
had been sufficiently successful to ensure
him settled income of 81 200 a year, he
went to Paris Immediately after his liberia
ton only to find his brother had been left the
whole of his fathers wealth in the early part
of his prison career. Benson was visited by
Mr.. Franklin, of the firm of Montague a. Co,
bankers, Broad street, London, as it was be-
lieved the convict could furnish valuable in
formation of some frauds that had lust
previously been perpetrated on the bank but
though the interview was protracted beyond
the period allowed by the regulations, Benson
refused to give any information. Benson's
next imprisonment was in Brussels, where he
had established branch Office of fraudu-
lent news agency.
Your correspondent found among the
prison authorities several who predicted that
considering the general laxity of American
criminal Jurisprudence Benson would be
cleared enough by delays, wrts of error and
the like to get the best of its process in the
end