New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-03-02
BENZON'S LAST PLUNGE.
EVEN DOLLY TESTERS HUSBAND COULD
NOT SAVE HIM FROM JAIL.
f,,ov An OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF TIE TEIBusEl

NOT SAVE HIM FROM JAIL.
ryRoM Al OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TEIBusEl
Nice, February Il.
One hardly knows how TO think of Bcnzon.
What 10 think Of him is plain enough. In tho
language of Thcrstcs he is :" a fool positive, ana
the language of Thersitcs, other than that quoted.
is very fitting TO apply TO him. But how TO re-
gard him ? With pity? Perhaps so; for Nature
NAV have made him the fool he Is. with con-
tempt? Why no; since his folly may he all his
own doing. With judicial severity? DouD'iess'
since he has deliberately violated the law ms
last view Yves taken by the officers of the Cor
regional Tribunal here to-day, though with some
thing of a squint toward lcncncy; for they sen
fenced him 10 three months Imprisonment and
sent him off in the common prison van, suaroea
by Gems d'armc, along with other everyday cfiihi-
nails When lie emergcs from his scQucsiiaton, IL IS
10 be hoped that lie will not again cndeavor TO Cd
trudc himself upon the public gaze Ills career
has run its natural and legitimate COURSE 10
attempt to revive and continue 1t would ne HAe
trying to put sparkle into stale chaihp'Shc'
IL was some three years ago that Bcnzon was
launched lie came into view with grand rush,
fully ncdgcd. lie twenty-onc years DID, ana
worth 81 500, 900, which had been lcit 10 MN
by his father, on cStimablc Colonial c"pi'"i's"
That was the Jubilee year the Queen OF England
Jubilee. Society in England was in hilarious
and cNtrayagant frame of mind. Benzon did not
get into society proper, Of course. hut he
set to work to prove his right TO be admitted, by
showing himself still more hilarious and eNtr'Na-
CANT than any swell within It's sacred circle
In this noble and distinguished ambition he was
entirely successful. lie not only made ducks ana
brakes of his money but he made sure that those
fowls were exceedingly fleet Of wing Ills i"V-
ortc field of operations was the turf and bis chlct
delight was taken in what is professionally known
as "plungng," which, to tic lay mind is nothing
more than reckless betting Of very large sums
There had been "plungers' on the turf before.
But their plunging was 10 Ecnzons IS iarihinsS
to guincas. The most hardened and ln'eieTac
gamestcrs of the turf stood aghast 10 see TINS
calow youth offer 81 100000 in a single wager on
a rather worse than doubtful nag. His career. III
deed was 10 a considerable portion of Great
Britain the most striking event Of the year, ana
there are doubtless thousands Of Her AlaJcsiys
loyal subjects who will only recall The date Of her
Jubilee by ihc fact that il occurred simultaneously
with Bcnzons "plnngine. The Jubilee Ilun-cr
he was most properly named; Though his "'"r
friend. the MARQUIS Ol Alcsbury. To-day IN court
declared him to have been "a rex lar Jubilee jug
gins Lord Mespury Is The noble patron OF
the turf-and Of numerous thnlch HFihssT"ho
j. best known as the swell wot married Dolly
Tester The chaste and classic expression Iu-
bilcc Jugcins" was received hy the court win an
air Of polite incolnprchcnson, winch hail an houI
desperate transatins and explaining dld HOT
The charge against Benzon was that
Of ut'crins checks on C9u,ts b ,,.,.,
them. This pleasing performance he repeater
several times On the first occasion u wa
check for some $500 10 pas his hotel pnI at
Mentonc The check WAS not honorcd by the
bank but a good Samaritan named links cam"
10 Iicnzon's rescue and paid the amount o. me
check Not LONG after. len1on borrowed 5000
from no "a
with and gave in return "a chccl; for $500, which
was not honorcd. in this Csc, also settlement
was effected by his friends. Bat TIE imphnity
which had attended these preliminary dalHanc's
with rascaiiy ENCOURAGED him o. holder advances
He went 10 the 'nTit lNonnHe' ana lnu"''"
them 20 cash a check for 500" m the name "l
Mr. Ilarrrcavcs Ne fr.t came with clock for
$500, and. after thcv bed iclcrriphcd 70 London
and been informed that Mr. liarcrcavcs was good
for any amount. they paid that amount 10 Zen
zon. However, he returned TO the nanN
the next day and withdrew the cncct
\ few days later he prescnicl "A =
scntcd a check for 5000 which was PAID ana
Withdrawn in the same way. Then, oil" january
IL. he presented check for 5000 and received
The money Meantime. the suspicious Of the bank
were aroused They sent tracing OF the sig
nature Of Mr. llar-rcavcs written hV i"nI"u 10
London, and, on learning by Telegraph 'h'' u
was a forgery, Bcnzon was arrested.
The general drift OF testimony concerning rem
7on was that be diGnt know any better The
Marquis of Alespurr said that he felt sure i@nl"h
would not do wrong intentionally. captain lay
came TO me one day said this witness. ANA
asked me if | thought the bank would pay a
check signed with the name OF "A Roihschld.
told him YES. but asked how he was going - gr'
such a check Why. | could write H. myself
said he | told him that would he shear forgery;
and he would lie sent 10 prison for II. lie aushri
and said he didn't think so; his friends would
see him through all right That. hy the way.
was lust an hour or two before he presented
the forced Ilarorcavcs check for $1,000. Then
Icnzou testified in his ownhchali. and told how
i'm less than two years ne had lost Sl.JuoooO.
lie said ne didn't mean - do wrong. lie wanted
the money f. gamble with AZ Monte Carlo. and il
he had been successful AZ the tables lie would
have repaid it, all Several times ne quite broke
down. and snivcllcd and whimpcrcd like - child
threatened with birchng. His counsel made
really eloquent plea for mercy for him. and II
probably touched the heart OF the presiding Iud@c.
Tor the scutcnc. Of three months imprisonment
is really very light.
don't know whether Rcnzon made any money
ont Of his book in which he told how he lost
his fortune Probably not. There was at one
time n good deal of sympathy with him expressed
In Euqlaud among those who had encouraged him
i'm his imbccty. but IL has now died ont. " a
matter Of fact there is no ground FOR sympathy.
He wifllly made Of himself and threw
away his money. Nor need any one pity him IN
his apparent perjury. lie still has fortune Of
only get at the interest OF. II lac cannot live
comfortably on the interest Of $50 900. there is
nothing more TO he said, certainly nothing more
10 be done for him.
A RED.EEADED PARTY.