The Washington bee., 1899-05-27
IN EXTRAORDINARY NAN
Sketch of the Life of Charles
Wells, Who Broke the
Bank of Monte Carlo.
HIS PHENOMENAL GAINS.
Broke the Bank Five Times One
Night in November and Pocket
ed $4,000.

Bought Magnificent Yacht for s1OO,OOt
and Lived Like n Prince Until Arrest.
ed for SwindIing-COnyictsdo of Obtain.
ing &I5O.OO Under False Prstenses-
Kept the Money.
The man who broke the bank az
Monte Carlo. the man about whom the
once familiar song was written. has re.
Gently been released from Jail. His
name is Charles Wells.
He is one of the most extraordinary
characters in Europe. With money
coined out of airy promises he went tc
Monte Carlo and won a great fortune
Wells phenomenal winning began
in 1891. In July of that year he is
said to have won $160.000. and in the
following November $4,000 more.
On one night in November he broke
the bank five times and won $4,000.
Casino frequenters gave him the name
of "Bonne-Chance" Wells. GOOD
Luck" Wells that means.
He bought a magnificent steam yacht
of 1000 tons, the Palais Royal for
100000. This was much less than its
original cost. He was in full enjoy
ment of his lightly earned fortune when
he was arrested for swindling and sent
to Portland Prison. He is SiXty-tWO
years old, but looks much younger.
He neither smokes nor drinks
Wells only friend at the present mo-
ment is young niece, upon whom he
is entirely dependent. and who was
very faithful to him during his impris-
onment. He appeared deeply grateful
to her. He has improved greatly in
appearance since his Imprisonment.
Wells was convicted of obtaining
nearly $150.000 by false pretences, in
Guiding the sum of 100000 from a
certain Miss Philimore. His method
was to insert advertisements stating
that substantial yearly income would
be guaranteed to the person who assist
ed him to purchase patents for certain
inventions. He always pOcketed what
ever sums were sent him. Some sent
small amounts. but in many instances
he obtained thousands of dollars.
According to the statements he issued
he had applied for provisional protec-
tion for almost every conceivable OBJ
ject under the sun. Among other
things he said he wished to patent were
an apparatus for utilizing the power
and heat of waste steam another for
detecting bad coin, hot air engines, va
por engines, petroleum engines. air mo-
tors and large number of steam en-
gines
With part of the money he received
he bought the yacht Palais Royal. and
with the rest of il he broke the bank
at Monte Carlo. He had a great tim5
in Paris walking up and down the BOis
de Boulogne, and entertained hosts of
actresses and hangers-On. Then he re-
turned to London and found he was far
from popular with those who had con-
tributed to his success. Henry La
bouchere exposed him.
One day he ordered a cabman to
drive him with all possible speed to his
yacht, which was then lying at Ply
mouth. He proposed to go to Portugal
because he understood he could not be
extradited from that country on the
charge of obtaining money by false pre-
tences in England. Unfortunately for
him, he made brief stop at Havre, in
France. The Scotland Yard detectives
were already on his track. and one of
them was waiting for him just as he
was about to leave Havre for Portugal
He was arrested, extradited and taken
back to England. There he was SEN
fenced to eight years penal servitude
anu SCAJ W GIlSOu. HIS
term he reduced TO six years by his
good conduct
He remains under police surveillance
for the next two years, and for any
misconduct is liable TO be taken back
to serve out his sentence. People who
intrust him with money will therefore
have a certain additional guarantee
that he will not misappropriate it.
Among other things he is expected to
refrain from criticism of the prison dis
cipline, but he declared that he had
been unjustly convicted and harshly
treated.
When first put in prison he was set
to work at breaking stone. the usual
occupation Of the Portland cohVicts.
but after while he was made book
keeper. He spent his spare time in
mathematical calculations designed to
assist him in breaking the bank once
more. He also INDUCED in instrumen-
tai music. He was organist in the Ro-
man Catholic chapel at the prison.
His behavior was excellent with one
exception. when his offence was an act
of generosity. For giving a ten-ounce
loaf of bread to a fellow convict he was
condemned by the governor to two
days solitary confinement in the pun
iShment cell on No. 1 diet, and fined
fOrty-twO marks and a months class.
''Forty-twO marks" means seven days
deduction from the rebate of sentence
to which good conduct entities every
convict. and months class" entails
the substitution of Cruel for tea at sup
per time. and the prohibition Of letters
and visitors.
During Wells trial he was made a
bankrupt The liabilities were heavy
and the assets consisted only of the
yacht Palais Royal, which was sold for
trif1e, compared with the 800 900
Wells paid for it, and the $500, 900 he
alleges it was worth.