The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1903-01-15
Harry Curtis and {. ]. Arnold, Lead
ers in Sporting World, Both Came
From This City.
FROM BELLBOY TO TURF MAGNATE
Meteoric Career of Harry Curtis. of Bene.
diet & CO.-Great Fortunes Made I'm q
Few Years of Easy Work.

The building up Of a fortune or
business in these days of prosperity
in the sporting world, seems to be a
matter of little moment and the recent
examinations of the Government into
the dealings of certain companies
known as "Turf Investing Companies"
has brought out the fact that Kenosha
has furnished to the world the two
most daring men IN this new line of
business.
These men are Benedict, of the firm
of Benedict & Co., and E. ]. Arnold,
who is now known far and wide as the
most powerful gamtlerin the country.
A number of well known Kenosha
| sporting men were gathered about the
steam pipes at the Eichelman this
morning when one of them became
reminiscent and in speaking of the
men who had gone into the world of
sports from Kenosha the name of Ben
edict came up, and this sporting man,
who is an authority on things in the
sporting world, recalled the days when
| Mr.. Benedict was resident of Keno
sha, and when he had the extreme
pleasure of drawing small salary
and the tips which his Office brought.
81 remember Benedict" said the
speaker. "But few of the investors in
Kenosha know of his real personality.
1t was not many years ago that Bene-
dict was shell hop" out the Penno-
yer Sanitarium. He was then about
twenty-five years of age. He was a
pretty, light haired boy and the guests
at the Sanitarium were very fond of
| him. Benedict's real name is Harry
Curtis, and when he was at the SAM
tarium he had a great1ove for the turf
and it's allied enterprises and he often
came into my place and talked of the
races. He left the Sanitarium and
went to Chicago, where he soon be-
came associated with the betting ring.
His position was not an exalted one
and he worked at the track in carrying
bets from the grand stand to the bet
ting ring. He was a sharp one and in
short time he became known as one
of the brightest men about the track.
1t was at this time that Curtis met
Hart Durham, the well known Chica-
go horseman, and the two conceived
the brilliant scheme of organizing the
turf investing fraternity, and his for
| tune has been built up in very few
years by his daring investments"
The fact that Curtis, during his resi-
dence in Kenosha became well &C
| quainted with the sports of the city, in
measure shows why there are so
many people IN this city who are in
vestors in the company. 1t is esti-
mated that there are no less than five
hundred people here who are still hold
ers of stock in the Benedict company,
and the fact that the Government re-
Gently investig ated the business of the
concern and failed to find any fault
has made the company even stronger
! in The city.
| The career of E. J. Arnold in Keno
sha and out is even more marvellous to
the sporting men Of the city. Arnold
has been connected with the sporting
world for many years. The coming of
the Sterling factory to Kenosha
broug hit with it many men of sporting
proclivities and among the number
| who came was e. ]. Arnold. He at
that time was not millionaire, and
his palace gambling dens and strings
of race horses had not been heard of.
He came to Keuosha minus every thing
but an ability to deal hand at poker.
| He had been in the city only few
days when he opened poker room on
| Main street and on the money which
he won in this room he laid the basis
for the fortune which he now en- joys.
Five years ago Arnold tired of the
1 monotony of the Kenosha poker room
and turned it over to the proprietor of
a saloon which had fostered it. He
went to St. Louis and began to mingle
with the race track sports.
/ A short time later he was found at
the head of the E. j. Arnold company
offering magical returns for money in
vested in the stock of the company.
His assets grew at tremendous pace.
Branches of his business were opened
in all parts of the country. His race
horses were found on every track and
with the money poured into his Golfers
by investors willing to take the gam
blers chance of getting it back again,
he became the ruler of the turf in the
west. Lately Arnold has opened his
big gambling rooms at Hot Springs
and tits claimed that his profits for a
single night often exceed hundred
thousand dollars.
These facts may come as a revela-
tion to the men who have plodded along
in Kenosha for years, earning only a
bare competency when the men on