Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-14

and millions. But withal he was a char
liable man. for among other things he had
given from E1s.0oo TO eis.Ooo to the Lsnca-
shire distress fund during the historic cot
ton famine
Far-Fetehed Protestatioa.
Judging from the journal I have quoted,
Mr.. Montgomery' by his winnings had be-
come a sort of bookmakers' nishtmare-a
fact possibly not to be wondered at when
his enormous and repeated successes were
recorded. In order TO r~etaliats on Mr.
Montgomery the bookmakers'. readers were
told, began to boycott him. They would
not take his bets. or offered him so much
below the odds that his life became a
burden 70 MIN. Unfortunately. It was inn
possible. said the paper, for him to bet in
an assumed name because q quote the
words, this cannot be done in England,
where the rules Of the Jockey club void a
bet made under an assumed name This
Ubiquitous state OF affairs seems TO have
been the mission of Sport to suppress, for,
as the leading article read, We have pro-
tested and shall continue to protest until
we have compelled these lvultures to dis
continue such unfair conduct and until
we have succeeded in obtaining justice for
the commission agent
fAppsrently white the process of exter-
minsting the 'vultures' (bookmskers) was in
progress. Mr.. Montgomery had decided to
carry on his golden operations abroad
where the Jockey club ceased to trouble
and the hacker could carry his bets by
means of agents. IL was therefore MIR.
Montgomery's' wish to meet with some
respectable persons in France whom he
could trust to execute his commissions In
their own Names but also to reap for
themselves the unsuitable value OF and copy
his example for their own especial benefit
1.-THE paper being thus complete, the next
thing was to get it distributed in such
quarters as would be likely to catch
some flats for. Montgomery TO exploit.
This was simple enough, with Benson's
knowledge, and when his lodgings were
subsequently searched French directories,
duly marked, were found. In this way the
firm gained a great many victims and
netted much profit.
Caught - TliRhty Countess.
Among other flies attracted by the
honey pot was a wealthy widow living in
France named the Countess de Goncourt.
This lady had rather a larger share OF the
love OF sport than most of her sex. and she
was particularly fond OF horse racing.
Benson knew his France well and through
one or other OF his qualifications there he
managed TO see that she should have a
copy OF Sport This seemed to fire her
with a desire to secure the wealth which
the chagrined English bookmakers denied
TO Montgomery Her hesitating mind
was made up, however. by the receipt of
letters from that wonderful gentleman him
self, This is what Montgomery CBenson)
wrote her:
y" Dear Madam: Your. name has been
favorably mentioned to me by the Franco
English Society of Publicity. and 1 con-
sequently repose in you the most esteemed
confidence. What I reauihe of you Is simple
indeed. / will send you for each race the
amount which l desire to put or the horse
which must in my opinion win. You will
have to forward the money In your name,
but on my account, to the bookmaker, and
thus be able to get the real odds, which on
account OF my success and great knowledge
are denied to me. The bookmaker will on
settling day send you the amount. added to
the stake originally forwarded to him.
This you will please remit to me and on
its receipt I viii forthwith forward to you
a commission Of 5 per cent.
''This seemed such plain sailing that the
countess readily fell into the trap. When
she had sisnlfied her willingness to act in
the capacity Of agent she received az IN
initial investment a check for goo, with
instructions to send it to an eminent Eng
lish bookmaker named Mr.. Jackson at a
! given address. This she duly did.
Great 'Plant,-in Edinburgh.
Later on sine received a check drawn
upon the Royal ban of London, Charing
Cross. An Englishman might have searched
| "a i. III La.fr - wroIa me-
to get to it's history one has to go to Edin-
burgh, at the office Of the printer of that
enterprising journal. Sport. Here, in Elder
street, were not only the necessary sta
/ tionery for Gardner & Co.. but engraved
plates for printing checks on the Royal
Bank OF LONDON dies and headings for
note paper, etc.
Nine. de Goncourt received quite a num-
Der Of these valuable documents as her
agency proceeded. One draft was for
ei,OOo. This was not to be sent to Mr..
Jackson being for a large amount, but
was to be forwarded to a bockmaker named
Francis 1t represented a bet on s par
tlcular horse in the Great Northern handi-
cap. This was such a certainty that the
considerable Montgomery advised the lady
very strongly to have e1.Wo on this on her
own account. He explained that he,had Sc
Iected 'Mr. Francis for this transaction
because he was a sworn ~bookmaker,' The
certainty and the high status Of the
'bookie' induced the lady to try Aer own
luck and while sending on the Royal Bank
Of London check as directed she also for
warded one Of her own for a similar sum.
1t is needless TO say what was the fate of
this. Several other transactions followed
until the firm had had no less than el0,O0
out of her hoard. SO great was her cred
ulity that. she sent all the Royal Bank
checks TO various other sworn bookmak
ers,' and when, 20 encoursge. her, she re-
eeived equally valuable checks for her owr
supposed winnings from the sworn pen.
oilers she kept them over until a certain
date. in order to be within the English
law a preesution which Montgomery, ex.
planned was necessary.
Plueked the "a "a Too Close.
a few days later madame received al
urgent and pressing letter from Mont
gomery' advising her to invest a great sun
OF $4,000 With a sworn ~bookrnaker named
Ellerton, this time. Montgomery's' iettsH
said:
Never, madame. viii you have a SINH