The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1915-03-12
B|E!VkREMARRIED
!. Thinking HE HAD .
SECUREDD|VORGE
Detailed Story Says Alleged
?. aBigamist WasN'Victim of
'Shyster' in Goldfield
NAME OF RUBENSTElN
ELEMENT OF MYSTERY
Other Commissions Not Reconciled
With Complaint Against Aged
Clothier of Hotel Street

Did NJ. r. Benn wed the present
Mrs. Benn in the erroneous belief that
he had been divorced from his former
wife, the mother of his childrenf
That is one explanation Of the arrest
Of the white haired president and man
ager Of the Bell Clothing Company on
charge Of bigamy. lsA.....ats. n
Chicago; Goldfeld, Nevada; BALM.
ger, in the Panhandle of Texas; Eu.
rope; South Africa, and Honolulu are
the shifting scenes of the drama.
The Civilian" is an attorney named
REED Of GoIdfcld. The story has IL
that he wrote Benn that the divorce
had been arranged and that $3.50
"would fix it," II. ~:
But $3.50 did not "fx it.p There
was no divorce. Reed dropped from
sight. Benn went to Europe and re.
married. Then came his discovery Of
the truth: That Reed was q "shystcr
and that he still was bound to his first
wife. .'.t ( y
"0ne of his children" advised him
Of this, according to the explanation.
Not Punishable Here ,A1}
II this story be correct, there are re-
mltants of high interests:
Benn, having remarked in Europe,
has not committed a crime, through
the fact of that marriage, punishable
by the United States. The crime Of
bigamy is committed where the biga.
nous marriage takes place.
He might be punished for another
offense nnder the laws of the United
States IL he has cohabited with a
woman not his legal wife, ..,..
Benn, Remained silent on these new
developments, but he started at the
mention of ,GoIdfeld and ceased his
nervous .twirling of his hands. And
there is no explanation of the name
Of Rubenstein, which figures prominent
ly in the case. Benn was arrested on
information dealing with M. Ruben.
stein. He maintains that his true name
is Benn, aud not Rubenstein.
his Sorrow Concealed
The storS has it that Benu; or Ruben
stein, was q resident Of Chicago. He
and his wife drifted apart. There was
unhappiness tits considered Hebrew
attribute to wish to conceal domestic
infelicity from the world. There was
no divorce action in Chicago.
But Benn went West. He reached
Goldfeld, Nevada. This is doubly sig,
nificant in the story: The divorce laws
of Nevada were. notoriously, easy and
elastic; Goldfeld, as "a mining camp,
was next door to chaos of society,
where hotsam and jetsam of humanity
whirled for q brief moment in the eddy
and then passed from sight and knowl,
edge.
At GoIdfeld he found an attorney
named Reed. He retained him as coun-
sci in divorce action.
Benn was a "red flag" merchant.
He was one who speeis liked on fire
l-Sales, at which the auVtioneer ban
ner flaps in the wind until the damaged
stock is gone. Such business call
took him from Goldfeld to Ballinger IN
the Panhandle of Texas.
While there he received Letter from
the attorney. 1t said that the, divorce
had been granted. 1t also, contained
the reference to $3.50 Bonn mailed a
cheek. lie thought himself free.
| From this point on the trail is con
fused. Benn went to, Europe. lie re.
married; perhaps IL was in Vienna
yet his wife is believed to have been a
native of Eastborne, England. From
Europe the story leads to South Africa
and Johannesburg, where Benn was in
Climax Comes Here
4 America again becomes the scene. A
letter from Hsone Of his children -
how many there are is unknown-scnt
Benn pOSthaste to Goldfeld. There he
learned that Reed had been only a
" Shyster, - one of the class that might
be expected in the confused tumble OF
. mining camp; that there had been nc
hivorce, althsuSh the supposed reputa
BILE lawyer had accepted $3.50 for his
"serviccs. 7. ~.
Things rush toYa. climax Discovery
comes in Chicago and Benz is arrested
in Honolulu. l.y,..... a.,
| NJ And yet there are other confusions
1 The complaint on which Benn was ar
rested cites that he married Title Ru
bernstein at ,Juyint,. Eussia, in 1915, ant
then remarked here in 1912 without
having been divorced from his first
lwife. 1t is affirmed that a careful
search failed to disclose this suppose
explanation of the net involving The
70-year old man says that he was mar
Tried the second time in Europe. Benz
also says that he came to Honolulu only
a year and eight months ago, If this
is correct, he could not have been mar
ricd here in lOl2, Moreover, person
who knew Bonn in, johannesburg sa,
the present Mrs. Benn lived with hin
there, and she came to Honolulu uftr
he did.
Names Are Connected
Those who observe closely have not
ed this fact; That when a man change
his name for some reason taking al
alias, he usually builds the new in sou,
manner on the old, oftimes fantastcaI
ny, sometimes, with only threat con
Meeting the, two eognomens; but usual
lyt a threat, at least, exists. Thus tn
name Of M, 'Rubehstcin might HAY,
fathcrrd the name of NJ. h. Penn Tn
initial M remains. The initial let
tnr NJ tho suPnan,a - R,,L,nstai,' - H.,