A REPORTER'S DEATH.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 817, 24 June 1879, Page 2

A REPORTER'S DEATH.

The sad news comes from Paris of the death of W. Benton, the king of American reporters, wlio for seven or eight years past — so Mr. E. Desohanmes says m Le Figaro — has been drawing a fantastic salary from one of the great American dailies. Benton scattered abroad the dollars of his journal with princely magnificence, was on intimate terms with all the political and military celebrities of Europe, spoke eight different languages vith perfect fluency, and assisted at all the wars of the Old World as a most conscientious spectator. He had gained admission to Prince Gortachakoff's presence as a dog merchant, to the Congress at Berlin as a photographer ; he had gone to royal banquets disguised as a waiter, and to royal funerals as a coffin-bearer ; m 1868, he made the acquaintance of Mddle. Schneider m the role of a Brazilian diamond miner, while during the Franco-Prussian War he figured as a Turk (blacker than life), a Zouave, or Uhlan, according as the exigencies of the situation demanded. The, accomplished journalist was about three weeks ago m a great German city, where the sensation of the time was a troupe of trained bears. There were six of them, and they went tlirough their drills and other performances with such

startling regularity that it* was very"* generally suspected that they were not bears, but men disguised m bear-skins. Benton thought as much, and offered to wager with the. manager that he would enter Ihe den, but the manager declined to sanction his enterprise. . Bentou thereupon invited all the journalists m the city dinner, assured thorn that the bears' were frauds, and invited them to be present at the afternoon performance next day, when lie intended to* unmask the humbug!!' Htaving bribed ""* an employe oi the menagerie, Benton, disguised* as a bear, entered the cage. His five companions seemed furiously excited, but he attributed this to their desire to fend off suspicion. The people applauded most enthusiastically. .It was when the unhappy being, desirous of carrying out his plan, turned; towards the Press box, and removed his bear's head. A tremendous roar of laughter ensued, followed by a shriek of terror. The bears, on seeing the human face, precipitated themselves upon the unfortunate man. Before the tamer could take steps to save him,^iiie(. reporter, frightfully mutilated, breathed his last. Thus perished poor Ben toil; whoso editor-in-chief seeks vainly a man fit to replace him.