Typed Letter Signed by BELBENOIT, Rene (1899-1959)

This French World War One veteran fell into criminal ways and by 1920 was sentenced to prison and hard labor in the penal colony of French Guiana; numerous dangerous escape attempts failed in the years to come, but finally he escaped to Trinidad, then Colombia, then Panama, then El Salvador and finally by 1937 he arrived in Los Angeles; his bestselling memoir "Dry Guillotine" was published in 1938 and brought him to the attention of immigration, as did his 1940 book "Hell on Trial" -- a visa took several more years and citizenship didn't occur until 1956. TLS, 1p, 7¼" X 10½", New York, NY, 13 June 1938. Addressed to Mrs. Frank L. Cole. Very good. Mild edgewear and folds. Superb content from the recent immigrant to America, penned shortly upon the success of his 1938 memoir. "Thank you very much for your very interesting old clippings about the first fugitives from Devils Island 82 years ago," he writes in his halting English. "...I hope to stay all my life in your nice country. Everybody was so nice for me here." He continues, "I am writing a second book.. I condamn, by a condamned... Please excuse my english He is very bad...." Signed boldly in full in black ink. Surely the book "I Condemn, by a Condemned" to which Belbenoit refers is what came out as "Hell on Trial." The recipient, an admirer from South Brewer, Maine, lightly pencils along the top edge, "He has very poor eye sight & when he landed in Cal had no teeth." And below his signature, she explains the letter further, again in light pencil: "I sent Mr Belbenoit old cuttings from New York Herald Tribune of Nov 1856," "His book written in long hand must have had to under go a thorough revision," "Be sure to read 'Dry Guillotine' in June Readers Digest -- back part," "I sent the cuttings to him Care E.P. Dutton his Publishers." A fascinating, unusual item.