René Belbenoît

René was a man from France.

He did bad things when he was young. He stole from many people. This led to him going to a far prison.

He was sent to a place called French Guiana. The prison was on islands in the sea. René tried to escape many times. He even used a small boat.

Finally, he made it to a new land. He moved to the United States. He lived in a place called California.

René wrote books about his life. People liked to read them. He shared his true story with the world.

René Belbenoît was a man from France.

When he was young, René broke the law. He stole money and items from many people. Because of this, a court sent him to a prison in French Guiana. This was a place for forced labor.

Life in the prison was very hard. René tried to escape many times. Once, he used a raft to cross the sea. Another time, he escaped with a group of men in a small boat. These trips were dangerous. Many people in his group did not make it.

René finally reached the United States. He lived in California for many years. He even worked as an advisor for a film studio.

René wrote books about his time in prison. One book was called Dry Guillotine. Many people bought his books to learn his story. He shared what life was like in the penal colony. His books became very famous.

René Belbenoît was a man whose life was full of many changes.

He was born in Paris, France, on April 4, 1899. During his childhood, he was separated from his mother, Louise Daumière. She worked as a teacher for the children of the Czar of Russia. His father, Louis Belbenoît, worked as a conductor for a train. Because his father was often away, René lived with his grandparents. This was the start of a very long and difficult journey.

As a young man, René made many poor choices. Between 1920 and 1921, he committed several crimes like theft and burglary. He moved between many French cities like Tours, Nantes, and Dijon. In August 1921, he stole money from a restaurant boss in Dijon. He even sent a letter to the boss to thank her for the money. This letter helped the police find him in Paris. They identified him using a stamp from the letter.

At age 23, René faced a serious court in Dijon. The court saw that he was a repeat offender. They sentenced him to eight years of forced labor. He was sent to a penal colony in French Guiana. This meant he had to work hard in a faraway place. A rule called "doubling" meant he had to stay there even longer. He traveled to the colony on a ship called Le Martinière in June 1923.

Life in the penal colony was very hard and dangerous. René tried to escape many times using rafts and small boats. In 1923, he and a man named Léonce tried to use a raft. They ran aground and were later caught by a group of Indians. In 1924, René escaped with seven other men in a canoe. This trip was very sad because many of the men died. The survivors were caught and sent back to the prison.

René finally found a way to reach the United States. In May 1935, he escaped with five other men in a small boat. They traveled for seventeen days before reaching Trinidad. After a long trip through Colombia and Panama, he reached Los Angeles in 1937. He wrote a famous book called Dry Guillotine in 1938. This book told the true story of his time in prison. He later lived in California and worked for a film studio.

Jules René Lucien Belbenoît was a French man whose life was marked by crime, imprisonment, and several daring escapes.

Born in Paris on April 4, 1899, his early years were marked by family separation. His mother, Louise Daumière, worked as a teacher for the children of the Czar of Russia. His father, Louis Belbenoît, was a conductor on the Paris-Orleans Express. Because his father was often away, René was raised by his grandparents. These early experiences set the stage for a life of constant movement and struggle.

Between 1920 and 1921, Belbenoît engaged in a series of crimes across several French cities. He committed burglaries, thefts, and scams in locations such as Tours, Saint-Nazaire, Chartres, and Nantes. In June 1921, he worked briefly as a dishwasher in Besançon. After only 11 days, he stole a wallet containing 4,000 francs and a motor scooter. He then moved to Nantes to work as a valet at Ben Ali Castle. While there, he stole pearls and money belonging to the Comtesse d'Entremeuse.

His criminal activities continued in Dijon, where he worked as a waiter. In August 1921, he broke into his employer's office and stole 2,800 francs. In a strange move, he sent a letter to his former boss thanking her for the money. This letter allowed the police to identify him using a postmark stamp. He was arrested in Paris on August 21, 1921. At his trial in the Dijon Assize Court, he showed no remorse and acted with a haughty attitude. Because he was a repeat offender, the court sentenced him to eight years of forced labor in French Guiana.

Belbenoît was subject to a legal rule known as "doubling." This rule required a prisoner to stay in the penal colony for a period equal to their sentence after their labor was finished. In June 1923, he was transported to the Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni colony aboard the freighter Le Martinière. The 14-day journey was dangerous, as some prisoners killed others during the trip.

Upon arrival, he was classified as a "transported" prisoner. This status meant he was a convict sent from mainland France to serve his time in the colony.

Life in the penal colony was incredibly harsh and often violent. Belbenoît attempted several escapes that resulted in significant hardship. In August 1923, he and a man named Léonce used a raft to try to reach Dutch Guiana. They ran aground and were eventually caught by a troop of Indians. In November 1924, he escaped with seven other men in a canoe. This attempt turned tragic as the group faced starvation and internal conflict.

Several men died during this journey, and the survivors were caught and returned to the Bagne de Cayenne. These failures caused his sentence to increase.

Belbenoît eventually found a path to freedom through writing and more escapes. After being released in 1930, he worked as a gardener in the Panama Canal Zone. He later returned to France illegally, which led to another three-year sentence. In May 1935, he escaped again with five other men in a 19-foot boat. They traveled for 17 days before reaching Trinidad. After traveling through Colombia and Panama, he finally reached Los Angeles in March 1937.

His life gained international attention when he published his memoirs. In 1938, his book, *Dry Guillotine*, was published in the United States. The book was a massive success, going through 14 printings in less than a year. He later wrote another book titled *Hell on Trial* in 1940. These writings provided a rare look at the conditions of the penal colonies.

Even after his fame, he faced legal troubles with U.S. immigration. He eventually settled in California, where he worked as a technical advisor for Warner Bros. films and ran a ranch store. He lived in Lucerne Valley until his death in 1959.