The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-09-04
BILL SKIES OUTDONE.
A Woman Nearly Beaten to
Death by Her Husband.
THE TRAGEDY or sHANTYTowN.
Mrs. Peitier Beaten and Kicked by an
Inhuman Frenchman-story OF
Life's Misery.

uefouS attack made by John Peltier 4
swarthy Frenchman, on his wife, Minnie
Peltier.
Mrs. Peltier, weakly, little, sallow com.
piexioned woman, weighing less than
ninety five pounds. is lying on q straw tick
In a wretched howell on Water street, corner
OF Lenora, bruised and beaten, and will
probably die. The man is in Jail. held
without bonds. to await the result of his
wife's injuries.
When the inhuman husband was
brought to the city jail, he acknowledged
beating his wife. His indifference and
naughty demeanor caused the faces of the
policemen standing around to turn liyid
with rage.
Peltier had practically deserted his wife
and six little children last February. He
went to Portland and started up a cheap
dive in the northern portion of the city. A
few days ago his wife wrote to him, telling
him she was about to become mother,
and that her little ones and herself needed
assistance. He wrote to one of his friends
in this city, asking about his wife, and the
man wrote back:
For Gods sake, John, come over here.
Your old woman is talking about you and
raising hi"
The man came to the city on Monday
afternoon. and at O'Clock he went to the
home OF his wife. He came to the back
door and knocked. The mother inside
had just put three of her little ones, the
youngest babe OF year and three
months old, to bed, and asked:
"Whs is it?''
"Open this door, d--n you," was the
savage response.
The woman was terrified, and not recog-
nizing the voice, refused to comply with
the demand. A moment later the panels
of the door had besn kicked in and the
door itself had been torn from its hinges.
Peltier rushed in and looking about,
reared:
Where is that man that you have been
keeping in here?"
house, he fronted her with demoniac
look and Missed:
"You lie'
The children began crying, and a i've
year-old little boy ran up. and catching
hold OF his mothers dress cried loudly.
His father seized him by the waist and
threw him across the room against the
wall, amid shower of vile oaths and
abuse.
The trembling woman was the next VIC
tim. Despite her pitiful cries the merci-
less man struck her on the forehead with
his clenched fist, and the blood flowed
freely. He struck her again on the side
of the head and broke the skin. The
now thoroughly aroused demon
seized her long hair in his iron
grasp and crushed the hairpins
into the poor woman's head. Helifted her
off her feet and butted her head against the
walls, and the papered partition still bears
rhe blood-stained prints. He then threw
fher on an improvised bed in one corner of
the room, and foaming with anger, pulling
the long hair from his finger nails and
wiping the blood from his hands, said:
IF you're not dead. amt through with
you yet" to which he got the faint reply
from the painting. blood-stained apparition
across the room:
skill me now; ask favor
The monster rushed across the room,
jumped and planted both feet on the
grooming woman's legs. Kick after kick
followed. and the brute fairly kneaded the
woman's body with his knees.
Neighbors, attracted by the cries of the
children and the sound of the beating
rushed in and the man was undoubtedly
deferred from killing his poor wife on the
apot The man would permit no doctor to
call on the woman, and until arrested by
Officer w. A. Cover yesterday morning
would not let any one come into the house
This is the story of the assault given to a
PosT-INTELLIGENcER reporter by the wo-
man and confirmed by several of her
neighbors. Mrs. Peltier told a story of a
life of sorrow. She said that she was mar
ried sixteen years ago, at the age of 10, in
Detroit. Six months later she moved with
her husband to East Saginaw, where Pel-
tier conducted sporting resort and cheap
saloon. Two months after large. burly
fellow. a patron of the resort, became
enamored of Peltier's young and pretty
little wife, and one night about 10 O'Clock,
after she had retired, Peltier came home
with the man, and for O sum
of money, forced his wife, by
holding her, to allow the man TO outrage
her. The woman was several times after.
ward made TO submit to similar treatment,
and was so beaten and logged afterward
that the greater part of the time she was in
bed, unable from weakness to arise.
Peltier's oldest daughter, a deformed.
idiotic girl of 10 years. is at the Sisters
home in this city. She owes her misfor-
tunes to her brutal father. In one of his
fits of rage, several years ago. he beat her
on the head, the effects of which she has
never overcome, and he also broke her
breast bone by kick.
When these facts were reported to Chief
Monroe, the latter summoned Peltier to
his office.
"Well, sir" began the chief. "a graver
charge appears against you than you ex-
pect. Your wife has died from the ef-
fects of your cruelty. and you are IN very
unenviable position"
What is this you tell me-" said the man,
cowed and trembling.
Your wife has died." said gentleman
who was present. taking the cue. "She
made dying statement before witnesses,
charging you with being her murderer"
The cold sweat stood out on
the mans brow, and he writhed
in terror in his chair. The tears streamed
down his eyes, and he pleaded, Gentle
men, tell me. what will they do with me p"
You will in all probability be hung"
was the heartless reply, and the French
man went writhing, weeping and moaning
back 10 his cell.
The health officer is treating Mrs. Pei
tier, and be thinks he will send her to the
poor farm as soon as she is in a condition
10 be removed.
FOURTH WARD REPURIICAN CIUR