The Progress., 1894-04-21
A BOLD OUTRAGE AND AN INOIGhAN 7
PUBLIC,


large number Of citizens met at the
court house fer the purpose OF giving
expression to their outraged feeling
over one of the most fragrant out
RACES that has ever been committed
in this or any other community.
That OF going into one Of the pas
sengpr trains, en- route from New Or
leans to Texas. and taking from the
train lady and her invalid son, I'M
der the tiimsy excuse Of looking for a
criminal, placing them under arrest,
and with that deliberation that would
have put Jesse james and his gang
to blush, took from them all the
money they bad, amounting to sev-
enty odd dollars, and brought them
to the City Hotel under arrest.
This was done by one of Shreve-
ports couucilmen, Sam Benjamin,
aided by Chief Of Police Nelson and
two patrolmen, Officers Dewing and
Irving.
The occasion of this act mad Its
origin in what is known as a game Of
craps. 1t appears that two strangers
went into the gambling room kept by
Schules;nger and CapertoD, with
Councilman benjamin as side part
ner, so sad, and engaged in a crap
game, At first they lost q few hun
dred dollars, and concluded to quit,
but after taking q drink or two at
the Phoenix hotel bar, which is just
in front of the gambling room, were
induced to try their hand again
They soon began to win and closed
the game some $l3UO winner and a
check for $500 on the bank. They
left the place but were informed that
there was move on foot by their
victims to make them give up their
money. They at once left the hotel,
and very soon Sam Benjamin, with
Chief Nelson, was on their track
Nelson says that Benjamin came
after him and informed MIN that
Schulesinger and Caperton's TIL had
been robbed Of all their money,
amounting to over $1,000. Benja-
min, with Officers Dewing and Irv-
ing, went at once to the Junction
and Nelson went to the Union depot.
Nelson not finding anyone at the
depot went out to the junction on
the train, where he found BENJAMIN,
VINO said that they had found one of
the men and arrested him. The man
at once told Benjamin that he would
give him the money, which he did,
amounting to $425.25, if he would
let him 60, which Was done. The
other man could not be found, as he
was secreted on the train. Benia-
min telegraphed ahead to Marshall,
Tex, aud when the train arrived he
was arrested and jailed. Benjamin
went up On Saturday and the fellow
gave him ab ut the same amount as
the other, so he was released.
But the most outrageous act of the
whole affair was the taking Of the
lady and her son and bringing them
to the hotel under arrest, causing
them to miss their train and de-
tanned over until next day, and the
humiliation al innocent party natur-
ally would feel, plac ed under such
circumstances.
Benjamin finding that he bad
made great mistake sought to make
amends by profnse apologies and
paying the hotel bill.
We learn from a lady Of this city
that she knew j. r. Hartsell, the hus-
band Of the lady and father of the
young man, who were subjected to
this indignity, in O hio, as the parties
were from Greenville, Ohio, who
states that they are good people.
The PROGRESS has repeatedly
warned this community of the loose
reign given such places as this; one
that has caused our city such morti-
fication and indignation as has had
possession of the people generally
during, the past week. We have
been called a crank, fanatic and by
all sorts Of names, because of our
sounding timely warning. There
would have been no reason for either
ofthe citizens meetings that have
been held in the courthouse, had
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