The herald., 1896-08-27
A Chain.Gang Victim Makes
Serious Charges
SAYS HE WAS MALTREATED
Confined In the Dark Cell and Fed on
Bread and Water
Claims He Is Prosecuted by the Police Officers
Say He Is Dope Fiend and .
Bad nan Generally

According TO the story told Dy Fey-
ton BeQuette, alias Frank Peyton, he is
greatly outraged Individual But state
ments made by sundry police officials
make him out a bad man, who has SIM
ply received his just deserts at their
hands.
Peyton was released from the chain
rang last Sunday, and complains that
Curing his incarceration in the city jail
lie was subjected to inhuman treatment
The last seven days of his imprison-
n,ent were spent in the dark cell on diet
OF bread and water. He describes the
place as reeking with filth, it being rem
dered damp, ordoriferous and unwhole-
some by the drippings from a leaking
sewer pipe. He and seven companions
were confined there, deprived of clothes.
blankets and other comforts and COM
PEELED to lie on the cold, damp floor. A
weeks confinement of this sort reduced
him from 16s to 132 pounds. and when he
was released from bondage last Sunday
afternoon, at the expiration of his term.
he was so weak that he could scarcely
walk home
Ono, free, he thought the police would
stop their persecution, but yesterday
morning. he alleges, Sergt Smith and
Detective Steele came to his house, at
the corner of Wall and Winston streets,
broke in window. by which they gained
entrance to the apartment where he and
his wife Were sleeping. and subjected
them to various indignities. His wife
tried to hide her nakedness by holding
her tattered night robe together. but
the officers tore the garment off her
body, to her great shame and humilia-
tinn Aftar thov had ranSanlSp6 the
house, they departed without making
any arrest or finding any stolen proper
ty, which they were evidently looking
for, although they did not explain the
object of their raid.
Detective Frank Steele. when ques-
toned about the matter last night. stat
ed that Bequette is dope fiend, tin
horn gambler. liar and a disreputable
character generally, who is unworthy of
belief. He had done time in the chain
gang for vagrancy and gambling, and
was suspected of having had.a hand in
small burglary which took place Tues
day night. Steele did not know any
thing about the burglary himself. but
Sergt Smith told him he thought Be
quette, or Peyton. as he is known to the
police. was the burglar. and they went
to the house to look for swag. Being un-
able to get an answer to repeated
knocks and calling, they forced an en-
trance by a window and found Bequette
and his wife in bed. They did not find
what they were after, consequently
made no arrest. They claim they did
not exceed their authority in making the
search, and did not do more than they
would do again under similar circum"
stances.
Jailer Paul Flammer saws Bequette
was an urruly prisoner and was put in
the dark cell for refusing to work in the
chain-gang. Bequette was one of the
ringleaders of the strikers, and con-
fessed before he was released, that he
purposely refused to work because he
thought a week in the black hole might
cure him of the opium habit, He boasted
that he furnished nearly all the prison.
ers with opium during his stay in JAIL
which was smusgled In by the woman
whom he calls his wife. The officers say
the woman is notorious street-Walker.
and her visits to the Jail had to be for
hidden at last. when it was found that
she was smuggling in opium. Several
notes which she sent to Bequette were
intercepted and found to contain dope.
Bequette asserts that he gave Billy
Cline $40 to ''iix things" when he was ar
rested on vagrancy charge last Octo-
ber. with the result that he was given a
ninety day floater, with the assurance
that he would not be molested again
even if he remained in town. He staid
and was arrested during Fiesta week by
Detective Steele for playing stud poker.
Again Billy Cline came to the rescue
and fixed things" by getting him to
plead guilty and put UP S25 cash bail TO
appear for sentence. As the minimum
fine in such cases is s100. he forfeited his
bail. but officers Steele and MatusZkie
wiz. contrary. as he claims, to his under
standing with the officers of the court.
subsequently rearrested him to serve his
sentence on the vagrancy charge. Be
ouette tried to get out of this by appeal
ing his case to the superior court, bat he
was forced to serve his time.
Bequette alleges that he is subject to
police persecution because he is at outs
with Poker" Davis. who, he asserts. has
police protection. The police laugh at
this charge and say it is silly fa brica-
ton. Bequette threatens to bring suit
for damages. The officers say welcome
the issue.