The herald., 1896-10-19
RECORD OF B. c. PLAT
Few Chapters From an I'm
savory Career
HIS DOPES IRE ON EVERY HAND
A ScoundreI and Knave OF Un=
paralleIed Audacity
THE HERALD SUED FOR LIBEL
This individual Asks the Court for
Heavy Damages
Is Very Fortunate to Keep Without
Prison Cell
Is Very Fortunate to Keep Without j.,
Prison Cell
The Exploiter of Fake Doctors and
Fake Cures Endeavors to Run a
Bluff on This Paper, and He
Signally Fails

A suit for libel has been filed against
this paper by B. c. Platt. He asks tina t
he be awarded damages in the sum of
$4,000 for alleged libelous statements
published by The Herald, in which the
said Platt is referred to as fakir and
| a fraud.
| The publication by The Herald of GER
| tain facts in regard to this person
Platt and his career in Southern Cali
fornia was fully justified. 1t was made
| for the purpose of protecting the pub
lie from further imposition at the hands
of this oily and dishonorable schemer,
whose dupes in this part of the country
can already be numbered by hundreds.
The Platt person has filed the suit for
| libel, and although over a week has
elapsed since that time no papers in the
case have been served.
The Herald has, however, been devot
ing some further attention to Platt and
his record, and the result has been that
evidence has been procured going to
prove conclusively that he is scoun-
leled audacty
|
gagged in duping the people of this city
and Redlands in the matter of acting as
business agent and manager for fake
| cures for various diseases and ailments.
Hundreds of people have been dupad
| and for some reason as yet not fully as
| certained the Platt is still at large. He
has been permitted to continue to ply
his vocation, and the work of fraud and
duplicity still goes on.
| Platt's record in Los Angeles COM
| mences about the year 1884, when he
was engaged in the dairy business. He
| failed, defrauded his creditors and fled
| the city. Later he made an arrangement
| whereby he was permitted to return.
He signed number Of notes for amounts
due, and these notes are now something
like nine years overdue and they are not
paid.
Platt blossomed on the horizon here
and at Redlands as the promoter of
Chinese fake doctors. In the early part
of this year the officers of the city
health department started after the
Platt person for the purpose Of winding
! up his career.
| They procured evidence in the case of
a man named Barney, who had been
/ treated by several reputable physicians
| for heart trouble. Barney was sent to
the county hospital. While there sew
eral of Platt's agents called upon him.
vailed upon him to consent to his re-
| moval to a house on Buena Vista street
| where he was to be treated by Platt
| and some Chinese doctor.
| While Barney was at the Buena Vista
street house Platt called upon him and
prescribed some herbs. There were two
| packages, each containing a quart Of
herbs. They were placed in water and
boiled down to two teacupsful. Then
the LIQUID was straired off and boiled
down to one teacupful.
This the unfortuAaIe Barney took US
cure for liver and kidney trouble.
Within week he was a dead man. The
only effect, so the nurse stated, of the
! medicine was that it acted as a severe
physic and killed Barney.
Platt was arrested for malpractice.
The case came up before Justice Nor
rison. Twice it was continued by Platts
request. 1t finally died for want of PROS
ecution.
These facts the city health officer
stood ready to prove, but for some ex-
traordinary reason the department was
not permitted to do so.
Who was it that saved Platt that
time? Health Inspector Hinkle states
that he never could find out. Has Plat
pull?
Here in Los Angeles Platt first started
as the exploiter of Chinese named
DIR" Wong. Wong was arrested by
Health Officer Powers. He was con-
victed in the lower court. The case was
carried to the superior court and judg-
ment was affirmed.
Then Platt gave up DR." Wong and
appeared next at Redlands as the ex-
ploiter of DIR" Foo, another Mongo-
liam. He was run out of Redlands, and
next appeared at San Bernardino. He
was arrested, but the case never came
to trial.
Then Platt came back to Los Angeles
and opened out with Chinese partner
as a cure-all. The result was his arrest
as stated above.
Platts latest role before the public
has been as the exploiter of Or"
Butchers consumption cure. Eyerv-
body knew Plat for the fakir that he is
AS for Butcher, he does not appear to
be any better.
August 18th of this year a death GER
tificate was returned to the city health
office for James Guion, 73S South Olive
street, cause of death asthma" and
signed ~. B. Butcher, NJ D."
The health authorities refused to ac-
cept this certificate from Butcher, for
he was not registered physician. The
case was turned over to the coroner and
the cause of death was discovered to
be heart disease. Butcher had treated
him for something by his Inhalation
tube" treatment and death came.
Platt has made the statement to n
representative of The Herald that the
Los Angeles Times was financially in
terested with him in his consumption
cure scheme, and that he was being
backed by that worthy journal in his
efforts to make the venture financial
success.
Out on the Brown road about four
miles, near the rarmdale school house.
there lives an old gentleman named H.
/. Roper, who has an account to settle
with B. c. Platt which he hopes to be
able to square some day
Mr.. Roper charges b. c. Platt with
having ruined the life Of his daughter,
and he tells heArtrending tale Of tho
sorrew this villain has caused him and
his aged wife.
Mr.. Roper states that in 1884 he was
living on his ranch near Compton Platt
resided near by, and he formed the ac-
quaintance Of pretty Elsie Roper, aged
H. N
Platt paid the girl many attentions,
but Mr.. Roper and his wife supposed his |
intentions were good and they also !
thought that the extreme youth Of their