🚀 go-pugleaf

I am using the 'refer' program in conjunction with 'troff' and having a
problem with accents in last names.  On page 6 of the documentation,
("Refer - A Bibliography System", Bill Tuthill, Computing Services, UCB)
it states that "interpolated strings (such as accent marks) must have two
backslashes, so they can pass through copy mode intact.
In my database, I have the entry:

%A Carlo H. Se\\*'quin
%T Generalized IC Layout
%D January 6, 1982
%I Computer Science Division, Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences,
University of California, Berkeley
%C Berkeley, California

Bug #1:
    In my imprecise reference, I have been unable to use Se\\*'quin, Se\*'quin,
or Sequin.  I have been able to use only "carlo".

Bug #2:
    If I use the -l option (labeled references),
a) the citation prints as [Se\*'quin1982] (one too many backslashes causes
it not to be interpolated),
b) the reference prints properly (the right number of backslashes),
but c) the reference tag prints both "Se" and "quin" at the left margin
(overstriking and making it almost illegible) (not enough backslashes to
prevent the interpolation of \*' until the correct moment - the string probably
gets copied one too many times).

Bug #3:
    If I use the option -l4,2 (labels with 1st four characters of name,
last 2 digits of the year), the citation prints as [Se\82] (the 4 characters
are "Se\\") and the reference tag overprints "Se" and "82".

    I have a fix for the citation length bug, (making the above citation
print as [Se'qu82] (with the accent over the 'e'), but it doesn't do a lot
of good with the other problems being present.

    Does anyone have a fix for this?  Is the original author interested in
fixing it?