The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1885-07-05
MORE pEYzE1sH MsEIoSIzY.
Another Little Incident OF Potter's
Prosecution Of Plume.

-@~~ - >-~~~N - = ~s-~~%~fe
The excitement caused by the publica-
ton of the story Of Contractor Thomas
Potter's alleged prosecution of widow
Plume, published in last Sundays TArrLER
has not by any means abated; and it is said
among his most intimate friends that devel-
opments, more startling than those which
we made public at that time, are to be ex-
pected. Prosecutor Winfield has taken
hold of the case, and Mr.. Winfeld's vigor-
GUS prosecution of malefactors may be ac-
copied as meaning but little mercy for Mr..
Potter, if the charges can be sustained.
Mr.. Potter meets the whole matter with
bravado, and has tried to blunt the edge of
the sword that is cutting him, by making
the scandal the subject of coarse and vul-
gar jokes. Mrs. Plume is said by those
who know her, to be an unusually attrac-
tive woman, whose sole purpose in leaving
these regions for the west, was to emanci-
pate herself from Mr.. Potter's influence
This was done, if not at her sons urgent
solicitation, at least in pursuance of what
she believed to be her duty to her son,
growing to years of maturity; and the son,
as the cause of breaking up whatever re-
lations may have existed between his
mother and Potter, is the special object of
Potter's persecution. His pursuit of the
son has probably been inspired by the
double purpose of getting even
with the son, and of subduing the
woman through him. Mrs. Plume
denied before the Grand Jury that
her relations with Potter were any but
those of friendship. but she is IN possession
of series of the warmest love-lettors which
Potter would scarcely have had the auda-
city to send to her if he had met with no
encouragement at her hands. One of these
love epistles introduced scheme of yenge-
ance against the son that would have done
credit to the malevolent genius of the men
who founded the Inquisition. 1t seems
from its tenor that Mrs. Plume had neg
lected to go to Potter's house at time when
he had hidden her to be there. 1t charges
her with purposely absenting herself, and
declares that she is presuming too much
upon a love that is unfathomable 1t de-
nounces the son "who has come between
you and me, VI and threatens thepersecution
of which the young man has since been the
victim. The young man was at that time
engaged to be married to young girl in
Boston. in the letter Potter announces his
purpose of hunting up the girl, tracing out
her family, and bringing either her or
Plume into such disrepute in the eyes of
the other as to break off the match. AS
matter of fact, Potter subsequently, in
some manner or other, became acquainted
with the girl and her mother-who, it
seems, is widow, too. He soon inpratiated
himself with the elder lady, and acquired
an influence over her that induced her to
pen, at Potter's instance, warning letters
to her prospective son-inlaw and his
mother. These missives seem to have
been without effect, and finally Plume re.
ceived note from Potter. Enclosed in it
was paper in which Plumes prospective
mother-in-law acknowledged the re-.
ceipt, from Potter. of 500 for
favors conferred upon him. The
letter with the enclosure was evidently
sent to Plume with the idea of humiliating
him through his lady love. But the dis
closure did not change the course of Young
Plume's affections, and the young lady Is
now his wife. It is said, in fact, that the
charge of ENLIGHTENMENT made by Potter
against Plume in Boston wac made on the
very day of the wedding. The TATTLER
made an effort yes erday to secure copies
of the letters revealing the story given
above, butt was impossible