Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-06-24
CITY NEWS.
A Woman Who COnsOrts
With the MOngOlians.
ABOUT THE COMING RACES.
Great Preparations Going Forward
for Lively Times During the
Approaching Fair Time.
ABOUT THE COMING RACES.

Mataline Potter, pretty, vivacious, and
seemingly accomplished, is an inmate Of
the City Prison. Mrs. Potter-for Mata-
line is married woman-stands charged
with the disgusting offense OF keeping a
disreputable house, and prostituting her.
self to Cinnamon.
Despite theseeming incredibility Of the
accusation against this woman, it is in
disputably trpe. She is guilty, for she is
the self-confessed perpetrator of the
crime with which she stands charged.
The woman, degraded as she is, has a
history that reads akin to the romantic
recitals of Verne or Dumas.
Mataline Dupre, ten years ago,
was a charming and exceedingly
vivacious young French girl. She
left her home at Rouen, in France, and
came to America in the capacity of a
governess toa well-known family residing
in Patterson, New Jersey. With this
family she resided six years. Then the
mother of the family died. Mataline's
charge, the only female child in the
family, was sent away to school. The
girl had to seek other employment and
found it, finally, in the house OF New
Yorker named +. NJ. Bennett, who lived
in West Thirty-second street. With this
family she lived two years. During this
time, in fact short time after Mataline
entered the service Of the Benefits, she
met young New York bank clerk named
George S. Potter. Potter became en-
amored OF the buxom and comely
French maiden. He promised to
marry her. His parents violently
opposed the union, and finally, in
the hope of breaking itof, shipped young
Potter to Europe. He no sooner reached
Liverpool than he cabled his love to fol.
low him. She did SO, reaching Liver
pool via the very next ocean steamer
Potter and the girl were married at the
Adelphi Hotel, in that city, Mrs. Potter
says, on the 18th of April, 1886. Mr..
Potter and his bride Immediately re-
turned to New York. Mataline says his
parents received them. In January, 1887,
Mr.. Potter accepted position as clerk
for a Minneapolis, Mimi, wholesale
grocery firm. Himself and wife lived
there until late in 1887, when Mr.. Pot
ter's health failed him, and his physi-
clans ordered change of climate. Potter
decided to remove to San Diego, and
Mrs. Potter says they arrived in the Bay'n-
climate city on the 7th Of October Of that
year. At this point Mrs. Potter stops in
the narrative Of her life's career. She
says Potter there became insanely jealous
Of her, accused her Of infidelity, and
finally of being frequent visitor to a
Chinese wash house resorted to by female
customers Of the proprietors for the pur-
pose OF smoking opium. Mataline Potter
says she was never guilty of the charges
.,,o do 81 hos l,xy har l. abo nj L.t
these charges SO incensed her that she
refused to live with him longer, and took
rooms apart from him and sustained her
husband left San Diego about week
after she left him, and that he returned,
she thinks, to his people in New York.
Mrs. Potter says she has been in Los
Angeles little over a month and she
would not tell how she gained a liveli-
hood during that time. The first seen OF
the woman was when she was espied two
days ago by Officer McGrath in a miser-
able rookery in Chinatown. McGrath
watched the woman. She openly
solicited from Chinese. McGrath in.
formed Chief Cuddy and that very day,
Friday, Mrs. Mataline Potter appeared
before the Chief voluntarily. She in
quired of that official the local laws
governing houses of ill-repute. She
openly admitted to Mr.. Cuddy her busi-
ness and stated that she proposed to
gain livelihood by prostituting
herself to the Mongol horde
in the city. Chief Cuddy warned
her she would be arrested. The woman
left the office and returned to her house.
Last night officer McGra;h reported to
the Chief that C. owd OF Cinnamon was
besieging Mataline Potter's house, and
that a nuisance was being created there.
McGrath was instructed to arrest the
woman, and did so. She accom- panied
him quietly to the station, and, in de-
fault OF S25 bail demanded, was booked
on the charge Of prostituting herself to
Cinnamon. and locked up. This is GER
tsinly an uncommon case in the criminal
annals OF the country. Mataline Potter
takes her Imprisonment coolly, and says
she has been stopped by the law from
gaining a living through the medium Of
any method she saw fit to adopt.