Los Angeles herald., 1891-07-09
NAUGHTY MATTE.
AN INCORRIGIBLE GIRL COMMITTED
TO THE WHITTIER SCHOOL.
The Story of Her Dissolute Life-Her Ar
rest by Officer Farmer at Charles
Smiths Shell Store,

Matte Lawson, an incorrigible, was
committed to the Whittier reform school
yesterday by Judge Smith for term of
three years. The girl, who is but 13
years of age, has been so unfortunate as
to have dissolute mother and no father,
and for the past year and half has
been left pretty much to herself to do as
she pleased and support herself as best
she might. The natural consequence
has been that she went to the bad long
ago and associated with boys and even
grown men, who have not been careful
to respect her tender age in fulfilling
their desires.
Matte has been brought before the
courts number of times by policemen
who were cognlzant of her mode of life,
and has on several occasions been COM
mitted to the care of the girls home,
from which she invariably escaped. A
month ago she was arrested and handed
oyer to the care of Mrs. Watson by one
of the police judges, to await the open
ing of the institution at Whittier. The
girl had not been in confinement many
days, however, before she ran away.
Having located her at the store of
Charles Smith, an old man who keeps a
curiosity shop on Main street, near the
corner of Third, Mrs. Watson on Tuesday
had her again taken in custody by Officer
Farmer, and yesterday she was brought
into court and committed to the reform
school.
When the Lawson girl escaped from
Mrs. Watson last, about two weeks ago,
she went directly to Smiths shop, and
was traced there by her mother. On the
night of June 25th Mrs. Lawson came to
the police station and asked for an Off
Ger to assist in rescuing her daughter
from Smith, whom she said was acting
in an improper manner with the child.
The woman was told to 60 back to the
place and watch, and if she saw any
thing positively criminal to come back
to the station and report the fact. The
woman went away, but returned later
and said that Smith had taken the child
into his bed room-for no good purpose,
she was convinced. The girl was not
apprehended till Tuesday last, however,
as stated before.
A HERALD reporter went to the county
Jail last evening for the purpose of
questioning Matte Lawson as to the al
legged intimacy between herself and old
man Smith. When asked if the state
ments were true, she denied that she
had ever been ill-treated by him, but
added: 81 wouldn't tell you if / had"
Smith himself, having heard the sto-
ries circulating about him, became very
much excited yesterday, and asked to be
taken before physician to prove that
age had rendered him incompetent to
commit such crime.
A. Foyen, proprietor of the Chicago
White laundry, which adjoins thes hell
store, when interviewed yesterday, said
that while he could not state positively
that anything was wrong, he had seen
some very suspicious things about old
man Smiths behavior. A number OF
little girls, all of about Mattie's age,
were in the habit of visiting him and
going into his bedroom, sometimes at
rather late hours of the night.
The case is surely one that demands
attention, and if the suspected man is
guilty of the crimes with which he is
charged he should receive the punish.
ment he merits, and if not he should be
cleared from the horrible charges. ~