The Dickinson press., 1903-01-10
Another la's Chapter q on the Pot.
ter-Bartell Case.

"A correspondent from Mitchell, s.. d.,
in writing Of the L. r. Bartell and Nellie
b. Potter trouble, in the St. Paul Dis.
patch OF January 2, says:
1t vas not known in Dickinson that
Miss Potter was the wife of MIR. Bartell
until his sudden appearance there. he
having been informed that his wife's
conduct was not in keeping with her
marriage relations. The sensation ended
in the elopement of Miss Potter with a
cowboy named Frank Smith. A few
days ago MIR. Bartell returned to this city
and now gives his side of the story. He
says:
IL understand that she denies having
been married to me or ever having lived
with me as my wife. | have known her
all my life, but a year ago last May | met
her at her home in Mortified, MINI. She
became confidential and told me all
about her marriage with w. E. Grove.
Later she said Grove was unkind to her
and that she had left him and had a d.
vorce in progress.
believing her story of abuse from hor
husband and the unkind actions of her
folks and the passionate letters she wrote,
saying that she was free from her hus-
band, we agreed on a meeting at Mason
City, Iowa, June II, 1901, and she knows
as we'll as | do that we became man and
wife at that place.
"We decided to keep our marriage
secret.
"At this time l understood that she
had a divorce from Grove, but later |
found out the divorce was not secured
until Aug. list, 1901. She returned home,
and l continued travelling on the road.
She was to come to me at Plattyille.
Wis, in the fall of 1902, which she did
on Nov. and. Her folks thought she was
keeping house for my father and myself,
but instead she was living there with me
as my wife. My father had a room by
himself and did not live with. US at all.
On the 18th of March, 1902, we broke up
housekeeping and started to travel on
the road, thinking we could keep our
secret better this way. was a salesman
for a calendar house, and she was plac.
ing an article on the market for the
Worth Manufacturing company of Cleve.
land, Ohio.
"Our stops were at Misses Magners, Of
1920 West Main street, Dubuque, Iowa,
Fred Barker of Manchester; L. NJ. Kel.
ley, of Cedar Falls, and DR.. F. A. Osin.
cup, of Waverly, Iowa, and at Mankato
Mimi, and we we're there six weeks
working on the Free Press.
81 defey any n to learn where and
when a Miss N. B. Potter worked on this
edition. but they will find that a Mrs. l.
P. Bartell did. We went from here tc
Madelia, Fairfax and Minneapolis, and
then back home to Mortified. There
she assumed her maiden name. During
the following month, l rel to Mime
apolis and she followed the next day
We again stopped there in the same
capacity as man and wife, and agreed
that each could 20 where we could dc
the best until Christmas, when we would
make our marriage known to the world
l came to Mitchell and she went to Dick.
inson with the results happening as pub.
lished.".
A Mankato, Minn,. dispatch of January
2, says:
Mrs. L. P. Bartell assisted a man sup.
posed to be her husband in getting on,
the anniversary number of the Free
Press in July. Her record was all right
A picture of Miss Potter appeared in
the Dispatch in connection with the
Mitchell article,