The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-04-17
BEAUTY DOCTOR" JAILED
PltifuI Story Of Victim Results In
Incarceration

/
Incarceration
Atlantic City, N. j., April 14-Miss
Catherine Potter who was taken by
the police with the aid of her brother,
s. Il. Potter, head of prominent
manufacturing firm, from tent,
where she had lived month with
Or" Frank NJ Girard, a so-called ply
steal culture professor, told Magis-
trate Philip Grove Tuesday how she
was lured from her home by the pris-
oner The evidence was such as to
cause the court to commit "Dr" Girard
to Jail in default of $4,000 bail after
declaring that such characters as
you are a menace to society and
should be permanently deprived of
their liberty" Miss Potter, is a
daughter of Mrs. A. Potter, a wealthy
widow of Sand Lake, Pa.
Women were cleared from the court
room before the girl was asked to
give her testimony. Frequently in
tears, she said that she had answer
ed one of the advertisements of the
defendant as she was Interested in
exercises to develop the figure With
the object of attaining perfect physic-
al measurements she said, she came
to Atlantic City on March and the
prisoner identified her at the station
by the carnations she wore.
She said she willingly agreed to
live in the tent, but soon became dis
satisfied with her life and the prison
er's conduct She fed two weeks af-
ter she came here and was followed
by Or" Girard, who overlook her at
Jamesburg, N. ]. 1t was as far as
she could travel as she was without
funds and afraid at that time to com
municate with her relatives, she tes-
titled
The prisoner had threatened her
harm, she said and then she agreed
to have her hair cut and to don boys
clothing. The disguise suited her fig
ure and features so well that her sex
was never questioned, she told the
magistrate. Returning to Atlantic
City they ,Te-occupied the tent which
later was moved to the beach front
opposite the million dollar pier.
Being informed that submission to
his will was part of the treatment
necessary to obtain perfect physical
charms, and that the "out cult" of
which he was a disciple, taught that
some things old fogies objected to
we're necessary to perfect develop
ment," the witness said she concluded
to remain in the tent but became des-
pondent and often threatened to
drown herself
After repeated attempts to escape
! from the prisoners control she wrote
to her mother that she was tired of
living. 1t was this communication
that gave to her worried mother the
/ first clew to her whereabouts and
which brought her brother East from
Chicago. They had been searching
for her everywhere and had decided
that she was dead.
| While Miss Potter was testifying,
the prisoner scowled at her and after
she ended, he said:-'I did no harm
to clip the hair. / cut my wife's."
He at first denied that he was
guilty of the grave charges the girl
made against him, but admitted after
some question that the evidence was
substantially correct. In letters pro.
duced in court, Girard explained that
he was "a man of high moral charac.
ter and referred to "other girls who
had profited by his lessons" Other
letters found by the police show that
he had been in communication with
young women in. many cities and that
he had promised them all to make
them physically beautiful