Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1894-12-15
Death OF a Notorious Libertine
In England.
VICTIMS WERE PLENTIFUL
Five B.sutlfal Young Girls Ensn.rsa nv
the FascinAttans of This
Dan Juan.

| der OF Florence Denis was executed In
the jail at Springfield near that city.
Ellington was the executor. Hon.
Edgerton Green. the high sheriff. re-
fused 10 allow the presence Of repre-
sentatives OF the press and also de-
ciined to give any information concern
/ ing the last moments of the condemned
man or the matter OF a confession. In
accordance with the new rule adopteS
by the home ONCE. Read was not noti-
fed OF the time appointed for his exc
| cution until a late hour the night be-
fore. High Sheriff Green and Under
Sheriff o. b. OGeep. led the process
sion to the scaffold.
RECORD OF A LIBERTINE.
When James Canham Read paid the
penalty OF his crime on the scaffold .
period was placed TO one OF the most
remarkable cases In the criminal annals
OF Great Britain. Almost from the day
OF the discovery OF the murdered girl
the entire country seems to have fol-
lowed the progress of the case I'm all
Its iabyrinthine mazes. and although
all the surroundings tending to fasten
the crime on Read were purely circum-
stantial ninety-nine out of every hun
dred people had made up their minds
that Read was guilty.
James Canham Read was a cashier
In the employ of the Royal Albert Dock,
Company in London. Thousands of
pounds passed through his hands every
| week and his salary was In proportion
TO the responsibility to the position. II
| the suburbs of London he had a COM
| Portable home, a devoted wife and four
children. To these the young man. for
he was only 81 years of age. apparently
paid every attention. He provided lib.
orally for their requirements, took
them to places of amusement and to al
outward appearances was a model
! father.
But II was the story of DIR. Jekyll anc
Mr.. Hyde over again. While appar-
emily a reputable citizen Read was
iibertine such as Zola has yet to de-
pict. There was something about him
that seemed 60 charm and fascinate
the other sex. no matter how precise
or sedate they might be. while his un-
restrained libertinism was aggravated
by his callous behavior to the poor
dupes OF his wiles. How many victims
are 10 be placed TO his account up &
September. 1889. was not developed In
the trial In that month. however, whil
walking on the pier at South End, a
watering place. he met a Mrs Ayriss
The wife of a milk dealer In comfortable
circumstances. Within twenty-foui
hours he had accomplished her ruin
and the liason appears to have been
kept up until the spring OF the pres
ent year. Through Mrs. Ayriss. early
In 1892 he made the acquaintance of the
tatter's sister. Florence Denis. a beau
tiful girl of fifteen. Il was not long
until she too fell a victim TO the liber-
tineism OF her sisters paramour. Mrs
Ayriss swore on the stand that she was
In ignorance OF this fact until after
the murder, but the evidence went
strongly to show that she was not only
familiar with the facts In the case but
actually connived In the division o.
her lovers attentions with her sister
Two children were born to Mrs. Ayriss
and OF both of these she admitted Read
was the father.
Confined as he was to his Office al
the docks Ave days and a half a week
1t would seem impossible that READ
could have carried on y liason OF this
character so far from home without
ever, that the consummate deviltry of
the man served him In good turn. His
weeks work was done at noon every
Saturday and ne invariably took the
first train from London for South End,
returning early on Monday morning.
TO his confiding wife and children he
explained that business In connection
with the dock company took him down
80. nf.xrs@ snaaL To-. fra
Ayriss and Florence Denis his story was
that he was drummer In the tea bus
mess and had only Saturday after
noon and Sunday 20 call his own. In
order 10 cover up his tracks he had
about Ave different names and as many
addresses through which the women
might communicate with him. any
misgiving they might have ON this
score being swept away by plausible
explanations. Early In the present
year Reads visits to Prettieweil where
the Ayriss family lived became less fire.
quent. but this he explained by saying
that he had been In different parts OF
the country.
THE MURDER.
1t was late in May of the present year
that Florence Denis found herself if
an unfortunate condition and In pa
thetic letter TO Read she impiored him
60 protect and shelter her from disgrace
Read does not appear to have answered
the pleading OF his victim or TO have
paid another visit TO the homestead.
On the evening OF Sunday. June "a. she
went alone for walk through the lanes
adjacent 10 the village. She did not
return and early next morning her
body was found on the banks OF little
stream running through a corn field
less than mile from her home. There
was a bullet hole through her forehead
and when the bullet was extracted Ii
was found that 1t fitted number
pin-fire revolver. 1t did not take the
sleuths from Scotland Yard who were
early on the scene very long 10 wrest
the story of the Read Iiason from Mrs.
Ayrfss. but when they reached the
Royal Albert Docks the bird hac flown.
He also had nearly se.eeo OF the dock
company's money. Every EFFORT was
made 70 track down his whereabouts.
| But II was not until two weeks later