Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-11-11
RUSH TO HER AID
Husbaud and Friends of Woman Who Threw Bomb VIII
 Defend Her.

F. Read, the Denver woman who on Monday last attempted to extort $20,- 900 from Mrs Genevieve Chanler Phipps, the wealthy society leader, threatening destruction by dynamite to her and to her child, Helen, un- less she complied with the demand, will have the support of her husband and friends in this city should it be- come necessary to defend her act in the criminal courts Is evident from the arrangements already under way to trace through detective agencies her wanderings since leaving Buga- To Park, Col, three weeks ago to at tend the funeral of her father in Pittsfield, Mass.
 That she will not be allowed to go free without being proven that she acted from an insane impulse at time when she was entirely unac- countable to herself or to others, is just as evident from steps taken by Mrs Phipps's divorced husband, Law renee c. Phipps, the Pittsburg million aire, who late last night had his at torney, Gerald Hughes, request the police authorities to rearrest Mrs Read and hold her pending further investigation of the attempt at blackmail. In an interview publish ed this morning Mrs Phipps is cred ited with saying that she will prose- cute Mrs Read and that she believed formal proceedings had already been begun.
 When Chief of Police Armstrong questioned Mrs Read after her arrest Monday she referred several times to a woman she called Madame Leroy. She said that she was to meet her at the Union depot at certain hour that day and in order to investigate this assertion, the chief detailed de- tectives to escort her to the station, but no such person appeared. The fact that so much of Mrs Reads story has been found to be true has con- vinced the police that there must have been another woman in the af- fair who gave Mrs Read the name of Madame Leroy. It is believed by Mrs Reads friends and the police do not deny 1t as possibility, that Mrs Read met some woman while return ing west, perhaps a professional blackmailer, who took advantage of her weakened condition aggravated by the use of drugs to alleviate bodi- fly pain and prevailed upon her to en- ter into a plot to blackmail Mrs Phipps. Mrs Read, during rambling talk, mentioned that she and Madame Leroy had arranged to go to Europe together. theory is that the so-- called Madame Leroy might be some international adventures and com munication has gone forth from Mrs Reads friends to ascertain if it is known that any foreign adventures is sojourning in this country at pres ent As evidence that Mrs Read had become the tool of some one, 1t is stated that diamonds and rubies val ued at $3.500 and bank notes to the amount of $500 that she is said to have had when she left Pittsfield are missing
 Pittsfield, Mass, Nov 11.-Mrs Read and her husband left Pitts field for Denver on June 27, 1907, the day on which they were married. Mrs Read had been in this city sev- eral times since. the last visit lasting from October 22 to October 26. At that time she came to attend the fu- neral of her father, a former hard ware merchant of this city, who died at Gainesville, O., where he had made his home for the past few years. When Mrs Read was here she appear ed to be in good health although she showed traces of fatigue incident to the journey from Colorado. Her trip east was an unusually hard one. The first night out of Denver the train was stalled by blizzard and Mrs Read sat up all night in little railroad station. Later her train was held up by prairie fires and when she reached here she was greatly fa- tigued. While here she exhibited some valuable pieces of jewelry to her friends and seemed to be bounti- fully supplied with money.
 Mrs Read has sister, Jessie Camp bell, who is teaching school at Roch- ester IN. Y. She also has brother, William Campbell, in Denver. Friends of Mrs Read in this city remembered to-day that about four years ago she had serious illness In connection with which symptoms of mental de- engagement for time were noted.