Los Angeles herald., 1908-11-10
WOMAN FOILED
IN BOLD PLOT
TRIES TO DYNAMITE MRS.
LAWRENCE PHlPPS
FORCES HER TO BANK TO GET
$4,000
Detectives Frustrate Daring Holdup.
Millionaire's Former Wife Barely
Misses Death by Ex-
plosiVe
[Bx Associated Press.l

DENVER, Colo. Nov. 9.-After
haunting the residence of her intended
victim tor two days, and making eff
forts in every way imaginable to get
into communication with her, an un-
identified woman who threatened Mrs.
GenevieVe Chandler Phipps, divorced
wife of Lawrence Phipps, the Pitts
burg millionaire, with death unless she
were given $4,000, was foiled in her
design by the clever work of bank and
city detectives.
When she discovered that she was
outwitted the woman cast dynamite
sticks intended for Mrs. Phipps at the
detectives, but fortunately they fell
against the upholstered wall OF IN in
closed automobile, which prevented
them exploding.
The woman was quickly placed under
arrest, and efforts are being made to
find some clew to her identity. She
persistently refuses to give her name,
but insists that she is under the inf1u-
ence of a hypnotist, and that this ex
plains her attempt at blackmailing
Mrs. Phipps.
Plot Well Laid
The woman went about carrying out
her plans with a determination evil
IDENTIFY born of desperation.
Ever since Saturday she had repeat
Suly IelepHOueu the PHlppS nome anu
called there in an effort to have an
audience with the well known society
leader.
Finally Mrs. Phipps became alarmed,
and today went automobiling in City
park to avoid the woman, who had
made several calls at the house during
the day.
The woman evidently saw her leave
in the machine, for she attempted to
attract a the attention n PhinnS q
she was being driven slowly along one
of the park driveways. She was stand
ing behind a tree at the time.
Mrs. Phipps directed her chauffeur
to continue past her, but the woman
leaped from behind the tree and into
the machine as it was going by. She
quickly engaged Mrs. Phipps in con-
versation, assuring her that her ap-
parent fears were entirely unfounded;
that she was a magazine writer and
had no desire to do injury to Mrs.
Phipps
She talked so kindly that Mrs. Phipps
became reassured, and they rode to-
gether for fifteen or twenty minutes.
Produces Dynamite
Suddenly the woman produced two
sticks of dynamite and commanded
that Mrs Phipps give her $4,000 with
in an hour or she would be destroyed.
She directed that the autOmODlle De
driven to the Wolcott school and Mrs.
Phipps daughter be taken along, this
evidently for the purpose of having
hostage.
Mrs. Phipps agreed to go to her bank
and get the money, whence the party
headed after stopping at the school to
get the little daughter of Mrs. Phipps.
Arriving at the bank all but the strange
woman left the machine. Though evi-
IDENTIFY not intended in her program, the
stranger made no protest.
Once inside the building Mrs Phipps
hurriedly related her experience to a
bank official and police headquarters
was communicated with.
Sleuths Surround Her
Two detectives hastened to the bank.
In the meantime a special bank de-
tective had engaged the strange wo-
man in conversation from the window
of the inclosed machine next the side
walk.
The two city detectives quietly
walked around the rear of the machine
and slipped open the door on the street
side. The woman saw that she was en-
trapped and dashed the dynamite
sticks at the two officers. They struck
against the machine and fell to the
floor intact. Had they exploded great
damage and loss of life might have
resulted, for the scene is located in the
very heart of the city.