The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-02-01
WIDOWS MITE
 S6O,OOO FROM
 FIRM IN MASS,
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man on their books.
 From what can be learned the wo- man seldom put her name to any document. She gave William Ritch, one or her chauffeurs, power of attor- rey' and it is understood that he transacted great deal of her busi- ness. It was he who signed the note with which she got $1,O50 from Mar garet Graham, her maid.
 Frequent efforts have been made to get this note from the maid who has turned it over to her attorney for safe keeping.
 When seen today, Attorney Smith said: From what l can learn from my client she was working at the Herald Square Hotel in New York, when she met the Chapman woman. She wormed her way into the confi- dence Of the girl and brought her to Bridgeport as her maid at the salary of $38 a month and her keep. She continually told the girl that she was worth $20,000,000, owned the biggest linen mills in the world at Belfast, Ireland, and several large iron foun- dries situated in Worcester and Chi cago."
 When seen at The Stratfeld, Mar garet Graham, who is now employed there as a a>maid, said: Mrs. Chap man introduced me to William Ritch her chauffeur, as her attorney and that man always posed to me as being the woman's lawyer. The first time she asked me for any money she threw her arms about me and said, Dearest Margaret, let me have $3O Immediately; my checks have not come through and when I get my money I will pay you back double. I'm going to make you a rich girl, dress you in silks and satins and in- troduce you to society,"
 These loans continued for some time until I accompanied the woman to New York with Rich. She told me that she was on her way to Worces- ter to transact some very important business, and incidentally to get her quarterly allowance on her income, She told me that she would have to have some morey and got me to draw out all I had left in the bank, more than A,000. She got Ritch to give me note for that amount and I came back to Bridgeport.
 When she returned to Bridgeport her manner toward me was altogether changed. She used to leave me all alone in the house at Lordship manor with nothing to eat in the place and used to get so hungry. If it was not for some neighbors such as Mrs. Phelan, who lived next door, should have died from hunger. Finally she got to abusive that I sought refuge in the city and Mrs. Beecher, house keeper at The Strat1eld, gave me my present position"
 Fred F'reyler, when seen at the Fairfield today, said: Of course, the only way in which I know the woman is through her having nearly all her meals in my restaurant, and spend ing considerable money on lavish en- tertainments for large parties of friends. I naturally thought that she was everything that she represented herself to be and willingly let her have the two large sums of money which she said she needed during a temporary pinch.
 "Outside of seeing her continually in my place of business and knowing that she resided in Uordship Manor I know nothing about the woman. In fact, I would be safe in saying that II never knew her, for if I had she would never have buncoed me the way she has"
 It is understood that she went into
 large real estate deals with the Will
 kenda Land Co.,, and made arrange ments to buy big piece of property in the exclusive Lordship Manor sec
 tion upon which to build a palatial apartment hotel for Miss Mae Love, owner of furnished apartments on the corner of Broad street and Fairfield avenue.
 Miss Love when seen today declined | to discuss the matter in detail, but did
 say that the Chapman woman lived in her house for whole winter when her husband was alive, and that she ! refused to accommodate her again
 after she failed to pay bills to mer- chants.
 l Detective Captain Cronan said that
 as yet no move has been made by the
 Bridgeport police in the matter but that new evidence was continually be-
 ing turned up which may lead to
 startling results.
 i Erwin Jennings, of Jennings Broth CTS Garage, stated that she had paid
 him $1,000 as deposit on costly au-
 tomobile in which she was going to tour the country next summer. The machine was to be specially designed and when he saw the way things were going work on the order was stopped.
 He still retains the $1,000 and expects 1 that efforts will be made to attach it | by some of the many victims of Mrs. | Chapman.