San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-05-23
A FIREBUG.
A woman's Cheap Racket TO Make
Doodle Out of Insurance


A woman's Cheap Racket TO Make
Doodle Out of Insurance
Companies.
The Galveston Sea Gull, dated May
Goth, has the following, that evident.
Iy concerns q San Antonio owner OF
property, in that it contains an al
fusion to the incendiary burning OF
some house here, which is vaguely
believed to have been that of Mr.. +.
A Armbrust, ON Dallas street, about
four years ago:
1.-THE Insurance Herald published at
Louisville, KY. contains an interesting
history of q woman whose operations
have extended over nearly the whole
country. The story refers particularly
to her COM ietion at Memphis under the
name of Belle Rafferty, for burning q
house in that city for the insurance,
and is interesting to the Galveston
public in that this city was one of the
points IN which she operated. Her
record, as published, shows that she
has burned up no less than $4,000
worth of property, for which she
worked" the insurance companies.
In doing this she has travelled from
place 10 placo.
She is y woman who has travelled
in nearly all the states of the
Union and in Canada. She
carries q little boy of about Z
years of age with her, whom she
claims to be her son. She is about
5 feet 3 inches, petite figure, complex
ion very much enameled, brown nair,
OF pleasant address and would i'm
press one as q woman living in the
rural districts.
Her plan of operation as shown by
the D roofs, seemed to be to 60 from
place to place, to rent q dwelling In
the very best of suburban neighbour
hoods, buy furniture Oh the install.
ment plan, pay small sum, and
two weeks after obtaining the insur-
ance-which always ranges from
$3.50 to $l5O0-a fire would occur
between the hours of and 2 q. M,
destroying the property. Her princi.
pal claim in each fire shows total
loss on q very large and valuable
wardrobe, not in keeping at all with
the rest of her household effects.
Before the fire this wardrobe is gen.
eraly sent to the pawn shop, while in
tirely destroyed.
A confession was obtained from
her in Memphis acknowledging to
thirteen fires in last four years. |
Here they are presented in the order |
of their Occurance:
In Dallas, under the name of Mrs.
Goodman.
Fort Worth under the name of Mrs. |
Belle Woodson.
San Antonio under the name of |
Mrs. b. B. Rose.
Galveston under the name of Mrs. |
B. Ross.
Pueblo, Col, under the name of
Mrs. Belle Robinson.
Denver under the name of Mrs.
Belle Robinson.
Wichita, Kan. under the name of
Mrs. Sou Rafferty,.
Kansas City, under the name of
Mrs. Is. B. Rafferty,.
Sedafs, under the name of Mrs. |
Lane
She also worked st. Louis, Cincin-
natl and Nashville under various
aliases. Memphis was her last place
of operation, under the name of Belle
Rafferty,.
She was convicted in the criminal
court at Memphis on the oath Of last
month for an attemptto obtain money
on an insurance policy for property
destroyed, when in fact it was not de. |
stroyed, and was afterward found in
a pawnshop. She appealed the case
to the supreme court of Tennessee,
and it will probable come up some |
time during the May term, this
month.
By reference to the above schedule
1t will be observed that she also
worked Galveston.
In March, 1889, the same woman,
giving the name of Mrs. B. Ross,
came to Galveston from San Antonio
and rented q cottage on the south
side of Avenue o, near Thirty seventh
street She furnished the house with
furniture purchased OH the Install
ment plan, inclu ling an organ from
Mr.. E DulItZ. She applied to Blagge
d Bertrand for insurance on wearing
apparel and personal property. She
was given policy in the Oakland
Home company OF California for 5000
On April Is, less than one month
sfterward, shortly after midnight the
house in which she lived was entirely
destroyed by fire, together with it's
con tents Her claim was adjusted at
5000 which she subsequently secured.
She soon afterwards left the city and
the account in the st. Louis paper is
the next place in which her Identity
again hobs up.
Their Officers.