The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-04-11
WAS 1T ARSON :?
Mrs. Charlotte Clarke and
Son Arrested.
MARSHAL TowE COMPLAINS
Woeful Waste of Kerosene Oil in
Barely Furnished Rooms-A De-
mand for Insurance.

A lady who is believed TO have a very
interesting history-who admits that she is
40 years Of age-and young man aged %.
who calls himself her son, were arrested
last night on complaint of Fire Marshal
Towe and booked for arson at the City
Prison.
The names they gave are Mrs Charlotte
NJ. and Henry Clark. Their lips were as
the lips OF oysters when they were ap-
preached by the reporters, but the story of
their adventures is known to the Fire Mar
shall, and is about as follows:
On last Thursday night, at $3.50. still
alarm was turned in for a fire at 70S Fulton
street. The fire was small one. and was
extinguished in very few minutes.
The firemen, who have very iEdiscreet
way of investigating the causes of fires,
noticed strong smell of kerosene oil about
the premises.
Marshal Towe then took hand In the
matter and found that lamp had been
broken on the dinlng-roOm floor and that
the burner and wick had been left on
sewing table, showing that the
lamp had not been lighted, and he at
once began TO be suspicious.
On further investigation be found that the
parton floor and furniture had been saturated
with the coal oil, and that on the day of the
fire Mrs. Clarke had purchased five-gallon
can OF kerosene at a grocery near the house.
Then the marshal began looking into the
Clarkes' record. and he found out things TO
make him more suspicious than ever.
A young man who said he was an agent
for a real estate firm called on the owner
OF the premises on Fulton street, and said
he wished to rent the house for wealthy
Santa Clara family named Clarke;
that they would take immediate posses
sion and we're good tenants. He succeeded
in leasing the premises, and Mrs. Clarke
moved into the house, when 1t came out
that the enterprlsng renter of houses and
Henry Clarke were one and the same per
son.
Mrs. Clarke began Immediately to tell the
neighbOrs tales OF her great wealth, the
magnifcence of her furniture that was on
its way to the house, and that her husband
was in an insane asylum.
In the meantime the son was telling to-
tally different stories about many things,
but both stuck to the fact of their great
wealth.
Then Mrs, Clark visited an Insurance
aGen: and told him about the lovely furn-
ture that was coming AMI valued it at $4,000.
On the strength of this she obtained policy
for $1,000
She asked the agent at the time how he
would he know what furniture was in the
house in case 1t burned, and was told that
the company had its own ways and means
Of finding out such things.
When the fire was discovered young Clarke
was in grocery-store drinking beer. When
Inc engines went by Clarke paid no atten-
ton to them, and even hesitated in giving
up the key TO the house when asked for it
by neighbor.
He did not go into the house after the
fire started. but started downtown. as he
said, ito tell his mother"
There was only 500 worth of furniture
In the house, and general air of baroness
existed. The damage by the fire was $50
Then 1t came out that Mrs. Clark and her
promising son had remained only two nights
in the house, and were not there on the
night of the fire.
The next day Mrs. Clarke went to the
insurance Office and compromised her claim
for $1,000 by taking back the premium of
SIG that she had paid.
In the meantime the marshal had posted
notice on the door saying that she could
have the key to the house by coming to
his Office for it, but the worthy Mrs. Clarke
thought she had better not. So the Marshal
looked her up, and the result of his visit
was the arrest of both.