The morning call., 1894-09-20
FOOLS TRICK.
Attempts to Burn Down
Two Houses.
William McGreevy Is Placed Under
Arrest and Charged by
Fire Marshal Towe.

For the past few months Fire Marshal
TOwe has had an unusually large proper
ton of arson cases on his hands. The
motive in most, it not all, of them has
been to beat the insurance companies. the
properties In each case being considerably
overinsured.
The latest occurred al an early hour yes
terday morning and resulted in the arrest
of William McGreevy. who bears an unen-
viable reputation in the Mission. Nc
Greevy has been charged with two al
tempts at arson.
McGreevy was rooming with Mrs.
Skaggs in three-story frame building be-
longing TO Joe Poheim on the northwest
corner of Valencia and T%enty-first
streets. He had been drinking heavily,
and on Tuesday night Mrs. Skaggs ordered
him out of the house. That Was about
half-past o'clock.
At 30 o'clock yesterday morning a fire
broke out among a lot of rubbish in the
basement of the building. Adolph de
Bonnet, who lives a sos Twentieth street,
happened to be in the oyster saloon on
Twenty-frst and Valencia streets when
some one ran 10 and said there was a fire
at the next corner. BE got bucketfu Of
water and put out the fire. The only dam
age done was me screening of the base
ment door. He saw McGreevy running
across the street to a saloon opposite, and
heard him say there was a fire and be
wanted TO know where the alarm box was.
By this time De Bonnet had exlinguished
the fire.
At 40 o'clock fire started in the base
ment CT the three-story building on the
southeast corner of Twentieth and Va
lencia streets, belonging to Daniel Harvey,
also IN a lot of rubbish.
A Johnson, who lives at 902 Twentieth
street, had been wakened out of his sleep
by heating some one knocking at the door
of SchToedeT'S grocery and asking fer the
key of the alarm-bOX, as there was a fire
at Twentieth and Valencia streets. He
looked out OF the window and saw that
the man was McGreevy. He could not Sc
any sign of fire.
He went back to bed and remarked in
answer to question from his wife that 1t
was drunken bum making a disturbance
A few minutes afterward he heard noise
and jumped out Of bed again. On looking
out of the window he saw McGreeyy jump
over the gate into the basement, ana i'm
medately afterward saw a bright, big
blsze. He also saw McGreevy come out
Of the basement and run down Twentieth
street.
johnson ran outside in his bare feet.
and just then De Bonnet, who was on his
way way home, came M. De Bonnet ran
to the corner Of TweDty-frst sire, for d
bucket of water. and the two eXliaguished
the blaze. Bv this time McGreevy had re-
turned. McGreevy sail TO them he would
get the key OF the alarm-box, but they told
him not 10 do it, as the fire was ont. "But
there is another fire at The next corner"
said McGreevy Glow in - do you
know that" said De Bonnet, and he took
a good look at him and recognized him as
the man he saw running across the street
from he first fire.
McGreevy insisted upon getting the key
OF the alarm box, and when he return ed
with it he rang in an alarm, remarking.
Now it's dOue." Johnson charged him
with setting fire to the house and he and
DE Bonnet kept hold of him till Police
man Standley arrived.
McGreevy was taken to the Seventeen tn
street station and on the way, Policeman
Standby says, he said to him he had set
the place on fire. The FIRE Marshal was
notified and he Immediately drove to the
station and had talk with McGreevy.
lie made number of statements which
during an investigation yesterday the Fire
Marshal found to be untrue in every in
stance. Among them was the statement
that he was working at Smiths cannery,
on Second and Townsend streets, till 9:3C
tuesday night, whereas he had not been
there all That day and was kicked out of
| his lodgings at that hour. Another pecu-
liar thing is that he first asked for the KEY
of the alarm box for fire at Twentieth
and Valencia streets at least twenty min.
uteS before the fire occurred.
The Fire Marshal thinks MeGreeyy's
motive for the first fire was revenge for
being kicked out, and for the second fire
robbery during the excitement, but his
plans In both instances were frustrated.