The San Francisco call., 1895-07-29
PURPOSE OF THE DEED.
Said to Have Been the Desire
to Obtain the lnsur-
ance Money.
CALMLY WATCHED THE FIRE.
Detective Frost Claims to Have
Strong Evidence Against
the Accused.

SAN JOSE, CAL, July 2S.-Ex-super-
visor H. Tillotson was arrested last even
ing on a charge of. arson, preferred by De
tect1ve Erwin Frost. He is accused OF
having burned his house on the night OF
Nav % for the purpose of obtaining the in
surance.
Until a few years ago Tillotson was one
of the most prominent men in political
circles in this county, and was Supervisor
for two wears. For the last two or three
wears his neighbors have not approved of
his conduct. Tillotson, who is a single
man. owned a fine ranch in the vicinity of
Milpitas, and when he employed Blanche
Miller, a young girl, as his housekeeper,
such a storm of indignation arose among
his neighbors that Tillotson sold the ranch
and purchased house and lot near this
city. Tillotson and the young lady took
up their abode at the new place, and every
thing seemed to be going nicely with the
couple until the time of the fire.
When the fire was discovered Tillotson
was found standing at the gate calmly
watching the house burn. This excited
suspicion, and as most of the furniture had
been removed few days before the fire,
the Hartford Insurance Company en-
ployed Detective Frost to investigate the
cause of the fire. The insurance on the
house was paid to J. NJ. Balback, who had
a mortgage for $1,000 on the place, but the
insurance on the furniture was held back.
Detective Frost claims to have discov-
cred that two weeks before the conhagra-
ton Tillotson had gathered up the valu-
ables in the house and placed them in
box and had hidden the box under the house
of a neghbor. 1t is also claimed that a
short time before a piano was removed
from the house. The detective claims that
two weeks after the fire Blanche Miller
secured the box from its hiding-place and
brought it into town, where she delivered
it to Tillotson.
At the county jail the old man was
searched and bottle of strychnine found
in his pocket; but this did not satisfy Frost,
who claimed that the old man had more
poison sewed up in his clothes, and all his
wearing apparel was taken from him and
he was given an old suit of overalls.
After being locked up Tillotson talked
freely of the matter, and said
'People talked considerably because /
kept housekeepcr on the ranch. Blanche
Miller came to me three years ago and 1
employed QeT as AOuSeheepeT, Ou6 Iue peO-
pie in the neighborhood did not think it
right that L should have a young house
keeper, and would not associate with her.
Loupe and Mary Higuera were the only
ones that visited her, and one night they
made so much noise ordered the girls out
of the house, and this made Blanche mad
and she left too. To this circumstance 1
lay the fact that l was burned out.
1.-The night of the fire was unwell and
had to arise many times, and SO did not
take off my clothes, but lay down on
bed-lounge. I was awakened by sparks
falling over me, and l had barely time to
escape. rushed back to get some of the
things and was overcome with smoke.
was almost suffocated, and was leaning
against the gate when the neighbors ar
rived.
"After Blanche went away allowed her
to come and get the sewing-machine. The
piano l wished to sell, and had taken it to
Mrs. Parkhurst, who had agreed to buy it.
AS to box being under neigh boris
house, why, L know nothing about it. If
there was such box it probably belonged
to Blanche, and contained a few of her
things.
II am perfectly innocent of the charge
placed against me, and think when the
matter is fully investigated the evidence
will bear me out in what say"
Sheriff Lyndon and Detective Frost last
night discovered that the night before the
fire wagon load of furniture had been
removed from the Tillotson house.