The San Francisco call., 1897-06-09
CHINESE FIREBUG
UNDER ARREST
John Sing Lee. Alias Fong
Hing, Charged With
Arson.
Accused of Setting Fire to Boxes
Saturated With Oil in
His Room.
He Had Insured the Furniture, Which
Belonged TO His LaDdlady,
for 5000

John Sing Lee, alias Lee John, alias
Fong Hing, a Chinese seller OF lottery
tickets, was booked at the City Prison
yesterday by Fire Marshal Towe and
Policeman 2. A. Peshon on the charge of
arson.
The story of the arson was published ex-
clusively in The CALL of May 4 and since
then the Fire Marshal and the police had
been on the lookout for Lee.
Lee and a Chinese woman had been
rooming in the house of Mrs. Urbin Hus-
son, 9l9 Clay street, for several months.
On April q the woman left, taking all her
clothing with her and telling Mrs. Husson
that she was going to the country on
visit for some weeks.
There was a months rent of So due for
the room. and on Friday night, April 80,
Lee gave Mrs. Husson 81 on account.
Shortly before 10 o'clock that night, after
all had retired to bed, Mrs. Husson was
awakened by smoke in her bedroom She
awoke her husband and on going to Lees
room they found pile of boxes saturated
with coal oil on FIRE and can of oil with
the top off on top of the boxes. Lee had
vanished. A few bucketfuls of water eX-
tinguished the flames. If the fire had OBJ
tanned any headway the probability is
lodger and her baby would have been
burned to death as their only means of
escape would have been cut off.
The Fire Marshal was notified, and on
making an investigation ascertained that
on April Lee had insured the furniture
and personal effects in the room for $780,
claiming that the furniture belonged to
him. The furniture belonged to the
landlady, and the personal effects except
an old hat had been removed.
The following Monday Lee went to the
insurance Office and lodged a claim for
the amount of the insurance, under the
impression that the place had been de-
stroyed. The Fire Marshal had notified
the company that II Lee called he was to
be sent to the house, and the Fire Marshal
would be there to receive and question
him.
Lee went to the house, and when the
Fire Marshal began 10 question him he
bolted out and ran down Clay street, hotly
pursued by Towe. Several pedestrians
Joined in the chase, and one of them blew
a notice whistle, which brought two or
three policemen on the scene. Lee lodged
into a stairway near Dupont street, and
although thorough search was made of
the building he could not be found, and 1t
was thought he had escaped through a
skyhght.
Descriptions OF him were sent to the
police stations and Policeman Peshon
whose beat is on Dupont street, recog-
niZed him as the brother of cigar manu-
facturer al 1109 Dupont. He watched the
place for two or three days and found
that Lee had left the City.
Peshon continued to keep an eye on the
cigar factory and Monday morning his
patience was rewarded and he had the
satisfaction of placing Lee under arrest
and locking him up in the tanks.
Lee denied that he was the m an wanted
and told Peshon his name was Fong Hing,
but Peshon knew better. The Fire FAR
shal did not care to charge him till Mrs
Husson had an opportunity of seeing
him. She called at the CITY Prison yes
terday afternoon and at once identified
him as her former lodger known to her as
John Sing Lee.