The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-11-15
PLANNED TO
FIRE A STORE
GoIdsWorthy Arrested
in Stockton.
DISCOVERED JUST IN TIME
PROMINENT IN POLITICAL AND
BUSINESS CIRCLES.
Had He Succeeded in His Plot at
Least Block Would Have Been
Destroyed and Many Lives
Endangered.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

STOCKTON, Nov. L+W J. Colds
worthy, prominent politician and pro
prietor of the American cash store,
large grocery, is in jail here and the Dis
trict Attorney has charged him with
burglary, fixing bail at $1,000. c. c.
Anderson, colored porter in the
employ of Adkins & Co. wholesale liquor
dealers, had occasion to go to the store
last evening about o'clock. Hearing
noise in the basement, he entered and
struck a light, and there found Colds
worthy in the act of fleeing. be had re-
moved with a jackscrew the supports OF
the floor under the barrels OF alcoholic
liquor and substituted boxes, which he
had saturated with coal oil, after which
he had piled other boxes and straw
around, and paper, straw and boxes led
to the outside of the building through
hole in the basement. On discovering
GoldsWOrthy Anderson graSped the iron
of the JackScreW and told GoldSworthy he
would brain him if he tried to get away,
TO which the man replied, You have got
me.
liquor house, and his plan was evidently
to cause the destruction of both buildings,
so as to avert suspicion. His stock was
insured for $4,000. Anderson procured a
cab and drove Goldsworthy to the resi-
dence of Hugh Adkins, proprietor of the
liquor store, where GOldsworthy requested
that Irving Martin, publisher of the Daily
Record. be sent for Martin is his
brother-in-law, and he also brought Mrs.
Goldsworthy with him. GOldsworthy made
a piteous appeal to Adkins and Anderson
for mercy and begged them on his knees
and with tears in his eyes not to inform
upon him. Both men were obdurate, how
ever, and District Attorney Ashley was
sent for by telephone about 3 o'clock in
the morning, when Goldsworthy was
turned over 10 the officers and placed in
jail
He has engaged an attorney to defend
him. and to-day refused to be interviewed.
Goldsworthy had always been regarded
here as a law abiding citizen and was
one of the leading members of the Mer-
chants and Manufacturers Association,
besides being a member of several fra
ternal orders. His aged mother and his
wife are nearly Frustrated with grief and
shame. and the affair has created quite
a sensation here.
The officers who have investigated the
case declare that the plans of Colds
worthy were most complete, and that the
fire would not only have destroyed the
entire block but endangered the lives OF
the people who were occupying rooms on
the upper floor The falling Of the spirit
uOus liquors would have made a fire with
which the Fire Department could have
hardly hoped 10 cope with successfully.
GOldsworthy was defeated four years age
for emblyman on the A. 2. A ticket
He was also socialist, and 1t was dis
covered in the basement that the Social
ist Labor party had been holding meet
ings there, using empty boxes for chairs.
An attachment was placed on Colds
worthy's store this evening by San Fran
cisco creditors for $3.50 and the place Is in
the hands of the Sheriff.