The San Francisco call., 1908-12-21
Watchman FoiLs ATTEMPT
to Burn Big Shoe Store
Plot to Fire Rosenthals Stock Discovered In
Time to Prevent ConfIagratoh
Continued From Page 1

Then Gippert telephoned to the Dor
chester hotel and aroused Isadore Rein
heimer and Herman Frankel, directors.
They promised to come to the store.
Gippert met Policeman T. f. Kelly
and told him of the suspicion that a
burglar had entered the store At this
time fire was not suspected.
Find Fire Scheme
When Reinheimer and FranlSel
reached the place they entered it with
Policeman Kelly and Immediately found
the burning candle in the midst of the
kerosene soaked fuel An examination
Of the store was made. 1t was found
that the wooden door inside the iron
door in the rear was locked, but the
key. which was usually concealed in
the Office was missing A toilet door
key was found and the door opened.
The iron door was found to be unbolteo
The trap door to the roof was found
to be unfastened. evidently from the
inside. The condition of the rear wall
and a light wood door showed that the
incendiary must have left the building
by the roof and down the rear wall
A rear window on the second foor
was found TO be broken. In the opinion
of Marshal Towe this window was
broken from the inside Members OF
the firm declared yesterday that the
incendiary entered through THIS WIN
dow. The police do not believe that
he did.
tempted by someone who entered the
front door OF the building, using Two
KEYS to effect an entrance, and, after
arranging the diabolicai nre plahl' lell
the building through the same en-
trance. There is also theory, Neh
supported by evidence, that the lncen-
diarv left the shoe store through the
tran door to the roof and through the
rear aIlevwav Another theory is that
the criminal might have concealed NM
self in the store during business hours
and have remained hidden from the
members of the firm and employees,
coming out after the place was closed
for the night.
Officers of Company
The officers and directors of the
Rosenthal shoe company are }. h
Rosenthal, president. now travehng IN
the east: Moses Sondheimer vice
president; Isadore Reinheimer. secre-
| tary, and Herman Frankei and bahlei
Marx. Reinheimer is said to have ar
ranged LOT dlA AiiT AAt7~-
firm. He was seen last evening out
said that he did not have time TO
discuss the attempted arson
Jean J. Gippert. the Morse patrol
man to whose vigilance the insurance
companies are in pocket at least Sloo'-
600. made the following statement to
The Call:
about o'clock in the morning l had
tried the front door of Rosenthals and
found mat the paddock was closed and
the door locked The steel door in the
alley was closed tight. as l knew by
pushing against it. This door IS bolted
from the inside and has no way or
being opened from without. If one
Of the bolts is loose it will spring a
little. and by putting my hand against
il it viii bang.
1T was in this way that l discovered
il had been opened when I returned at
about o'cIock=both bolts had been
released, although the door was tight
AGAINST the sash. What first attracted
my attention on the second round was
that in the doorway of the alley from
lGeary street there was a small brass
/ bound drawer like the cash drawer of
A desk or counter / then suspected
that burglars had been operating in
some Of the stores and was on the
watch.
! After finding that the steel dOOr was
open 1 cautiously tried the inner wood
en- door, but found it locked. l peered
through the keyhole. but could see
nothing, and went quietly to the front
door but only one of the arc lights
had been left burning and it was very
low and up near the middle of the
store After concluding that no one
was inside I decided to call the pro-
prietors and found the name of MarH
in my book. ] went to a telephone
booth near by and called his number
but the girl told me his receiver was
off the hook and he could not be called
Telephones Directors
Then I found the other names, I
Reinsheimer and H. Frankel, at the
Dorchester, and called them. They saic
they would be down in half an hour
when / told them of the circumstances
Outside the door ] met Policeman
Kelley and asked him to wait for The
men and go down with them if they
came out before ! came back. / fin
ished my round and came to the Ro
senthals' store, where Kelly and th'
men were by this time.
The candle had been put out, but tn,
straw and paper We're scattered abou
and piled up in the little room in th'
back The whole place was filled will
fumes of coal oil and gasoline.
Il called up central, who had beer
trying to get Marx on the phone, anC
she told me that she had finally raise,
him and told him that a watchman haC
| called him, and she said that he hat
been very angry at being disturbed.
Il then turned over the case to th'