The San Francisco call., 1908-12-21
PLOT TO FIRE
STORE FO|LfD
BY WATCHMAN
Straw, Paper and Boxes Soaked
With Oil Are Scattered
Through Place
Lighted Candle in Center OF In-
flammabIe Mass Extin-
guished by Police
Mystery Surrounds Attempt to
Burn Heavily Insured
Business House

Arson, skillfully and most deliber-
ately planned, was attempted early yes
terday morning on the premises of
Rosenthars. incorporated. shoe COM
pany. at the northeast corner of Van
Ness avenue and Geary street. Had the
scheme not been discovered at the mo-
ment it was, an entire block and thou
sands of dollars worth of merchandise
might have been destroyed.
Fire Marshal Charles Towe declared
after thorough investigation that
there was no doubt that arson had been
attempted. He characterized it as the
most fiagrant incendiary crime planned
during the score of years he has been
Investigating fires. His theory is that
the incendiary entered the place
through the front door, using two keys
to effect an entrance. Members of the
corporation insist that the place was
entered from the rear. They admit it
was not the work of burglars, nor can
| they ascribe any motive for the crime.
Carried Big Insurance
Fire Marshal Towe also says the
RoseEthal company carried an insur-
ance of $4,000 on its stock and $4,000
insurance on the building, which it
holds on a ground lease.
Members of the firm said yesterday
that the value of the stock was. ap-
proximately, 100000, and that in May
or June of the coming year the build
ing would revert to the owner of the
lot, Major hilton, under the conditions
of the lease The building, which was
erected in the expensive days follow
ing the catastrophe. cost $4,000.
The police worked hard on the case
Yesterday Captain Kelly said that the
detective force was not yet ready to
make arrests.
In tracing the movements of persons
| interested in the firm and in the prop
erty, the authorities learned last even
ing from the clerk of the Dorchester
hotel, located four blocks from the
store, that Isidore Reinheimer, a direc-
tor and secretary of the corporation,
reached his room a little before o'clock
yesterday morning. The attempt to
burn the place was discovered about 4
o'clock
According to Frank Lucier, a clerk
in the store. Reinheimer Melville Marx,
a clerk. and Lucier left the store to-
gether at 1920 o'clock Saturday even
ing and at that time everything about
the store was safe and secure
Evidence of Incendiary
Simple materials, most skillfulIy ar
ranged, constituted the apparatus of the
incendiary. Kerosene was used in
abundance. In clock room in the rear
of the store was piled an immense mass
of infiamma Bile materials tissue paper.
wrapping paper, straw carried in from
the alley way, where 1t has been placed
by the proprietors of the Japanese
goods store next door, and light pack
ing cases. All was saturated with
kerosene. In the center of the clock
room, on the floor, was a smaller pack
ing case, about 24x1Sx15 inches, stood
on end and filled with saturated tissue
papers and straw. A trail of straw.
soaked in oil led from this box to a
great armful of straw piled high
against the woodwork of the Interior
as perilous fuse as ever led to a pow
der mine.
In the center of the box, rising out of
the soaked papers, was a candle made
fast in a pair of shoe nippers, burning
within an inch of the fire plant when
the police entered the store and extin-
guished it. 1t had evidently been burn
ing an hour when it was discovered.
shelves and shoe boxes in the main
store. Two one-gallon oil cans were
found empty.
The vigilance of Special Policeman
Jean j. Gippert of the Morse patrol
averted the contamination of the arson
plot. Gippert made his rounds of the
stores in Van Ness avenue every two
hours At o'clock yesterday morning
he found everything about the Rosen-
thai building, which is numbered 100
to 110S Van Ness avenue, in good order.
Two hours later, while passing through
the alleyway in the rear Of the build
ing he pressed the iron door. which
should have been tightly closed, and
felt it give under his hand.
He Immediately suspected that a
burglar was in the place and rushed
to the Van Ness avenue entrance to
investigate He found the front door
locked and padIocked. He tried first
to telephone to Daniel Marx of 24s5
jackson street, one of the directors Of
the firm. or to Melville Marx, clerk,
Daniels brother. The telephone girl
announced that neither could be raised.
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