The San Francisco call., 1908-12-22

Insurance Broker Declares Few
if Any Policies Will Be
Cancelled
who started the fire that came within
an ace Of burning the store of Rosen-
tilaFs shoe company at Van Ness ave-
nnue and Gesry street early Sunday
morning, and the motive that actuated
the criminal. are mysteries which the
police and Fire Marshal Towe. as well
as members Of the corporation, have
toward arriving at a solution the firm
yesterday offered a reward of $1,000
for the arrest and conviction OF the per-
son or persons concerned in the incen-
diary plot
Prominent among the new facts de-
veloped yesterday was the discovery
by the police that the empty cash
drawer found in the alleyway off Geary
street in the rear OF the Rosenthars
building fitted vacant drawer COM
psrtment in a discontinued cigar stand
in Geary street near the Rosenthars
place.
EVOLVE NEW THEORY
An ew theory considered by the po-
line is that a person wishing to start
fire in the shoe store took the empty
cash drawer and placed it in the alley
way to convey the idea that the store
was robbed.
Jean J. Gippert, the Morse patrolman
who discovered that the rear door of
Rosenthars had been tampered with.
was closely questioned by the police
yesterday
Isadore Reinheimer. secretary of Ros-
cnthaIs, last evening issued a detailed
statement. in which he traced his move
nsents from the time he left the store
. saturday night TO the moment he was
aroused by the watchman Sunday morn
ing.
?. Captain Kelly, chief OF detectives.
said last night that little progress
could be made by his men until Fire
Marshal Towe allows the removal of
the rubbish He said that his men had
store
where the coal oil cans had been pur-
chased He is still working on the the
ory that the crime was committed by
q criminals with means Of opening lhe
front door and that the window was
broken and the trap door opened after
ward by the criminal or criminals as a
blind
We are looking for the person or per-
sons who laid the trap TO set fire to the
c1f
il viii be found that more than one
man did the job. a
BROKEN FROM INSIDE
The window upstairs was broken
frep the inside, as shown by the Jagged
points Of the hole pointing outward
The pieces lying on the floor inside
could easily have been picked out after
the hole was made"
When told that members of the firm
of Rosenthals had reported that a jap
anese porter had been discharged about
thnee months ago, Kelly repeated that
no one man, in his opinion, did the
job.
Daniel Marx pointed out that there
was a hole large enough for a man to
get through into the space between
the roof and the ceiling of the store,
and that once having gained admit
tance during business hours he could
have hidden there and then escaped
by the roof or the window This point
had been previously overlooked.
Members Of the firm called attention
10 the fact that Marshal Towe still in
sisted emphatically that the criminal
entered the front door with key and
yentured the opinion that such an as
sertion, rejecting directly as 1t did on
four members OF the firm, which was
Of the highest sts-ading. was an indis-
erection in a public official
No POLICIES CANCELLED
II. C. Ahpel of the Union trust build
ing, the Insurance broker who handled
the bulk OF the Rosenthals Insurance
business, said yesterday that none of
the companies which he represented
had cancelled their policies and he was
Of the opinion that none of them would
do so.
''The firm is Of the highest financial
standing" said Ahpel, "and has always
borne an excellent reputation. The
moral risk has in no way increased and
il is not likely that any of the com
panies viii pay any attention to that
part of it. Some OF the smaller com
panies may cancel, although 1 hardly
think so"
Following is a list of the insurance
companies with the amounts for which
they issued policies. On stock:
Mercantile, Sl,250; Guardian (of Pennsvl-
vania), $1,000; Southern. 81 900; Seaboard.
81 600; Lloyds. ltd. s.. 600; London and Ian,
cashire, 5000; Commercial Union. 81 600.
orient lbartford). $1,000; New Brunswick
Si.2JO; jefferson Of Pennsylvania, 81 250- Fails
city. $1,000; Phoenix 1000: Agricultural
$l.5o0; Queen City, 81 600; American Central
$500; Northern Assurance IS 900: Globe and
Rutgers $1,000; State OF Pennsylvania. $500:
Union Of Pennsylvania $500; Equitable Of Provi-
aence. $500; Connecticut, $1,000: Aetna, 50 800:
Dixie s.. 500; Queen (of Americs1 a 600.
Union Assurance company s.. 500; ROYAL 5000:
Michigan. $500 Sun. 81 .000 Fireman's (of New
ark}, 5000 Orient tHartford). 81 900: National
Union. $1,000. Springfield. $1,000: Western TO
rontol, 5000; Palatine. 5000; Commercial
Union, 81 600: North River, 81 800: Insurance
Company Of North America. 81 500: Southern
$1,000; shawnee (Topeka). $500: Phoenix (Hart,
tord), $LOgO; London and LANCASHIRE 81 900:
$1,000; Walla Walla, $1,000; Lloyds I.ondonl !
$4,000 Queen City, 81 go; Fire Associs tion ~
Philadelp1ia $1,000; Lloyds (London), $40, 600