Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1914-09-10
MRS. J.CRAWFORD
GOES TO THE Pen
AT WALLA WALLA
Pleads Guilty to the Charge
Of Arson and Gets
Six Months
INSURED HOUSE FOR $500
AND PLANNED TO BURN IT.
Runslins Job in Carrying Out Plans
Reveals the Trick and Lands
Woman in the Pen.

Mrs, Jessie Crawford, wife OF the
late John Crawford, formerly a Wa
tertown blacksmith, has been SEN
fenced to six months In the state
penitentiary at Walla Walla, Wash,
charged with attempted arson.
This woman confessed to having
set fire to- her place. declared Chief
of Police Weeks to a newspaper re-
porter at Spokane, where Mrs. Craw-
ford resided, "and / turned her over
to the police department for action.
| She evidently used kerosene and
shingles in the attempt to burn the
house."
Mrs. Crawford was taken before
Judge H. 4. Kenman and she pleaded
guilty and received the sentence
stated. "The woman confessed to Of
~ficals," says another report, that she
fired the home to get money to aid in
paying the bills of her husband and
OF the expenses incident to his sick
ness and death. tMr. Crawford died
about a year ago. Mrs. Crawford,
however, made no statement at the
hearing beyond entering the plea Of
guilty.
1t is reported that she had insured
her house for $500, and then sought
to burn it in order to get the money
from the insurance company.
Al Runoling Job.
Information from Spokane indi-
tcates that Mrs. Crawford's plans were
very poorly executed. The discovery
OF the attempt purposely to burn the
building is due to the fact that, ac-
cording to reports received since she
was sentenced, the flames were sup
pressed before they got under full
Roadway, when III was pfeGeived that
only one OF the various rooms pre-
pared for the burning a1ad caught fra.
The fire started In the bedroom,
whereas several other rooms had also
been well piled with kerosene and
other infiammable matter. From the
ceiling were suspended blankets well
soaked with oil, and the windows
were covered with blankets in an
effort to conceal the fire until it had
gained sufficient Roadway to work
the desired destruction.
But for some reason not stated the
fire started in only the n room.
Whether Mrs. Crawford expected it
to communicate itself to the other
rooms before the fire lighters could
arrive lis a matter OF speculation, for
she has remained silent excepting as
to the attempt to burn the house,
Not Thought Hard Pressed.
tits not thought, SO far as former
WATERFOWL friends are able to dis
cover, that Mrs. Crawford was par.
ticularly hard pressed for funds. II
Is related that only a week OF so be
fore the attempt to fire the building
Mrs. Crawford had asked the advice
Of Mrs. Ray Jones formerly of Wa
tertown) with reference to the de,
STABILITY OF investing in either Wa.
tertown or Spokane property, leay.
ing the impression that she had some
means which she thought OF putting
out. Still, she may have had the fire
insurance in mind when seeking Mrs.
Jones. opinion.
The Crawfords lived in WATERFOWL
for many years. Their home was On
the north side, a couple of blocks
north OF the Stokes mill. They were
thought well of.
The report of the court procedure
at Spokane will be received with q
decided shock by their many &C
quaintances In Watertown.
aT n,o,.1a nr1 !,