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The Call Prints More News Than Any Other Paper Published in San Franci THE WEATHER. ry 23, 1906: y—Cloudy southwest wind. G. H. WILLSON, Local Forecaster, Temporarily in charge. SCO A AN AR THE THEATERS. ALHAMBRA—“The Black Crook." ALCAZAR—"There and Back." CALIFORNIA—'‘Yankee Docdle Gir! CENTRAL—“Lost in New York." CHUTES—Vaudeville. Matinee ““The County Chairman.'* round the Town. MAJESTIC—"Off the Rcad.” ORPHEUM—Vaudeville, TIVOLI—"The Isle of Spice.” SAN TOTAL DAMAGE ESTIMATED AT $400,000 The loss caused by the destruction of the San Francisco Gas and Electric Light Company’s Power Station on Stevenson street yesterday morning [ will reach $400,000. Superiniendent Naphthaly says all lights will be btrning by tonight. Part of the downtown district was in darkness last night. | wer Plant Placed at a Large S u;z:" DETECTIVES BELIEVE THEY HAVE LOCATED STINSON'S MURDERER cover $75,000 of Dead Miner’s Fortune in the Hands of Man Who Was ;’ Known as His Friend. | BOSTON NIECE GIVES OUT NEWS Evidence Promises to Unravel a Mystery| Which Lay Deeply Buried for ‘ Nearly Eight Years. ; ICTURE IN CALL FIRST CLEW 1888, the body of an unknown More than seven years mgo, September man was found floating In Stow Lake. The mext day The Call printed a portrait thought to be a suicide. The third day he was buried as a penniless Sield of the City Cemetery. Seven years later, January 29, 1906, Jobn Attinger, a German tailor, saw for the first time the picture of the usknown in The Call. He recognlzed it #t once as that of Jokn Stinsen. Other recogmitions followed. Jobp Stinson was r© mitlionaire miney| who had_disappeared from this city in 1898, He was knowa to have had great wenlthe A The mext day Stinson’s safety deposit box in the Union Trust Company was opened for the first time since its owner's disappearance. To the astonishment of every ome present it was found to be empty. } An investigation was quickly begun by the dead man’s relatives. | The suspicion grew that Stinson had been killed and then robbed of his fortune. It seemed impossible to get the proof of the crime. Yesterday Mrs. Frank W. Sawyer of Boston, a miece of Stinson, am- nounced that detectives fn her employ had loeated $75,000 of the bonds once owned. by her uncle. Mrs. Sawyer also announced that the suspected murderer is being Iy watched, and that he was an assoclate of Stinscn in the mines. She expécts that this man will s0on be under arrest. She believes him sulity. The identification of Stinson and the succeeding investigation were due entirely to the picture published in The Csll on September 9, 189S, of the unknown man, then unknown in the potter’s clo ng the murder of John Stinson almost eight years mmediately afterward of his wealth seems about to ears since 1888 the mystery has Deen velled in a f penetration. The evidence lay buried beneath e ground above so hardened by the im- rything from the sight of man. it has been, enough evidence has been recently un- the wealth of the dead miner and to give promise of justice the wretch who took Stinson's life to Yesterday Mrs. Frank W. Sawyer of Boston, t her mother's, Mrs. Sarah Connor of Portland, tectives hired by her to investigate the death of rth of bonds belopging to Stinson in S8an Fran- ® the man who has them In his possession. old companion of Stinson's in the mine rs. “‘He became suddenly wealthy after ew last night, “and when we began the gave us a clew upon which to work. Soon nan had In his possession $75.000 of the bonds are now watching every move of that man ymplished shortly, Uncle John was murdered for his rough the identification of the picture of Ban Francisco Call that the body found John.* We will have it brought to Boston . watch e. This r detec d’ be a1 obtained last the nam night. Mrs, Sawyer and her detectives cret until evidence enough is eecured The friends who knew Stinson in this are all respected and ecan be in no have alded in the search. Tt is prob- earthed an old friend of Stinson who has secluded since the day of the murder, his convict! h him in the h the cri etectives have hi t him and worked way c that keeping JStory Is a Tangle of Mystery. The tangled mystery of the death and robbery of the dead miner whil be raveled until murderer {8 brought to justice and has made Stinson lived in this eity at intervals up to s known to be very wealthy. He made a fortune out Montana and invested the proceeds in Government bonds. to Arizona and New Mexico. Everything he touched seemed gold and he sold valuable properties. He always carried se iredi-and sometimes as many thousand—dollars on his_person. He with 1 a large gold watch, set with jewels, 2 ways ready to make acquaintances. Around the hotals ie was well known and everywhere recognized as a man He d a safety deposit box in the Union Trust Company. In re kept his bonds, many valuable papers and cash in large sums, September of 1898 he announced his intentlon of leaving the olty time. He disappeared a few days later. His friends thought nothing psence at the time, but @s the years wore on they began to believe ad. A report that his body had been found in New Mexico red this belief. No though: of foul play ertered the heads of his able een 1self In September of 1898 the body of a man was found in Stow of the park watchmen. The pockets were turned inside out and indi. pointed to robbery and murder. The bosom of the shirt bore the “J. 87 On the right hand was a plain ring. The body was burfed ntified. ‘ Undiscovered for Eight Years. For mearly eight years the crime Jay practically uninvestigated. The safety deposit box in the Union Trust Company was unopened. Last month John Attinger recognized-The Call picture of the man found in Stow Lake as that of John Stinson. The relatives in the East were notified and a sis- ter, Mrs. Sarah Connor, ordered an Investigation. Attorney Robert Foster e out from Portland. Maine. and secured an order from court permit- ting the opening of the safety deposit box. The opening of the box proved beyond doubt that Stinson had been murdered for his money. To the disma$ of Foster and the relatives the box was found to contain nothing. The vast fortune has mysteriously dis- appeared from the box. No one knows how, It was gone. Foster at once left for the East and the Investigation was started. It ie thought that private detectives were secured to do the work, as the city officials say that they know mothing about the affair. Thomas Hickey and William J. Hynes, special administrators of the es- tate, have not been notified of the new evidence. Lake by‘ Loss Caused by Destruction of Po BURCL ABDS ARSON 10 CRIME g Sets Fire to House He Breaks Into at Night, Thief At stroy Residence of Walter Speyer. ?Daughter -of Insurance Man Discovers Criminal as | He Flees foene. of smoke and an that - filled alarm was turned way. his chagrin at not finding more. and screamed, a fénce in the rear of the grounds. STARTS THE BLAZE. { valuables. trousers. on the lower floor. place through a rear window. stairway, been cut off and burned to death, nited. FIRE ALARM SOUNDED, extinguished In a few minutes. the Speyer family were fast asleep. On the upper floor were Mr. escaped. | Speyer is general manager of the Ger- man Fire Insurance Company. The North End station was on the case. for revenge. Miss Speyer was the only person who could give the police any definite informa- She safd she was first alarmed by the odor of smoke and immediately opened a rear window on the second floor and observed the bur- glar in the act of closing a door below Her action in opening the window attracted the attention of the thief and he immediately took to his heéls and dis- appeared over the fence. The young lady, frightened at the sight of the intruder, .’ few moments tion concerning the crime. her. screamed for help and in awakened the household. Miss Speyer in speaking of the af- fair, said: “I detected the odor of burning wood and immedfately threw up the rear 1 was surprised to find a man and particularly to notice that he was fumbling with the lock of the door. window. the: The burglar evidently realized that was aware of his presence and quick as a flash darted around the corner and wag lost to my sight. “The shock caused me to stop for a mo- ment. but as soon as T could compose my- self, I raised an alarm and we soon locat- and we were certaln that the blaze had been completely, extinguished, we searched the house to ascertain what had been taken amd found that the house had been ran- sacked and the money taken from my ed the fire. After the firemen arri father’s room." wa tempts to De-| After ransacking the mansion of, Walter Sghyer, at 2121 Jacksoa street, { At an early Wowr this morning, a mur- | derous thug set fire to the place. The | family were roused by the thick clouds every room, in be- | fore the blaze had gained much head- Only u small sum of mopey was fouud by the marauder and it Is thought that Le set firg to the place because of Miss A. Speyer, the pretty daughter of the owner of the mansion, was the first to be awakened. She noticed the smoke rousing the rest of the household. Then, hearing footstéps in the rear of the house, she threw up her win- dow and saw a man disappearing over The thief had evidently planned to ex- terminate the family as they lay sleeping. | He had been through three of the rooms and had upset furniture in his search for As far as could be ascertained at a late hour he had found nothing of | value except in Mr. Speyer's room. There he took $50 in silver from Mr. Speyers When he was satisfied that he could not get any more without rousing the house- hold the burglar proceeded to a storeroom There he piled, up some papers and ; iscellaneous rubbish. He kindled the pile and stole out of the The blaze was started at the foot of the Had it gained headway before it was discovered, the family would have for there are no fire escapes on the building. Fortunately Miss Cpeyer was roused by the smoke before the stairs became ig- A still alarm was turned in and an engine from the nearby house on Cajf- fornia street responded. The blaze was There was no doubt that the fiend had delib- erately planned to burn the house while Speyer, his wife, his daughter and his young son. ‘When the alarm was given by the daugh- ter they ran out In their night robes. The entire family was agitated at the thought of the terrible fate they had notified shortly after the fire was extinguished. Detectives Armstrong and Bialg were put The police believe that the flendish criminal is a servant who was discharged from the mansfon and that the deed was inspired partly by desire AR | STATION FROM THE JESSIE-STREET SIDE, WHERE THE FLAMES RAGED THE FIERCEST. VIEW OF THE RUINED POWER Building Gutted and Dynamos| DARKNESS FALLS UPON Reduced to Scrap Iron. DOWN TOWN DISTRICTS Chief Declares Blaze Was Fiercest Faced | Chinese Lanterns, Candles, Lamps and by Department for Years. Gas Used When the Electrics Go Out. in distrib= Superintendent Naphtaly, uting the light yesterday had It switched to the points where he | deemed it was needed most. The corpa of men working at the ruins cleared Sections eof Market, Montgomery and | Sutter streets were plunged Into dark- ness last might. The fickle electric ug! had failed and it was ho for ths old tallow candles of our grandsir street alone is estimated at over $250,000. Tha attendant damages will easily bring the total to over $400,000. Part of this is covered by insurance, but just how much The loss sustained by the San Fran- cisco Gas and Electric Company by the destruction of power-house station C by the fire of yesterday morning will aggre- hborhoo ,000. B: th s company are not 4 ?l::ehri‘pt:feox:;l:r .x:ca‘f—:fu";hmm.mei ;:’:: ::;l:::do'to ,;yn o time. Up at the Mn;k }finkln: I(n‘ five ntu'b‘lgr :efi:a.orllén"a‘:;r::;: :::; & s tute they had planned a big entertain- | ner of the bullding. o oo R T T N RESTICINR IO . ment ro{-' the relief of the Japanesd|these will be working today and that tatons- Urat pore. daviived of AN tn the famipe districts of Nippon. But | by tonight the season of darkness will time yesterday morning were supplied last | The fire was one of the toughest prob- nlxl‘:z It wmybe Khtene‘weekl .f%.:: be- | lems that ever confronted the San Fran- | energetic twists on the electric | be over. - fore the system will be running with' its | cisco Fire Department. Stevenson streét | switches refused to bring results. The| The “wave of darkness” was net was an open trench and Jessie street, the | function had to be abandoned. particular where it alighted. 1% fell accustomed smoothness. i Early yesterday morning rival ‘com: panies and private plants placed them- selves at the disposal of the San .Fran- cisco Gas and Electric Company. Among the first to offer thcir services weere the Mutual, the Young Men's Christian Asso- claticn plant-and. the plant of the San Francisco Call. All day. long gangs of workimnen were busy connecting down- town establithments with other sta- | vented useless loss of brave lives. tions. Most of the light and power that | The exact orlgin of the fire is still an has been cut off can be supplied by the | cpen question. It is thought that it must station at the Potrero, according to Su- | have been started b crossed wires. The perintendent Samuel L. Naphtaly. first blaze was seen in the tunnel that The district that was most affected by | leads from Stevenson street. It sp: the fire 1s bounded by First, Ninth, How- | rapidly and the men who. were working ard and Sacramento streets. It is thought, | around the dynamos barely had time to however, that the lights will" be going | ‘‘plug out” before the plant was a roaring in nine-tenths cf the ‘places in this sec~! inferno. E - tion before to-night. N 'l‘hf Joss to the plant on Stevenson upon the mighty as well as the lowly, it smote the just as well as the unjust, {1t aflicted the Pacific-Union Club a8 well as the penny arcades. Some of those who wandered clubward in the wee sma’ hours of the morning used language that almost illuminated the twilight when they, found that they had to climb the long and winding flights because the elevator been put out of commission by the fire mechanical pianos along Market did not wardle “Wait Til} the Shines, Neille,” because the juica short and Mr. Naphtaly did net enqugh.to squander In music. Early When the matinee crowd arrived at the California Bheater yesterday there was no illumination for awhile but the brightness of the jokes. When the ra- serve’ gas lights were turned on this illumination . enabled the audience to see the stage. The Kohl - bullding, which happens to be on one of the un- Tucky circuits, had to burn gas and do witifout elevators, but it is promised that ‘It will have all the power and light it needs today. In some of the cafes and clgar stores along the darkened streets they u:fl- ized the remnants of the lata Chinese New Year in the fofrm of paper lan- terns. In some they had rows of can- dles. ‘Some of the big apartment- houses along Butter 'street could not make thef- promise to furaisa -thewr narrow alley behind the burning plant, was like an oven. The heat cracked the i windows on the other side of the cul de sac, but the firemen bravely stuck to their posts and kept two streams on the Van Arsdale bullding. As soon as Chief Sullivan arrived he gave positive orders | that no attemnt should be made to enter the burning butiding. This order pre- I :’l:tnmmntblhnn«.- Congiuned en Fagy 3 Column & s Continued on Page 2, Column 3