St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-04-25
A GUNPOWDER PLOT.
sharp Work by Secret Service
Detective.
How the Capitol Narrowly Escaped
Reing Blown Up by Rebels.

In the fall Of 1868 L was detailed by the
chief of the secret service bureau at Wash
ington to look after couple of fellows who
had come TO Washington to strike blow
In favor Of the Southern confederacy by
kidnapping Lincoln, blowing up public
buildings or aHsassinating public officials.
The hints We received went to show that
the pair were cranky chaps who would do
more work with their mouths than with
their hands, but it was nevertheless a wise
step 10 look after them. Under a false
name and in disguise / registered at the
National hotel, and in a couple of days | had
q meeting with the chief plOtter and con-
splrator. who went by the name of
Daniel Bailey. He was a monomaniac
pure and simple. While he had
taken up the cause of the South with all
his might, he was a native of Illinois and
had never set foot i'm Southern state. He
hadn't contributed a dollar 10 the COnfed-
crate cause, nor did he propose to shoulder
gun and help the wearers of the gray.
Bailey had enlisted another crank i'm his en-
terprise-a half witted chap named Steven
Thornby, and it appeared that both had
money 10 carry out any ordinary affair. To
ascertain their future movements passed
of as Confederate sympathiZer. but while
Thomby was promptly convinced l could
see that Bailey had made up his
mind not to trust me Off-hand. He ques-
toned me very sharply, evading most of
my own queries and gave me to
understand that it would take time to win
his confidence. To the eonspiratOrs 1 was
PROF. A. j. Jones of Cincinnati" and IN
der this name l registered at the hotel
named. Bailey and ThOrnby were stop
ping at different boarding houses, but met
each other daily in the readin groom of one
OF the hotels. A week passed without my
being able to secure any information of
interest. The men seemed to have dropped
all plans. and it was plain enough that
was suspected. In this emergency l was
determined to convince them of my earn
estneSs. and boldly proposed an incen-
diary fire at the navy yard. ThOrnby
fell in with the idea at once, but Bailey
was more cautious. He went over
the details of the plan with Inc,
acknowledging that the idea was not new
20 him, and agreeing to give me his decision
the next day. Within an hour of the time
l left him he called at the bureau and de-
nOunced me and my plan, and he himself
pointed me out to detectives. i was taken
to the old Capitol prison as blind, and
when released i at once adopted a new dis
guiSe. l was now an OfficeSeekeT, gray
haired, well dressed and looking no more
like Professor jones than i did like Bailey.
While kept an eye on him night and day,
did not seek his acquaintance. The fact
of his having me arrested was proof that
his confidence could not be obtained on
short acquaintance, and also argued that
HE HAD SOME PLOT ALMOST RIPE.
A ,E 4 Il \
tracked them to their boarding places sew
eral days before. and now called at either
house TO learn that they had settled I'D and
departed. The first thing was to trace the
men, and as they both had trunks this was
an easy task. They left Washington for
Baltimore. 1 was day behind them.
traced the trunks TO hotel, but at once
discovered that they had returned to
Washington. The fellows had made this
Jump 10 throw dust in the ewes of
anybody who might have suspicious. 1
could not locate them anew after their
return to Washington. and this con-
WINGED me that they were in disguise
haunted the hotels and public buildings,
carefully scrutinlzing every face, but for
three or four days had no luck. One after
noon about o'clock, as l stood in the TO
tunda OF the capitol building. an express
wagon drove up. 1t contained Bailey and
his fellow-crank. a barrel marked see
ment," and half a dozen pieces of floor
thing. The stuff was unloaded and taken
into the basement. as if some repairing was
10 be done, and then the men drove away.
Both were
IN THE DISGUISE OF woRKNIEN,
and no one gave them any attention. As
soon as they had departed l entered the
room in which the materials had been left
Ii was sort OF stOreroom, being half full
of boxes. which seemed to be filled with
pamphlets. AS soon as laid my hands on
the barrel / knew that it did not contain
cement. After an extended search found
cOlOred man engaged in sweeping out one
of the rooms. and L told him of the men
driving up, described them the horse
and wagon and advised him to have the
barrel inspected at once. While he went
for an officer sought to follow the wagon.
Now then, the reader may be prepared to
learn that the barrel contained gunpowder.
Such was the fact. \ hole for a fuse had
been bored in one end and plugged up.
The plan was to get the barrel there all
right, and during that night or the next
day slow fuse would probably have been
inserted. When the barrel was inspected
and its contents ascertained there was
a great sensation, and every attempt
was made to cOnfine the knowledge
to a limited number. Bailey and
his man were soon arrested, but what
became of them L could never ascer-
tain. A public trial would have given them
fiat away and produced a great sensation,
and to avoid this they were probably slowed
away in some fort or prison until after the
war closed. 1t was no doubt their firm in
tention to explode the powder under the
capitol building. and if the plan had been
carried out the reader can judge of what
would have resulted.