The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-02-18
DIABOLISM IN CHICAGO.
PLOT TO BLOW UP A BREWERY AND
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY MEN.

ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY MEN.
Tie Secretary of the Whiskey Trust the
Concocter of the Terrible Scheme-How
a Government Detective Caught the In
human Wretch.
CHICAGO, Feb. 11.-George J. Gibson,
secretary of the NhiskeY Trust, was
arrested this morning. He is charged
with an attempt to bribe an official Of
the Government. It is asserted that
when the facts in the case are devel-
opsd they will be of sensational char
acter.
When arrested Gibson had in his pos
sion a gripsack, which, it is said, was
found to contain all the evidences Of
the plot. The name of the revenue Of
ficer to whom the bribe was offered is
DeWar 1t is rumored that Gibson
made a confession. Gibson was taken
before United States Commissioner
Havne, and. waving examination, was
held in $4,000 bonds.
Among other rumors it was stated
that the plot was to blow up Shufeldt's
distillery.
Gibson was arrested upon the COM
plant of Solicitor Hart, of the internal
revenue bureau, who arrived here this
morning. Solicitor Hart tells the story
of the plot as follows:
"Some months ago the treasury de-
partment was assured that things were
not just straight, from the fact that the
trust people tried their best to have
certain man appointed inspector Of the
depart ment for this district. We set
watch Soon after this Dewar was
communicated with, and this man,
Gibson, opened up a correspondence
with him; We have the correspondence.
Gibson felt his man cautiously, telling
hrm at first that Shufeldt's concern
was in the way and that they were try
ing to get it out OF the way. He got a
little bolder soon, and finally, led on by
Dewar, who was all the time in consul
tation with the department. he made
straight proposition. He offered DeWar
$4,000, and then increased the offer to
$4,000, to blow up the concern. Glib
son stated that he had dynamite ma
chine that could be located just outside
of one of the large tanks, so that a few
moments after it was placed it would
explode. There would be plenty Of
time, Gibson told DeWar, for him to
get away, and that he was the only
man who could place it, because of the
fact that as a Government officer he
had access to all parts of the building.
The result of the success Of the con-.
spiracy," continued Hart, would have
been that the machine would have e1-
ploded between two OF the immense
tanks, making terrible destruction and
leaving sea of alcohol on fire.
Gibson lied when he told Dewar
that the machine would not go off un-
til he had time to get out, for it would
have exploded at once, killing the man
who placed it at the very instant, be-
fore he could possibly get away, thus
destroying the only evidence against
the trust people, and at the same time
saving to them the S25, 900 that Dewar
was to have received. In addition to
the destruction of DeUaess> az aaa6-ts!se.sse
buildings the success of the plot meant
unquestionably the death Of one hum
dred and fifty men working IN the
place.
LAS say, Dewar under our instruc-
tionS went to the length of the conspir-
acy to the point of doing the diabolical
deed, and when Gibson was arrested he
was waiting uneasily, expecting to
hear the explosion and destruction OF
all those lives and all that property.
eve have in our possession all the
evidence to substantiate Dewar's story,
the dynamite machine, the letters, the
contract between DeWar and Gibson,
in fact everything. The case is practl-
cally over, so far as our department is
concerned. The case is made"
Have you any evidence to show that
others besides Gibson were implicated
in the conspiracy" Hart was asked.
"Gibson is secretary of the Trust,
and while we might say Gibson was
not alone in this, and that somebody
higher up in the Trust was the respon-
sible party, we have not a bit OF EVIL
dence tending to implicate anyone
else."
Everything we have points to Glib
son, and to no other person. The ma
chaine, the materials to make it etec-
tive and the inculpating documents
were in satchel which Gibson carried.
at the time of his arrest some un-
known person who had knowledge OF
the conspiracy warned the owners OF
the distillery on Monday of the danger
which beset them, and fixing the date
for the explosion for yesterday OF TO-
day, and they were carefully guarding
the premises day and night"
Two previous attempts, which were
attributed to the Whiskey Trust, but
not proved, were made to destroy Shu-
feldt's place with dynamite. One OF
them occurred two years ago last tall.
Detective Coughlin, of the city police
force, was detailed in the case. and it
was while at work on it that he made
the ACQUAINTANCE OF a little German,
John ?. kunZe. Both Of them were
afterWard tried for completely ID the
assassination Of DR.. Cronin.
Coughlin is serving life sentence
for the crime, but kunZe was acqult-
ted.
This afternoon Gibson was taken be-
fore United States Commissioner aerne
and released on bail Of $4,000. lie de,
clined to make any statement IN regard
to the matter.