The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-02-12
The Whisksy Trust Would Make Use
Of Dynamite
Arrest Of the Secretary on a Terri.
Bile Charge.
Attempting To Bride an Official To
Blow Up a Rival.

CHICAGO, February i1.-If the story told
by the agents Of the National Treasury De-
partment, now in this city, Is true, one Of
the most diabollcal dynamite plots. inyolv-
ing great loss Of life and property, has
been discovered, and It's consummation pre-
vented Just on the eve OF putting 1t into ef-
feet.
The Western DistIllers' and Cattle Feed.
ers' Association. better known as the whis
key trust. Is a corporation with capital
stock Of S35. 100000 II controls the price Of
high wines throughout the country, as II
controls all of the dlstlllerles, with two or
three exceptions. The most important dis
tillery outside Of the combination Is that Of
II. FL. Shufeldt Of this city, and against this
concern was the plot arranged.
The exposure Of the conspiracy occurred
this morning George j. Gibson of Peoria,
Ill who arrived here at 8 o'clock. on COM
plant Of Solicitor General Hart Of the
Treasury Department, was arrested as he
alighted~ from a carriage at the door OF the
Grand Pacific Hotel. and hurried across the
street into the government building where
he was locked up. The arrest was made as
quietly as possible, and the fact was not
made public until some hours after ward.
The charge laid at Glbson's door Is that he
offered Government Gauger t. s. Dewar. on
duty at Shufeldt's distillery. bribe to blow
up the distlllery with dynamite.
Solicitor General Hart tells the story Of the
plot as follows: Some months age the Wash
ington department was assured that things
were not just straight, from the fact that the
trust people tried their level best to have a
certain man appointed inspector Of tho de-
Dartment for this district We set a watch.
Soon T. s. Dswar communicated with Glib
son and opened up a correspondence with
hin. We have that correspondence Gibson
felt his man cautiously, telling him at the
first that Schufeldts concern was IN the way,
and that they were trying to get 1t out Of the
way. He got little bolder soon aud finally,
led on by Dewar, who was all the time In
consultation with the government offered
Dewar $4,000, aud afterward increased
the offer Co SIS, 900 TO blow up the concern.
Gibson stated that he had a dynamite ma
chine that could be located just outside a
large IL" tank so that few minutes after it
was placed II would explode. There would
% plenty OF time, Gibson told Dewar, for
him TO get away and he was the only man
who could place 1t because Of the fact that
~
parts OF the building The result OF the sue
cess Of the conspiracy would have been that
the machine would b1 exploded between two
immense tanks, making terrible destruction
| aud leaving sea OF alcohol on fire.
The machine would be exploded at once,
killing the man who placed IL instantly
before be could possibly get away, thus de-
,tr0yipg the only evidence against the tsusr
people. and at the same time saving TO them
the S25, 600 Dewar was to have received. In
addition To the destruction OF D5war and the
buildings the success of the plot meant the
death OF the 15O men working In the place.
Dewar, under our instructions, went the
entire length If the conspiracy TO ths point
Of doing the diabolical deed. When Gibson
was arrested, he was waiting uneasily, ex-
Oecting to hear OF the explosion and the de-
siructton Of al those lives and all that prop
erty. We have all the evidence necessary to
substantiate Dewar's st0ry-the dynamite
tween Dewar and Gibson. Gibson Is secre-
tary Of the trust.
While we might reason that Gibson Is not
alone in this, but that somebody higher up
In the trust was the responsible party, we
have not a bit Of evidence tending TO impli-
cate anyone else. Everything we have
points to Gibson and no other
snOwledge Of the conspiracy, warned the
owners of the distillery Monday Of the dan
ger which beset them and fixing the date for
explosion for yesterday or today. They are
carefully guarding the the premises day aud
night. Two previous attempts attributed 70
the wiskey trust, but not proved, were made
to destroy Shuieldts with dynamite, one
This afternoon Gibson was taken before
United States Commissioner HOyne and was
released on $4,000 bail. He declined to
make any statement