The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-02-12
WHISKY'S EVIL WORK
Liquor Trust Seeks to DESTROY
a Big Chicago Distillery
BY THE USE OF DYNAMITE
Chief Conspirator Negotiates with Cor.
eminent Official and is Trapped
Would Have Killed 100 Men.

QcDarfnput mn
IN TINS city are true, one of the most disbolicai
oil dynamite plots, involving great loss If life
ano property, has been discovered and its CON-
summation prevented just on the eve of putting
~ nto effect The Western Distillers' and Car.
.ie reeders Association, better known as the
WHISKY trust, is corporation with capital stock
OF s3o,000O0e, and controls the price nc bieh
wines throughout the country, as il controls an
on the distilierfes with two or three excentions
Inc most important distillery outside of the
comoinetion is that of H. II. shufedt. in this
clT', and II was against this concern that tba
plot was arranged -'S
She exposure of the conspiracy occurred this
,,o-,ng. George ]. Gibson, OF PEORIA Ill., ar
~;,-ad =. clock, and on complaint of Solicitor
General Hart ,,. tho treasury department, who
came here from washinton City for the pur-
rose, was arrested as he was algnting from
ca rriage at the door of the Grand fcinc hotel
ID hurried across the street into the spVern-
No. building, where he was locked up. The
ar. ,.assvas made quietly possible, and the
..ss not made public until some hours af-
The charge
~ 49,. - shu.,ent Gauger T. S. Dewar, who is
o a;sti,Ierv sldts dstilery, bride to blow
W Up, ~. .o-s 9TH dynamite Solicitor Hart
800 ,,,,,ca the plot. He says Gibson
.,,;,,er him AZ 6tions with Dewar some time
Sc y, az ,ray anerst that Shufedt's concern
"a -. - .ha NOV ! that they were trying to
o ~ 80 tha, incre, Finally he offered Dewar
sIoos, ~ oorcern ased the offer to s25, 900 to
e s ~ .aoh;,,a ,l,t Gibson told him he had
49,. 49, Iaroa tants Il could be exploded be-
49, ss - olo,hoI 4 releasing and setting on
~, -. - 49, -, cot there would be plenty of
man who could place way anu nc "os 'iie oniy
'le -. =, IN ,,arts of tbt eminent employe, he had
Aoa sss., - Ia - ssid building.
- .ots,,a xyouHart, when he told
- 800 ,,,,t Tor id not go off until he
t:,,i.,,, t,o r,a,, Il would have exploded
shIr- vot n,va, Who placed ii before he
7.a,x,s. :, thus DESTROYING the
t,na sewing n he trust people, and at
- ,ta deet,s them the $4,000 bribe
IT, s,,ooas fuction of Dewar and the
,tho daate of the plot meant an
sIsov n of $50 men working in
Laaara+Oewar, under our instruc.
- tbe III of the conspiracy, to the
s -ost diabolical deed and when
ar ed he was waiting, uneasy, ex
of the explosion and the de-
all those lives and all that property.
- our possession all the evidence to
cate Oew6r's story, the dynamite ma
the letters OF contract between Dewar
Gibson, in fact everything. The case is
ideally over, so far our department is
-neerned. The case is made"
"Haye you any evidence to show that others
besides Gibson were implicated in the conspir-
acyT Hart was asked.
"Gibson was secretary OF the trust, and while
and that somebody higher up in the trust was
the responsible party, we have not bit of evil
dence tending to implicate anyone else Every
thing we have points to Gibson and to no other
person
The machine the materials to make it effect
i've and the inculpating documents were in
satchel which Gibson carried at the time OF his
arrest Some unknown person who had kn0wl-
edge of the conspiracy warned the owners of the
distillery on Monday OF the danger which beset
and fxftt tto date r1f fae
terday or today, and they were carefully guard
ing Tile premises day aud night.
Two previous attempts, which were attributed
10 the whisky trust, but not prosed have been
made to destroy Shufeldts distillery with dyna-
mite. One of them occurred two years ago last
fall. Detective Dan Coughlin, of the city police
force, detailed on the case and it was while
on ii that he made the acquaintance OF the little
German, John 2. Kunze. Both of them were
afterwards tried for completely in the assassina-
ton of DIR. Cronin. Coughlin is serving a life
sentence for the crime, but Kunze was ac-
quilted.
This afternoon Gibson was taken before
United States Commission Hoyne aud released
on bail of $4,000 He declined to make any
statement in regard TO the matter
In interview tonight Gibson denies knowl-
edge of any internal machine, as he had no
dealings with Dewer, and intimates con-
spiracy against him (Gibsonl The government
officers exceedingly confident, however, and
say they have the case well in hand.
II was learned tonight that the Internal ma
chine was an ingenious device, gun barrel
was loaded with powder aud a steel bullet set
into can with an infiammable liquid under
il. Dewar was to put the machine under a vat
aud pour a chemical into the vent hole This
would ignite the liquid, the powder would ex-
piode, the bullet go through the bottom OF the
vat and the alcohol pour down on the flaming
car.
PEORIA, H., Feb. 1.-THE arrest of J. Gibson
in tnio U uSaH frfa 49,
At the trust headquarters nobody could be
found this afternoon. President Greenhut went
10 Washington City ten days ago, and is still
there although his relativeseAnl friends do not
know what hotel he is at His son said tonight
that If his father desired to say ANYTHING on the
subject ne would make his whereabouts known
otherwise not Whisky men here assert that.
Gibsons arrest is the result OF a conspiracy
antitrust distllcrs. He has been a resident "a
this city since 1879, when he came from Clev1
land ana entered the employ of the MonaJe
dlsuliery as bookseeper. When the trust was
formed in 1851 he elected secretary, ar has
since held that position. He made Money
rapidly and is now rated at $1,000.
Mayor Clark, formerly member Of 1ne asso-
citation, said tonight: "Gibson was aos such a
i srsts TO deal with gauger in sch terrible
small a were true
,ee,, ramor current here y atunited States de
ife epsss - Who ,so here week age gained en-
Salcleny: In the basement Ii is alleged they
i ,odna Dynamite machine and explosive chem
iSAs Sufncert 10 DESTROY all the 55istilieries in
tfe world. II is known that officers we're here
oal the story about searching the headquarters
.-o,S s uc Traced 70 any reliable source. Several
Gibson. WIN 80 70 tue aio oil
Ellensburg News.
hLLESsBuRG, Feb u-fspecial THE official
e.ufhs OK she special election for representative
u Hste iHst saturday were canvassed today by
ga. 60 posed OF County Attorney Metals,