New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-02-12
A GREAT PLOT FAILS.
,,1EGED ATTEMPT TO BLOW UP A CHICAGO
DISTILLERY.
-uy SECRETARY OF THE wHIsKEY TRUST HELD
IN $4,000 BAIL FOR THE CRlME-sCoREs OF
LIVES WOULD HAVE BEEN LOST
AND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS
fBY TELEGRAPH TO TIE TRIBUNE !

AM THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS
OF DAMAGE DONE.
tBY TELEGRAPH TO TIE TkIDuNE1
Chicago, Feb. ia plot, involving the de-
svuction of scores of lives and hundreds of thou.
sands of dollars of property, came 10 light here
mday. and George j Gibson, or Peoria srcre-
nrv of the Western Dstilers and Cattle Feed
srs Association, better known as the "WhslIey
Trust has been held in 500, 900 hail by United
States Commissioner IIayne on the charge of
being a participa It. The plot contemplated the
destruction OF the antitrust dstilery of II. II.
Shufedt X Co., Of this city, and flom the nature
Of the plans that have been disclosed. it appears
that the orignatOrS cared little that the lives
Of the $50 or more men constantly employed
about the structure would be sacrificed. Thomas
S Dewar, gau9er stationed at ShufedtS dis
tilery, gave the first intmation OF the matter
to the Treasury Department. He notified the
proper officials that Eo hal bccn approached by
Gibson and offered $3.50 TO deposit in one OF
the big spirit tanks near the centre of the build
ing an Internal machine which would explode ana
insure the destruction of the distillery. lie as
sured Dewar that it would give hlm ample time
10 make his escape, but the officials, who now
have the contrivance in custody, assert that IL
would have exploded in an instant, and Mr..
DeWdT WOulu nave Dttll Ill POHAtiOh Va '''N
dead men who tell no tales"
Several special agents were put TO work on
the case including Brooks and Sunimerville, OF
New-York, and Dewar kept up his negotiations
with Mr. Gibson. This morning, as MIR. Gibson
stepped from a carri1ge III front of the Grand
Pacific Hotel, he was arrested by Federal officers
lie was carrying a small satchtl at the time, ana
in it were found articles which proved conc.usvelJ
the Intention of the cOnspiratorS. Gibson was
taken before Commissioner llaync on charge OF
brbing a Government official, and waived eN-
animation. lie looked exceedingly worried
After brief consultation lie was held for the
Federal Grand jury in bonds of S?O.OOO which
were furnished this afternoon by Nelson MOTIFS.
the millionaire packer. Gibson has retained as his
attorney John :. RunneS. the general solicitor
of the Pullman Palace Car Company Il seems
little singular that the charge made against 6Ip-
son so far is only that OF bribery. Mr.. Hart,
Solicitor Of Internal Revenue, who is conducting
the case said this evening that other charges may
be made intimating that further developments
NAV be looked for. The case WAS worked up with
great secrecy.
Il am not at liberty to give the facts in the
case" said Inspector Stuart TO a reporter. put
there is nothing that your Imagination can con-
ceive of more diaboical and horrible than the in
tpntlOnS OF InP u NHo HIPP'" J''" -
time too. for the first blow was to have been
struck here in Chicago. Then ii would have been
repeated in other points" Solicitor Hart tells
the following story:
Some months ago the Washington Department
were assured that things were not just straight
from the feet that the trust people tried their
best to have certain man appointed inspector
of the Department for this district. We set
watch. Soon Iiewar was communicated with ana
this man Gibson OpeDe1 up correspondence with
him. We have the correspondence. Gibson felt
his man cautiously. telling him at first that Shu-
feldt's concern In the way and that they were
trying TO get it ont of the way. lie got little
boldcr soon and finally led on by Dcwar. who was
all the time in consultation with the Department,
re made a straight proposition He offered Dcwar
$4,000 ard then increased the offer TO S2j,C"O,
10 blow up the concern. Gibson stated that he
had dynamite machine that could be located jus;
outside OF one OF the large tanks that few
moments after il was placed it would explode.
There would he plenty of time, Gibson told De
war, for him to get away, and that lie was the
only man who could place it. because Of the fact
that as Government officer he had access 10 all
parts of the building.
The result Of the success Of the conspiracy,
continued Mr. Hart. would have been that the
machine would have exploded 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 wSul1 not go Oft
until he had time to get out. for il would have
exploded at once. killing the man who placed il,
that very instant, before he coulR possibly get
away, thus destroying the only evidence against
the trust people. and at the same time saving 10
them the So 900 that Dewar was to have re-
ceved. In addition TO the destruction Of Dewar
xl-.
unquestionaby the death of 15O men working in
the place.
"As say. Mr.. Dcwar, under ovr instructions.
went the length of the conspiracy to the point of
doing the diabolical deed, and when Gibson was
arrested he was waiting uneasily expecting 70
hear Of the explosion and the destruction Of all
those lives and all that property. We have IN
our possession all the evidence to substantiate
Dewar's story: the dynamite machine. the letters.
the contract between Dcwar and Gibson. in fact.
everything The case is practically over 50 far as
our Department is concerned: the case is made.
Have YOU any evidence to show that others
beside Gibson were implicated in the conspiracy ,?
Mr. Hart was asked.
MIR Gibson is the secretary of the trust, and
while we might reason that Gibson was not alone
in this and that somebody higher mp in the trust
was the responsible party, we have not blt 81
evidence tending to implcatc any one else Every
thing we have points to Gibson and to ho other
person"
The machine, the materials 10 make 1t effective
and the inculpatng documents were IN sa'chcl
which Gibson carried at the time Of his arrest.
Some unknown person. who had knowicdge oi
the conspiracy, warned the owners OF the dls'iE
lery OH Monday of tine danger which DcSe' lheui'
and fixing the date for the explosion lor yes,e'-
day or today. and they were carefully gu"'oin8
the premises day and night
Two previous attempts which were ''''iO"'I''
70 the Whiskey Trust, but not proved "rlc 'n''c
TO destroy Shuicldt's with dynamite O"c o'
them occurred two years ago last 1oll' De'o0'i''