Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-02-13
THE WHTSKEY PLOT.
coMM'sslcNE MASON WROUGHT UP
WITH RESPECT TO IT.
Glbson Earnestly Ayers Innocence OF Any
crime--The Internal Machine That
Was 90 DO the Work.
lBr t.lopraph . be- pIspalch.l

callers to-day on tho plea that ne was not |
feeling well. he left instructions with his |
private secretary, however, to tell all news |
paper-men who might call that he had no.
thing 20 say about the alleged conspiracy, |
except that the Associated Press dispatch |
from Chicago in the morning papers was
substantially true according to the intOr-
nation received by him. The private sec
rotary added that the case had been man
aged entirely By the Commissioner, and
that Solicitor Hart had gone TO Chicago as
bis legal representative.
DETAILS or THE cHAEGE AGAINST GIBSON.
The details of the charge of attempted
bribery or the part of George }. Gibson,
secretary of the whiskey trust, whose
arrest was telegraphed yesterday, are quite
as sensational rs u was, promises, Iney
would be. The charge laid at Glbson's
door is that he offered Government-Gauger
T. s. Dewar, who is on duty at Shuteldts
distillery IN Chicago, n bride 70 blow up
the dstillery with dynamite.
Solicitor Hart, of the Treasury Depart
ment, tells the story Of theplot as follows;
"Some months ago the Washington de-
partment was assured that things were not
! lust straight, from the fact the trust peo-
| pie tried their best to have certain man
| appointed inspector Of the department ior
| this district We set a watch. soon atter
| this Dewar was communicated with, anu
| this man Gibson opened up corresponds
| ence with him. We have the correspond
ence -,
"Gibson felt his man cautiously, telling
\ him at first that Shufeldts concern was
| in the way, and that they we're trying 70
| get il out of the way. de got q niue
! bolder soon. aud finally, led on by Dewar,
I who was all the time in consultation with
the department, he made stralgh ~ piopoSi
ation. He offered Dewar Sl0,O0O', ana
! then increased the offer TO SZ5OOO, 10 dow
up the concern. Gibson stated that he had
| n Dynamite machine that could be located
! inst outyde of one of the large tanks 50
! that few moments after II was placed II
! would explode. There would be plenty OF
| time, Gibson told Dewar for him TO ger
away, and that he was the only man VINO
could place il, because Of the fact that as
| a government officer he had access to all
parts of the building.
pEwAR WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED.
1.-THE result of the success of the con-
| spiracy." continued Mr.. Hart would have
| been that the machine would have ex-
nloded between two Of the immense tanks,
| making a terrible destruction and leaving
| a sea Of alcohol on tre. Gibson hed when
! he told Dewar that the machine would not
i 90 off until he had time 10 get out Tor IL
/ would have exploded Of once, kllllng tne
man who placed it there before he could
possitly get away, thus destroying the
/ only evidence against the trust people
| and AT the same time saving TO them the
| SOS. 900 that Dewar was 10 have received
! In addition TO the destruction OF Dewar
aud the buildings, the success OF the plot
/ meant unquestlonaly the death Oh lou men
working in the place.
TIE NOMINATING EVIDENCE.
! "As say. Mr.. Dewar, under our instruc-
] ~. a. ofh Of
| to the point of doing the diabollcal deed
and when Gibson was arrested he was
| waiting uneasily, expecting TO hear OF the
! explosion and destruction of all those lives
/ and all that property. We nave IN our
! possession all the evidence TO substantlate
| Dewar's story; the dynamite machine, th9
! letters. the contract between DeWar ana
! Gibson. ia fact, everything. The case IS
practically over 80 far as our department
l Is concerned: the case rs made"
"Haye YOU any evidence 20 show that
! others besides Gibson were implicated IN
| the conspiracy ?" Mr. Hart vas asked.
| "Mr. Gibson is the secretary OK the
/ trust. and while we might reason that
| Gibson was not alone IN tins, ana that
| somebody higher up in the trust was the
! resnonsible party, we have not bit OF evil
| dence tending to impLcate any one else;
! Everything we have points TO Gibson and
| to no other person."
| The machine, the materials 70 make II
! effective. and the inculpating documents
/ were in a patchel which Gibson carried at
| tbe time of his arrest. Some Unknown per-
| son 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 IOr
| Yesterday OF to-day, and they were care
/ fully guarding the premises day ana night.
PREVIOUS DYNAMITE OPERATIONS.
Two previous attempts, which were at
| tributed to the whiskey trust but not
/ proven, were made TO destroy ohuIelut
| with dynamite. One of them occurred
two wears ago last fall. Detective Dan
! Coughlin, of the Chicago police force, was
! detailed In the case, and it was while at
| work ON il that he made the acquaintance
of John p. KunZe. Both of them were
afterwards tried for completely In the assas-
sination Of DR.. Cronin. Coughhn Is
! serving q life-sentenoe lot the crluie' uuV
| KunZe was acquitted.
The Treasury Department at Washing
ton was informed of the conspiracy some
time ago, and its officers were set 70 work
| TO thwart it and arrest the participants.
SDecial-Apen Brooks and Agent Summer
| Vile. of the Internal Revenue Bureau,
were sent to Chicago from New YORK some
DAYS ago, and Inspector Stuart although
| his department was not concerned IN the
| conspiracy. received special instructions
| from Washington to cooperate with the
eastern officials.
A PLOT TO RUIN ME-, SAYS GIBSON.
CHICAGO. February l2.-Charles J. Glib
son. secretary of the Whiskey Trust, VINO
! was arrested here yesterday, left for CleYe-
land last night. In an interview before
leaving here, he said regarding the charges
AGAINST him: This Is damnable plot to
ruin me. but it will fail. have beer IN
structed by my attorneys TO say notihlhg,
but will say this | am innocent OF any
but alb out thesolution in bottles; what
"That is only a medicinal wash. When
II Is tested the secret-service officers Will
find how ridiculous they have made them
What was the nature Of your relations
with Dewarl"
II decline TO answer. Do you for mo-
ment suppose that / would further any
such scheme of Wholesale destruction OF
life az is talked of? am man and have
mans heart. Such talk is nonsense"
WHAT GDsoN's SON SAYS.
Gibson's son was interviewed also. The
son said that his father had done no lnten,
fional wrong. Tho flask that was found
i'm his valise contained nothing but Schle-
dam sehnapps. and there was no dynamite
or nitro-glycerine IN II. tather IS the CEN
trail victim of a conspiracy that has Tor It's
dranehtsman q discharged employee OK the
eypdicate-a man who has recently been
employed by the Government also
THE INTERNAL MACHINE.
One of the Government officers who has
been working on the case said - would
not do what Dewar has been doing for the
last two weeks for the $50, 900 promised
him. Dewar has carried with him that IN
fernal machine since 1t was given him.. III
consists OF tin box about the size OF an
ovsdsr-ean, open at one. end. In tins Is 2
section Of o gun-barrel, III one end OF
which is fitted turned steel conieal bul,
lei. which protrudes from the open end OF
the can. Behind the bullet Is a heavy
charge Of guupOwder. A smaller tube runs
into the open end of the gun-barrel'
THE DIABoLIcAL PROGRAMME
Dewar was TO pour some Of the inham-
mable LIQUID into the tube and then place
fhe box on the floor under q large val, OF
hieh wines in the distillery with the bullet
directed upwards. On exposure To the ar
the chemical would ignite and soon cause
| -. a., c-r,1,.Ha Thu steel Ouiiof