The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-02-13
PLOT OF THE RUM TRUST.
AN INTERNAL MACHINE IN DE-
WARS POS SESSION.
A Flying Bullet Was to Pierce a Vat

A Flying Bullet Was to Pierce a Vat
of Spirits and Let It's Contents Fall
on an Intiammable liquid Beneath
Whisky Trust Bonds in Dewar's
Name
WASHINGTON, Feb. 12.-Commissioner of
Internal Revenue Mason is evidently much
worried ovec the alleged Chicago whisky
conspiracy and denied himself to callers to-
day on plea that he was not feeling we'll.
He left instructions with his private secre>
tary, however to tell all newspaper men
who might call that he had nothing
to say about the alleged conspiracy,
except that the Associated Press dispatch
from Chicago in the morning papers was
substantially true according TO the infor-
nation received by him. The private secre-
tary added that the case had been managed
entirely by the commissioner, and that
Solicitor Hart had gone to Chicago US his
legal representative.
DENIAL BY THE SECRETARY.
CHICAGO, Feb. 12-Charles j. Gibson,
secretary of the whisky trust, who was ar
rested here yesterday, left for Cleveland
last night In an interview before leaving
he said regarding the charges against HIM
This Is damnable plot co ruin me, but ii
will fail. / have been instructed by my
attorneys to say nothing, but will say this
am innocent of any crime.n
"But about the solution In the bottles
what is thatp'
"That is only a medicinal wash. When
it is tested the secret service officers will
find how ridiculous they have made them
| selves"
"What was the nature Of your relations
with DeWare"
81 decline to answer. Do you for a
moment suppose that would further any
such scheme of wholesale destruction of
life as is talked ofe i am man, and have
q mans heart. Such talk is nonsense"
Secretary Gibson's SON was interviewed
also. The son said that his father had done
found in his valise,S he continued, "con-
tanned nothing but SohIedam schnapps, and
there was no dynamite or nitro-glycerine in
it. Father is the central victim of a con-
spiracy that has for its draughtsman dis
charged employe of the syndicate, a man
who has recently been employed by the gov
ernment to spy and lie."
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 S25, 900 promised him
Dewar has carried with him that Internal
a tin box, about the size Of an oyster can,
open at one end. In this is a section of a
gun-barrel, in one end of which is fitted a
turned steel conical bullet, which pro-
trudes from the open end of the
can. Behind the bullet is heavy
charge of gun-powder. A smaller tnbe
runs into the open end OF the gun-barrel.
Dswar was to pour some Of the inhamma-
BILE liquid into the tube and then place the
box on the floor under large vat of highs
wines in the distillery. with the bullet
| directed upward. On exposure to the air
the chemical would ignite and soon cause
the powder to explode. The steel bullet
would be driven through the bottom of the
vat, the spirits would pour down on the
fame beneath, and in a moment all would
be in flames. 1t was about Jan. 10 when
Gibson delivered the explosive to Dewar,
and Gibson has been daily expecting news
of the carrying out Of the plot.
DEcoY LETTERS.
Since Feb. 10 Gibson has written several
letters and sent kilograms to Dewar. All
these are in the possession of the author
tiles.
OF these Solicitor Hart says: az fire.
quently admonished Dewar that he was not
using the dispatch he ought in the matter.
Last Monday the department dictated a de.
coy letter to Gibson, having Dewar write it.
Inc letter was TO the erect that he (DeWar)
had made several attempts to carry out the
plot and had failed on account of the
liquid. He said he thought it
had lost its virtue. He instructed
Gibson to come to Chicago Wednes-
dry and bring new bottle of the stuff. He
also told him to bring evidence that he in
tended to pay him for the job. Gibson
answered by telegraph that he would come
to Chicago Wednesday morning. Dewar
met him at the train and made an appoint
ment to meet Gibson at the Grand Pacific
hotel. Officers who were watching Dewar
followed Gibson to the hotel and arrested
him. The contents of his grip were shirt,
few collars, a bottle of liquid and 100
shares of whisky trust stock assigned TO
Dewar. 1t was part of the deal to pay
Dewar in part with stock, said Solicitor
Hart, and be evidently brought the bonds
to show Dewar and spur him on to do The
deed. l think the fluid is sulphuric acid
and phosphorus. know that as soon as 1t
Is exposed for moment to the cir it will
ignite. In a box which Gibson gave to
Dewar in January was a section of gun
barrel partly filled with oakum and cotton.
What the nature Of the explosive in the
barrel beneath the oakum Is l do not
know