The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-02-18
A DYNAMITE CONSPIRACY
To Blow Up a Big Chi
cagO Distillery
And Kill Several Hundred
WOrkmen.
The Plot Traced TO the
Whisky Trusts Door.
And Secretary Gibson Arrested
And Secretary Gibson Arrested
for the Crime.
The Fiendish Scheme in All Its
Details.

CHICAGO, Feb. 11.-If the story told by
the agents OF the national treasury depart
ment now in this city is true, one of the
most diabolical of dynamite plots invov-
ing great loss of life and property has been
discovered, and its consummation pre-
vented just on the eve of putting it into
effect The Western distiilers and cattle
feeders association, better known as the
whisky trust, is a corporation with capi-
tai stock OF $4,000, 600, and controls the
price of high wines throughout the coun-
try, as it controls all the distilleries with
one or two exceptions. The most import
ant distillery outside Of the combination
is that of H. II. Shufeldt in this city, and
it was against this concern that the plot
was arranged.
The exposure of the conspiracy oc-
Cured this morning. George j. Gibson of
Peoria, H., arrived here at o'clock, and
on complaint of Solicitor General Hart
of the treasury department, who came
here from Washington for the purpose,
was arrested as he alighted from car
riage 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 az
quietly as possible, and the fact was not
made public till some bours after. The
charge laid at GibsOns door is that he
offered Government Gauger T. S. Dewar,
who is on duty at Shufeldts' distillery, a
bribe to blow up the distillery with dyna-
mite. Solicitor Hart tells the story of the
plot as follows:
Some months ago the Washington de-
partment were assured that things were
not Just straight, from the fact that the
trust people tried their best to have GER
tain man appointed inspector OF the de-
partment Tor this district. We set awatch.
Soon T. s. Dewar was communicated with
and this man Gibson opened up a cores
pondence with him. We have the corres-
pondence. Gibson felt his man eau
tiously, telling him at first that Shufeldt's
was in the way and that they were trying
TO get it out OF the way. He got q little
bolder soon and finally, led on by Dewar,
who was all the time in
consultation with the department he made
straight proposition. He offered
Dewar to $4,000 and increased the offer
10 SO, 900 to blow up the concern. Glib
son stated that he hal a dynamite ma
chine that could be located just outside of
one OF the large tanks so that few mo-
ments after it was placed it would ex-
plode. There would be plenty of time,
Gibson told Dewar, for him 10 get away
and that he was the only man who could
place it, because of the fact that as a gov
ernment officer he had access to all parts
OF the building.
The result of the success of the con-
spiracy," continued Mr.. Hart, "wOuld
have been that the machine
would have exploded between two
of the immense tanks, making
terrible destruction, and leaving a sea of
alcohol on fire. Gibson lied when he told
Dewsr that the machine would not go off
until be had time to get out, for it would
have exploded at once, killing the man
who placed it the very instant before he
could possibly get away, thus destroying
the only evidence against the trust peo-
pie, and at the same time saving to them
the $4,000 that Dewar was to have re-
celved. In addition to the destruction of
Dewar and the buildings, the success
of the plot meant unquestionably the
death OF 100 men working in the place.
'As l say, Mr.. Dewar, under our in
structions, went the length of the con-
spiracy to the point of doing the diabolical
deed, and when Gibson was arrested he
was waiting uneasily, expecting to hear
OF the explosion and the destruction of all
that property. We have in our possession
all the evidence to substantiate Dewar's
story, the dynamite machine, the letters,
the contract between Dewar and Gibson,
in fact, everything The case is practically
over so far as our department is con-
cerned; the case is made"
:" Have Won aDy evidence IN show III az
Others beside Gibson were implicated in
the conspiracy" Mr.. Hart was asked.
Mr.. Gibson is the secretary of the
trust, and while we might reason that
Gibson was not alone in this and that
somebody higher up in the trust was the
responsible party we have not bit of evil
dence tending to implicate any one else.
Everything we have points to Gibson and
to no other person"
The machine, the materials to make it
effective and the iDculpating documents
were in satchel which Gibson carried at
the time OF his arrest Some unknown
person who had knowledge of the con-
Fpiracy warned the owners of the distillery
on Monday OF the danger which beset
them, and fixing the date for the explosion
for yesterday or today. and they were care
fully guarding the premises day and night.
Two previous attempts which were at
tributed to the whisky trust but not
proved were made to destroy Shuieldt's
with dynamite. One of them occurred
two years ago last fall. Detective Dan
Coughiin of the city police force was de-
tailed on the case and it was while at
work on it that he made the acquaintance
of the little German John p. Kunze. Both
were afterward tried for completely in the
assassination Of Dr. Cronin. Coughlin is
earvIuU life aonfauCa for ha
but Kunze was acquitted.
This afternoon Gibson was taken before
q. s. Commissioner Hoyne and released
on bail of $4,000. He declined TO make
any statement in regard to the matter.
DYNAMITE IN THE CELLAR.
A Rnunor that IL 4 naf Find Er.