The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1891-03-05
A Modern Gny ,Fawkes.

the conspiracy or Gibson, the Secretary
Of the Whisky Trust, to blow up the
distillery Of the Shufeldts at Chicago.
BY reason of his position as Solicitor
General of the Revenue Department it
became Gov. Hart's duty to investigate
the charges brought against Gibson, and
it was result of his visit to Chicas o
that the plot was exposed and Gibson
arrested.
The distillery of H. H. Shufeldt was
the only one which refused to 60 into the
Whisky Trust and for some time there
had been a bitter fight between the two,
it evidently being the purpose Of the
members of the trust to ruin the Shufeldts
or compel them to join the combination.
Some time in December T. s. Dewar, a
government guager who was on duty at
the Shufeldt distillery, began to receive.
communications from Geo. ]. Gibson,
the Secretary of the Trust, and after
sounding him in various ways Gibson
finally revealed to Dewar his plan to-
destroy the Shufeldt distillery by means
of an internal machine which he him
self had constructed. As soon as Dewar,
understood the object Of Gibson's APP
proaches he notified the Revenue Depart
ment and Gov. Hart came on to Chicago
to test the truth of his suspicious.
Dewar kept up his correspondence with
Gibson who finally sent him the machine
and offered him $4,000 to place it in
position in the Shufeldt distillery. This
contrivance was shown to Solicitor Hart
and Judge Longenecker, District Attor-
ney for Chicago, and although the latter
had been the prosecutor of both the
Anarchists and the murderers of the
celebrated DR.. Cronin, he was utterly
appalled, when the enormity of Gibson's
scheme was revealed by Dewar. The
internal machine consisted of piece of
musket barrel about ten inches long set
upright in square box. 1t contained
heavy charge of powder and was loaded
with steel ball which had sharpened
point intended to give it penetrating
power. About this cotton was packed
and the whole was saturated with an in.
fammable liquid. Dewar was to place
this under the great tank in the distill.
cry 80 that the ball would be directed
upward against the bottom. A match
was to be applied to the cotton which
would discharge the powder and fre
the steel ball through the bottom of the
tank above. The stream of spirits
which would escape through the opening
this made would ignite from the burn.
ing cotton below and the result would
be an explosion which would demolish
the building and at the same time de.
stroy all evidences Of the manner in
which it had been accomplished. A
test OF the liquid made by Gov. Harl
and Judge Longenecker proved that the
machine would have been discharged
instantaneously and that Dewar, had be
attempted to use it, would have
been annihilated before he could escape
from the ruins. Dewar was himsel
startled when he saw that the scheme
was intended to involve his own de
struction. By the direction of tho law
yers he wrote letter to Gibson tellinl
him to bring fresh bottle of the liquid
as he feared it was losing its strength
Gibson telegraphed from Peoria h
would come Immediately and the mex
day he arrived in Chicago. He was az
rested at the instance of Solicitor Har
the moment he alighted from his car
. riage. An examination of his wallis
showed bottle of liquid of such an il
fammable nature that it immediatel,
took fire on being touched to piece O
paper. Gibson was released on bail, bu
the evidences of the existence of plo
are go strong as TO leave little doubt o
of his guilt. The tank to be exdlode'
contained $4,000 gallons of spirits ant
near it were other tanks containing il
all 5000 barrels. One minute after tn
discharge Of the steel ball through tn
. bottom of the tank the entire buildin
would have been a sea Of flames and 15
men constantly employed about tn
place would have perished. For strocit
this scheme has scarcely an equal i
modern history, and when the proml
nence and apparent respectability q
Gibson Is considered it does not tend I
elevate ones estimate Of human nature
He is worth q million Of dollars and COZ
!, sidered shrewd and cool.headed bus
ness man, but his action in this caa
!. illustrates the truth that the smartei
: men sometimes over-reach themselves
The trial Of Gibson win como of short
. at Chicago, and for sensational interei
! will probably attract the attention Of th
: entire country.
9 Human milk Is the best food for !,
q fants, not ON account of any specif