Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-12-24
RrPoarED CONSPIRACY.


du Points Deny the Story of the Matches,
But Employees Emphatically Assert it
~ Correct--The Firm Also Accounts for
tho Flre--The People of the Vicinity
Believe tho Conspiracy Has Not Been
Killed.
II would seem that the arrest detention
and subsequent conviction of the four per-
sons accused OF burning the du Pont barns
and conspiring to destroy other property of
the well-known powder firm, has not de-
tered the efforts of other conspirators in
the least. 1t has been repeatedly stated
that the conviction of the Clarks and Will
liam J. Gibbons, the quartet Of persons i'm
mediately accused of the crimes perpe-
trated against the firm of E. /. du Pont de
Nemours ~ Company, would not put a
stop to the fendish work that has been
going on for years, and this belief has
proved only too true.
FIRE AMONG THE LEAVES.
1t has just been made known that on
Saturday last, while the trial of the con-
spirators was in progress, fire was dis
covered in the woodland of the du Points
at Charles Banks. The fire was started
among the dry leaves and ragged with such
fierceness that ata least three acres of the
could be subdued. The workrnen of the
du Points were called to fight the fire,
which they conquered with the greatest
difficulty The flames were making straight
toward the upper end of the Hagley ward
Charles l. du Pont is superintendent of
this portion Of the Hagley yard, and when
the fire was discovered he at once ordered
his men to go to the scene of the spread
ing conhagration.
BATTLING WITH THE FLAMES.
The men worked hard in their battle
with the flames which they extinguished
with difficulty. Mrs. Kanether, who lives
on the small farm where the Clarks used
to reside, was one of the first to discover
the fire and give the alarm. The fire oc-
CURED not q great distance from the
kamether barns of the du Points,
1t is not definitely known Just how the
wood got on fire but it is commonly re-
ported and generally believed in the
vicinity that the leaves were purposely set
ablaze for the purpose of carrying the fire
TO near buildings. Those who have stated
all along that tie arrest and conviction Of
the Clarks and William Gibbons would
not stop the fires on the du Pont property
evidently had good grounds upon which TO
base their belief.
WAS JOE cLARK's PLAN EXECUTED?
Those who remember the testimony of
Detective Thomas Lynch, on the trial of
William j. Gibbons for burning one of the
du Pont barns, will recolect that Che de-
iective detailed a conversation he had with
tibbons and Joseph Clark ut the Column
bus Inn, when Edward Clark said: .'Now
that the leaves are falling it would be
good time to light them, the leaves burn
ing would set fire to the houses, and the
mills would then he blown up and the
du Points Also" Those who remember this
statement made by Detective Lynch have
started the rumor that this plan. as sug-
gested by Joseph Clark, may have been
put into execution by still another one of
the conspirators.
Had only the knowledge of this fire oc-
made known, it is probable that the gen
eral belief would have been that the fire
was the result. of an accident, although no
one seems to have seen any ono in the
woods previous to the fire. But hardly had
the fire been made known on Saturday last
when there came the rumor that more
matches had been found secreted in por-
tons OF the packing room. A person who
gives this as fact that mrtchcs were really
found, is i'll position to know whereof he
speaks.
MATCHES IN THE PACKING ROOM.
He states that few days ago one of the
Of the Hagley yard was terror-stricken on
discovering some matches carefully
secreted in some boxes in the packing
room which are used in boxing the cans
of powder preparatory to shipping them
away. The fact that these matches were
found had been kept very quiet, he says,
only the members of the du Pont firm and
few others being apprised of the import
ant revelations in the packing room until
day or so ago.
is IT THE 'NEvERswEATs %
lUhav, al n
this infamous act was directed, the writer's
informant stated that il was thought the
work was the result of some one employed
in the packing room who may be a menu
Der of the society known as the Never
5weats.' Runners that matches have again
been found i'll the works, this time in the
packing room, have caused much commo-
ton about the neighborhood Of the mills
where the fear is entertained that the con-
spirators have not all been apprehended,
and will yet wreak vengeance ON the firm
WHAT FRANCIS G. Du POINT SAYS.
Francis G. du Pont was Intercepted by
telephone at noon to-day concerning the
fire which occurred in the wood on Satur-
day last, and, while he reluctantly ad-
mitted that the fire had taken place as
mentioned above, he denied the statement
that any one had fired the leaves pur-
posely. He stated that he had positive
knowledge that the woods were set on fire |
by person who was smoking a pipe, and |
who dropped lighted match among the
leaves.
Whatsabout the statement that matches |
have been found in n box in the packing |
room of the Hagley yard?" asked the re-
porter.
That statement is entirely without
replied Mr.. du Pont. ~ have |
no knowledge that any matches were
found in the packing room. If they had |
been found would certainly have known |
Of it, Where did you get your informa-
ton concerning the statement that matches |
had been found in the packing room?"
On the reporter stating that he must re-
spectiyely decline to answer that question, |
the source Of his Information, Mr.. |
du Pont again stated that no matches were |
found. 1t is stated, however, that it is |
quite possible that Mr.. du Point may not |
have known of the finding of the matches, |
and OH the other hand the story is that the |
mentioned in the foregoing are |
not altogether groundless but well |
founded.