St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-02-14
GIBSON AND HIS BOTTLE.
Startling Developments in the
Alleged Whisky Plot.


CHICAGO, Feb 13.-It appears that
the face value of the whisky trust GER
tificates which Gibson had in his satchel
was s30,000 the market value of which
is about $4,000, which tallies with the
amount that Dewar says Gibson
promised him. AS an effect of the dis
closures, the price of Whisky Trust
certificates Yesterday dropped from a.
to 49,. This morning Attorney William
Barry, of counsel for Gibson. appeared
before Judge Blodgett with District At
torney Milchrist and asked permission
to examine the package said to have
been delivered by Gibson TO Dewar, and
supposed to contain the explosives with
which Shufeldt's distlllery was to
have been blown up. Judge
Blodgett gave the required authority.
ana MeSSrS. Barry and MilchriSt. with
Inspector Summerville, Special Agent
Brooks, Marshal Hitchcock and Capt.
Stuart, at once began making an eX-
animation. The package is about Que
foot long by six inches wide and six
inches thick. and was carefully sealed.
When the package was opened pint
bottle full of a light blush fluid was
discovered. The cork was securely
wired and sealed. 1t was drawn with
some difficulty. Upon piece of paper
lying OIL the table single drop was
poured. The instant it came in contact
with the paper there was a fash. a
stream of fire shot out and the room
was filled with suffocating sulpIlurOus
fumes. So quickly did the paper burn
that bucket of water had to be thrown
on it to prevent the fire from communal
ratinO with Othpr materials In
tempting to cork the stuff up again the
cork was Ignited. A towel was thrown
over the bottle and the towel caught fire
and burned up before the fire could be
put out
As soon as the crowd succeeded in ex-
tinguishing the fire and getting the
fluid safely in hand, rush was made
for the door. the room was so filled
with blue smoke. United States Dis
trict Attorney Milchrist was greatly ex-
cited. and in answer to the question eX-
claimed:
What is it? Great Scott! Can't you smell
it? Look at my hands, What do you sup
pose a whole pint of that stuff would do
when single drop of it nearly set the whole
building on firei''
The strong fume emitted by the fluid
proved its principal ingredient to be
phosphorus. Some of it had gotten on
the hands of Capt. Stuart and Mr.. Mil
christ, and it continued for long time
to send forth blue smoke.
Our purpose in making the experiment"
said Mr.. Milchrist, was to find out if the
fluid was the same that was in the bottle
which Gibson gave to Dewar, and such it
proved to be-
Mr.. MilchriSt said of the result of the
experiment:
1T fastens the chain Of evidence securely
around Gibson and makes it possible TO in
dict him for attempted arson"
The fact that anything was delivered
to Dewar besides the fluid has been de-
MED by some. Attorney Milchrist is
authority for the following:
''In the package delivered to Dewar by Glib
son was a section of a gun barrel charged
with powder. On top of the powder was a
steel projectile about two inches long This
was placed IN a tin can. around it was closely
packed oakum and cotton. Through the
oakum and cotton ran a fuse to the nipple
of the gun. The fluid was to be poured on
the fuse, which would ignite the oakum and
cotton
George J. Gibson, the secretary of
the whisky trust. is in Cleveland, o.,
awaiting results" was the information
received received at Marshal Hitch
cocks Office this morning. Immediately
aftcrward the officials began discussing
the probability of Gibson escaping to
Canada. a certain federal officer high
in authority said:
Mr.. Gibson win have to go farther than
Canada to escape us. Our extradition treaties
with our English neIghbors are the most lib
eral of any. IL Gibson wants to escape the
punishment that is sure to come he must go
Europe. No. we we will not attempt to dog
MIN. 1t will be an easy matter TO get him
back
Supt. Tubbs, OF the Western Union
Telegraph company, held short con-
ference with the district attorney this
morning. 1t is believed that Uncle
Sans officers are endeavoring to secure
Gibson'S kilograms from that company
to be used as evidence against the
whisky trust man,
Ordinarily these kilograms would cut but
little figure as testimony" said Capt Stuart
''but it must be remembered that every time
Gibson entered a telegraph office he was
watched, aud every telegram that he wrote
was 1ndited upon blanks which had been
previously marked with private Identification
characters by government men,"
All attempts to secure information as
to the work accomplished in confer
ence between Chief Justice Melville E.
Fuller, Judge Blodgett and United
States Attorney Milchrist, which was
held to-day, were met with Suave smiles.
The chief justice was too busy to talk,
Judge BlOdgett was engaged, and Mr..
Milchrist said everything would coma
out in due time.
Although whisky trust people still
maintain that Gerge Gibson is entirely
innocent of conspiracy to destroy the |
Shufeldt distillery, the general public