Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-02-14
THE GIBSON PLOT
TO BLOW UP TIE SaURELDT DlSTlLLRRY At
CHICAGO
Turns Out 10 Be Worse Than at Firt Imagined.
The FLUID ID the Internal Machine Tested
to the Entire Satisfaction Of the Prose-
catiOn-StOry Of the Test

Chicago, February l3.-It appear
that the face value of the whisky trus
certificates which Gibson had in hi!
Satchel was $50. 900, the market valge Ol
which is about sl5, 1000, which tallie'
with the amount that Dewar says Glib
son promised him. This morning AT
torney William Barry, of counsel fol
Gibson, appeared before Judge Blod-
gett with District Attorney GilchriSt,
and asked permission TO examine the
package said to have been delivered by
Gibson to Dewar, and supposed to con
tain the explosives with which Shu-
fcldt'S distllery was To have been blown
up. Judge Blodgett gave the required
authority and MeSsrS. Barry and Gil
christ with Inspector Summerville.
Special Agent Brooks, Marshal Hitch
cock and Capt. Stuart at once began tC
make an examination. The package is
about one foot long by six inches wide
and six inches thick and was carefully
sealed.
When the package was opened 4 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 on the table a single drop was
poured The instant it came in con
tact with the paper there was flash, Il
stream of fire shot out, and the room
was filled with suffocating, SulphurouS
fumes. So quickly did the paper burn
that a bucket Of water had TO be- thrown
on it to prevent the fire from communi-
eating with other materials. In at
tempting 10 cork the stuff up again the
cork was ignited. A towel thrown
over the bottle 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 iluid
safely in hand, Il rush was made for the
door. The room was filled with blue
smoke.
L. 5. District Attorney GilchriSt was
greatly excited. aud in answer TO the
question exclaimed: "What is II? Grea,
Scott, Can't you smell it? Look at my
hands. What do you suppose Il whole
pint Of that stuff would do when sin
gle drop Of it nearly set the whole build
ing on fire." The strong fume emitted by
the fluid proved its principal ingredient
TO be PHOSPHORUS. Some OF IL had got
ten on the hands OF Captain Stuart and
Mr.. GilchriSt, and it continued for i
long time to send forth blue smoke.
"Our purpose in making the expert
ment," said Mr.. Gilchrist, 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.. Gilchrist
said of the result OF the experiment:
1T faStens the chain OF evidence secure
ly around Gibson. and makes il possible
to indict him for attempted arson"
Inspector Stuart said tonight that
during trip to Peoria last week, he
discovered where the Gibson fluid was
and obtained evidence as
to what it was: that loaded the gun
barrel The work was done In Peoria
by one aud the same man-Gibson him
self.
Capt. Stuart obtained some of Glib
sons handwriting at Peoria, and had it
compared with the letters by an expert
who unheSitatingly declared that the
penmanship was &ibson'S.
PEORIA. ILL. February l3.-Al-
though the whisky trust people still
maintain that George Gibson is entirely
innocent of conspiracy TO destroy the
Shufeldt distillery, the general public
has come to the conclusion that he is
guilty. There is great excitement at
the trust headquarters, and agents are
going on trains to cities where trust
members reside. Vice President Adolph
Woolner left here this afternoon for
Chicago, to meet President Green
hut. who is coming home from Wash
ington. A meeting of Trust directors
has been called for next Monday and
action is expected. Gibson
maintains logged silence, but says he
is innocent. He says the bottle in his
grip contained an anti-septic fluid pa
tented by chemist OF the Trust, and
he was on his way to sell the secret Of
the compound TO stock company.
[ nited States detectives arrived here
this morning aud sensational arrests
are pNuectcd