The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1891-02-14
Geo. J. Gibson, Secretary Of the Great
Whisky Trust, Arrested in !.
Chicago.
He 10 Charged With Plotting to Blow
Up shuffeldt's Distillery
With Dynamite.
Government officials Say They Have
All the Evidence Necessary to
Prove the Charge.
Gibson Made an Offer to the Govern
mont Gauger at shufeldt's to
do the Job.
A Dynamite Machine Was to be
Placed Between Two Immense
Alcohol Tanks.


Alcohol Tanks.
Diabolical Dynamite Plot.
CHICAGO. Feb. 1l.-If the story told by
agents of the national treasury department
now In this city is true, one OF the most
diabolical OF dynamite plots. involving
great loss of life and property, has been
discovered, and It's contamination pre-
vented on the eve of putting it into effect.
The Western Distillers and Cattle Feeders
association, better known as the whiskey
trust. is q corporation with a capital
stock of $S5, 600 900, and controls the price
of high wines throughout the country. as
it controls all of the distilleries, with two
or three exceptions. The most important
distillery outside of the combination is
that of II. II. Shuffeldt in this city, and it
was against this concern that the plot was
arranged. The exposure Of the conspiracy
occurred this morning. George j. Gibson.
of Peoria. Illinois. arrived here at six
O'Clock. and. on the complaint of Solicit
tOr-General Hart of the treasury depart
ment, who came here from Washington
for that purpose, was arrested as he
Grand Pacific hotel, and hurried across the
street into the government building, where
he was locked up. The arrest was made
not made public till some hours afterwards.
The charge laid at GibsOn's door is that IN
offered Government Gauger Dewar, who
Is on duty at ShuffeIdt's distillery, a bribe
to blow up the distilIery with dynamite.
Solicitor Hart tells
THE STORY OF TIE PLOT
as follows: "SOme months < the
Washington department we're assured that
things we're not just straight, from the
fact that the trust had tried their best to
have a certain man appointed inspector of
the department for this district. We set q
watch. Soon ID. S. Dewar was c0mmuni-
Gated with and this man Gibson opened
up a correspondence with him. We have
the correspondence. Gibson felt his man
continuously, telling him at first that
Shuffeldts concern was in the way aud
that they were trying to get it out of the
way. He got q little holder soon, and
finally, led Oh by Dewar, who was all the
time in consultation with the department,
he made a straight proposition. He Of
fered Dewar $4,000, and then increased
the offer to $4,000, to blow up the concern.
Gibson stated he had q dynamite machine
That could be located just outside Of one OF
the large tanks so that, in q few moments
There would Be plenty Of time, Gibson
told DeWar. for him to get away, and that
he was the only man who could place 1t
because OF the fact that, as 9 government
officer, he had access to all parts of the
building. The result of the success of the
been that the machine would have ex-
ploded between Two of the immense tanks,
making terrible destruction n leaving q,
sea of alcohol on fire. Gibson lied when
he told Dewar that the machine wouldn't
go off until he had time to get out, for 1t
F Fi}iiss h sSs % exploded who at pi ssssi
get away, thus destroying the only evfI-
dence against the trust people, and at the
same time saving to them the $4,000 that
Dewar was to have received. In addition
Ing the success Of the plot meant unques-
ti0nably the death OF the 150 men working
in the place. AS l say, Dewar, under u
instructions, went the length of the con-
splracy to the point of doing the diabolical
deed, and when Gibson was arrested he
was W0ltlllk uuO0Slly, 0Ap0CtlIlS W u08I VI
the explosion and destruction Of all those
| our possession ali evidence to s~ubstantiate
tne lIewar Story; Inc dynsmlte macn n9s
son1in fact. evervthino IN the case Il nrac-
tically over so far as our department Is
concerned" saave you any evidence to
show that others beside Gibson were i'm
ppa aa .. AZ snu i so sasratsry ~ tha ,r,,st
onTS whiIa 80 Mi9ht ra.snE that
| Gihson was mot sinne In
| The and th.t sn,ahodv h;oher IN in tho
not .%0 - Iii ~ sv;;Sepca tandipo r. imn,icste
any one else. Everything we have points
wschinel m ate "a az To T maze, x Elective and
the i~nculpating documents were in .
satchel which Gibson carried Ut the time
S pr ny aIrg So oo o9 -. an anns poiSon maS
the n Of the distillery on Monday
Of the danger which beset them, and fixing