The evening times., 1897-05-27
Dynamiter KnOrr Tells of Lawyer
WinterSteen's Proposition.
THE BLOOMSBURY CONSPIRACY
Thrilling Recital of the Details Of
a Plot to Commit Murder That
Has Few Parallels in the History
of CriIne-One of the Most Sensa-
tiODal Trials on Record.


ever in all the realms of fiction is there
found a story OF crime so sensational IN
its details, 50 vivid in its portrayal of
she hatred of one man for another, as that
related upon the witness stand in the Co
Iumbia county courthouse by Clifton c.
Knorr, the self-confessed dynamiter
Face to face with Lloyd s. Wlntersteen,
the we'll known lawyer of this place with
whom he stands indicted for attempting
to flow up Levi f. Walters residence on
September 10, 1896. young Knorr told
| how ne plotted time after time with the de-
| fendanut 70 take Walters life, and how a
| series of remarkable events led hin TO
| place charge Of dynamite upon the porch
of the Iatter's house Ia fan.
There was a ripple OF excitement in TIE
courtroom as District Attorney Graham
after a consultation with his colleagues,
called Clifton C. KnoIr." A slimly- built
young man, attired in dark blue serge.
buttoned closely up to the neck, stepped
forward and took his seat upon the sta nd,
amid hush OF expectancy. He was the
observed Of all observers throughout the
| rest of the afternoon
| Byno means attractiveIo looking this young
| man, who has run the entire gamut of vice,
| Though but twent y-six years old, still has an
appearance of refinement. He has jet black
hair and eyes, little upturned black mus
taelIe an d IA rather large nose, rendered more
prominent by a retreating forehead
Knorr' storyof a series of diabOtical plots
| to murder Waller and his stepmOther w3s
elected by close questioning on the part Of
District Attorney Graham. His answers
were scarcely audible thirty feet from the
witness stand, though his manner was con-
fident and his air hardly that Of a man VITO
feels himself placed in very serious pO-
sitiun
Knorr said that he had known Winter
steea ever since the defendant had entered
his fathers law office. He knew when the
bill in equity was filed, and his first subse-
quent meeting with Wintersteen was two
months after the proceedings were begun,
when he went TO the latter office to sell
his share in the bank building
Next he met the defendant at Harrisburg
To sell his interest in the bloomsbury Iron
Company That was on April 10, 1894,
and the accused told MIN that, though tho
stock was not worth anything, he would
give 81 900 for it. At the same time Win
tsrstten gave the witness an agreement,
promising him 81 ,OOO if he would get his
mother 10 tran srer her stock in the company
to him.
The defendant first spoke of securing
Mildred Knorr's stock in January, 1895.
He said that good way to secure it
would be to bring partition proceedings
against a Harrisburg property, owned
Jointly by Clifton and his sister. Mildred.
,nd occupied by their grandmother
sooner than see her grandmother turn 81
out of her home, wintersteen said, Mildred
would consent to give her share Of the
stock in the iron company for Ciiftons
share in the house. Wintersteen was 10
pay the costs and employ counsel.
The transfer was aCCOmpiis he'd. KnOTT
simply signing the petition. and the Iced
was executed at the defendants office
Though the document was dated June 3,
Knorr said il was executed in January,
1895, after the proceedings were begun,
which was in August, 1894 This was
81 as to cheat knorr's creditors, and TO
prevent the entering OF judgments against
it TIE stock was transferred direct to
winterS.een. and the latter gave he wit
ness 81 900 rs his share Of the transaction
Some time afteIward the defendant said
that he would lie very glad to get hold OF
Mrs. Knorr's stock Ia July. 1895 Wit
ness met Wintersteen at Reading. We
had IL talk about our finances" he con
tinued, ''and | asked him if there was
any way in which could get some money
He said | could get hold nf S400 or $500
if my mother would conveniently die. on
August p. 1895. in Reading. we were
stopping at No 716 Cherry street, ami tie
defendant saw a knife lying in an open
bureau drawer. He picked it up and
flOurished it. and said he'd like to run 1t
through Waller; that he'd enjoy that. he
cause of the equity suit, and he wished
there was some way OF getting some one
to put Waller out Of the way. or to hrow
vitriol in his face.
u met Wintersteen in his office several
davs later, and he said that something
would have to be done to remove Wal
Ter: that this Law suit had been ON long
enough 1 went to see my mother, di
rected by Wintersteen to persuade her
to sell her stock She refused, and when
| told Wintersteen he was angry He
said it would give him great pleasure to
hit her on the head with an AK If the
suit kept on much longer, or cost much
more, he said he'd get somebody to kill
both of them, and that if my mother was
dead he would have me made administra-
tor, so could give him the stock.
II met him at Espy Ferry in October,
1895, and he said he could not persuade
my mother He wanted to know if 1
would not stop in the house some night
I'm hn
cd me to get a man in New York to do
the job for $500 He gave me S25 and
told me 10 go there, and went to Reading
instead -
Knorr then proceeded to tell about sub
scqueut meetings, at one of which he
said. the defendant wanted him to take
the knife from the bureau drawer of the
Reading house and kill Waller, telling him
at the same time that Waller had abused
the witness, and had calledhin disruptable
character.
At another meeting Wintersteen gave
Knorr SO with which to purchase a
weapon at Danville with which to shoot
Waller witness bought the weapon at
a Mil street hardware store, but never
usedit
He saw me that night, and said he
h5ped 1 would be successful" continued
Knorr. "Afterward he did not like me
to give up my quest for Waller, and told
me to go to Sunbury and to buy some
yitriol to throw in his face; but l said
was going home to stop with my mother
He said: Well, if you go there you may
get chance to give her dose Of some
thing to put her out Of the way
The subject OF using dynamite, accord