New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-03-28
FIND DYNAMITER GUILTY.
ROUSSEAU ON THE STAND.
Declares He Made Machine Sent
to the Umbria Harmless.

Gesner Rosseau. who sent an Internal Inachlne
containing dynamite to the Cunard Steamship PIE
on May g. 1903 with orders 10 have 1t shipped oN
the Umbria and who later sent warning ieeeer
IN Police Commissioner Greene that led 10 the dis
covery of the machine and its immersion In the
North River until il harmless was conVlcteu
before Recorder Con- in the Court OF 6eneral Ses-
.fons Yesterday He went on the witness stand in
his own defence and told rambling story OF travel
A., nearly every part the world. Then he said ne
had manufactured the Internal machine wfhch was
sent 10 the Umbria's pier to show now easy 1t
would be blow up ship
prior 10 the Spanish War" he said, Il furnished
several Of these dynamite mechanisnls to the Cuoans
and instructed them how to use them and how to
blow up the Spanish ships. More recently offered
some 10 the Boer representatives here out they
rejected them, saying that was not fair flshting'
Although Rosseau talked quietly. with low. mu-
,al ,o,ce and looked harmless his testimony pro-
d,ced several sensations the court. He said that
hatred Of the English was an incentive Tor senoihs
the internal machine TO the cunard pier ana theh
he declared that it was entirely harmless, although
he had spent months in its manufacture to make II
look dangerous. lie would not admit or deny that
he was the man who recently placed dynamite
tonb on the statue Frederick the Great In Wash
ington He denied that he had ever been in sana-
forum, although he said he had been in hospital
In New-Orleans with a nervous attack in lsSZ
F7osseau testified that he bought hundred
pounds OF dynamite in sticks from the Climax Com
pany after the mechanism of his machine was I'm
ished He said the dynamite was delivered to him
at an East River pier and he took ii in a buggy 10
Iarchmont where he left it exposed in the sun in
an open lot until the had extracted all the
nitrozlvcer:ne from the sticks. Then he took the
dynamite 10 Mrs. curry's house and placed ii in
the big box. He kept lighted lamp in the box
several days. he said, and then 70 make sure that
the dynamite had been rendered harmless, he took
stick 10 a place seventeen miles from Jersey
City and exploded a percussion cap on It. No
damage resulted. he said and he accordingly placed
the rest Of the dynamite in the machine. TO make
doubly sure. however he arranged the mechanism
so that there could be no connection with the caps
on the dynamite sticks Then he sent the box to
the steamship pier.
In addition TO sending the warning letter to Cen
eral Greene, he said. he sent similar letter to the
Cnnard officials His idea. he said. to show 10
the world the possibilities OF such a machine.
Rosseaus storT about sending a second letter
contradcted fatty by ". L. Hamber. secretary TO
the steamship company. Superintendent Murray Of
The Bureau of ComDustibes testified that the
mechanism of the Internal machine
II il had not been soaked in the salt water of the
river long enough to stop IL.
The jury returned verdict of guilty both
counts IN the Indictment, which charged violation
of the law forbdding the transportation of dyna-
mite and the sending OF the explosive to a place
where human beings We're endangered without la
helling IL dynamite
Eosseau bacl to the Tombs for SEN
tence on Friday. The maximum penalty is five
years.