The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-28
DYNAMITVR ROSSEAU GUILTY.
SAYS NE SENT UMBRIA HARM
LESS BOMB TO SCARE ENGLAND.
And HAD FiFst Cooked All the Nitro
glyeerins Out Of the DynRmite-Re-
sordsF Tells the Jury Not g Convict
Unless ROssoau Knew Il was Dynamite.


Uhiess RoSSsau Knew Il was Dynamite.
0essler Rosseau, the dynamiteT. who
says he Il really 0ssnsr Russell Of Chicago
was convicted last night Of sending a box
containing dynamite and a machine 10
set Il on to the Cunard steamship pier
just before the Umbria sailed on May H.,
1908. His sentence may be from one 10 five
years.
For moro than thres hours yesterday
ROsseau tried 10 convince the jury that
he only wanted 10 illustrate 10 the British
Government the dangerous possibilities
Of such a machine 10 nation that was
bulldozing small republics He declared
that he had rendered the dynamite harm
less before he sent Il. and that he never
had any intention Of harming or killing
any one. Neither did he want the Internal
machine TO get aboard the Umbria and cause
a panic II il was discovered at sea. Re
oorder Cons charge was considered rather
favorable to the prisoner. but the jury
took only about an hour TO ind him guilty
Recorder COT questioned Rosseau for
almost an hour, bringing out his story Of
what happened from the time he bought
the dynamite until he sent II to the pier
The Recorders voice is mild. ROsseau
pitched his dice to meet it. No one in the
court room except the stenographer could
hear questions or testimony. The stem
ographer had 10 read 1t all to the jury after
ward.
Rosseau ls said to have told Detective
Sergeant Carey that he made two attempts
to blow up the statue Of Frederick the Great
In Washington. He declined to answer
questions about that yesterday on the
ground that he might be incriminatsd
As a matter Of fact two detectives from
Washington were sitting in thecourt room
waiting to take him tack 10 Washington
on a charge Of attempting to blow up the
statue II he had been acquitted.
Rosseau said he was born in this country
had travelled much, and for a time was a
minor in the Northwest, where he used
dynamite and became acquainted with its
properties,
4 made several of these machines,
he said. while the Cubans we're fighting
for liberty sent them some. Before the
Spanish war l sent these machines to the
Cubans and explained how easy 1t would
be to blow up Spanish warships.
More recently offered one to the Beers
when they were fighting En- gland. but they
declined 1t because they said It wouldn't
be fighting fair
To Recorder Goh Rosseau told this story:
when sent that box lns " it was harm
less. bought the dynamite in the ofices
Of the Gilman Company, in the Park Row
Building. asked them for o5 per cent
dynamite. Thsy ssid thsy only had 20
and 90 per cent. first became interested
l.. - IL 7
was making machinery for manufacturing
these things myself. devised the plans
and had the machinery made.
Are you a member Of any organization
OF secret societyf' the Recorder asked.
NO, sir.
Then what reason did you have for
sending this machine 10 the Umbris2'
Il thought It would be q good thing TO
show the possibility Of it-nothing more.
I also wanted to show England, a nation
that has been bulldozing small republics
what could be done with the machine
/ wanted to cause the eIctement, but !
knew the machine couldn't do any HARM
Did you tell anybody that you were
going 10 send this machine 20 the Umbria?'
-Yes, reporter in Washington. But
he didn't know when was going 10 send
it OF what was going to put in it,
ROsseau couldn't remember how much
he paid for the dynamite, but he knew he
ordered 100 pounds in sticks and thought
he paid about SIC. He got a receipt. he
said, and an order 10 get the dynamite
at an East River pier. He couldn't re-
member the name OF the pier, but he went
there in q buggy, which he had hired, and
got the dynamite. He drove up town with
the dynamite in the buggy, crossed the
Harlem River on some bridge and drove
to within about three miles Of Larchmont
There he found a vacant lot, he said, and
ne put the dynamite near a shAnty There
were no houses around, be said, end he
left the dynamite In the sun for two days
u opened the ends of the dynamite,
sticks he said. Il knew that the sun
would evaporate the nitroRlycerine and
leave nothing but harmless saw dust and
paper. went back in two days and got
the sticks. hired buggy and drove 70
Mrs. Currys boarding house in West
Thi rtv-frut street, where I was living.
knew that the nitroRyoerine could be driven
on by the heat made by coal oil, 80 went
out and bought lamp. ! filed Il with
coal oil and, after lighting II, put Il into
the box with the sticks. Then, TO make
positive that the stun was harmless, / took
a stick Of II TO a place about eighte en- miles
outside Of Jersey City. set on mercury
Illuminating cap on Il, but there was no
explosion or damage, except what the cap
Itself caused.
Il arranged the machine 90 that Il would
show lite mechanism. II wasn't connected.
and couldn't have done any damage.
lust wanted 10 show the works There was
no use In setting Il. There were no caps
there. even. wanted the sticks 10 have
tho color Of dynamite and look like dynamite.
but Il want dynamite-it looked Ike Il,
but didn't have the substance
WAS the box intended 10 60 on the boat?'
asked Recorder Con
NO, Il was not answered Rosseau.
THAT was why sent the letter 10 Com
missioner Greene, 80 that he would know
about Il. also cent a letter 10 the steam
ship company, 90 that they would have the
information. / sent the box on Thursday
and the boat didn't sal until Saturday
Rosseau took particular pains 20 show
Juror Mildenberg, an electrician, by a
photograph Of the machine that II was
harmless, az Il had not been connected.
W. l. Hamber, VINO handles the mail for the
Clnard people denied that they had ever
received letter about the machine. VII.
liam q. Kear, a lawyer chemist. testified
that sufficient heat would evaporate the
nitroRlyoerine In a dynamite stick. Super
intsndent Of Combustibles Murray was re-
called 10 eay that the machine Was con-