The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-01-16

Philadelphia, January 15.-"Gessler Ros- seau," who was arrested in this city on Thursday with an unloaded internal ma chine in his position. admitted to the police to-day that he is the man who attempted to destroy the statue of Fred erick the Great in Washington last Tues day, and also that it was he who sent the trunk containing an internal machine to the British steamship Umbria at New York in May, 1g03
 The prisoner, whose right name is not known, made these admissions in the office of Capt. Donaghy of the Philadel- phia detective bureau after he had been identified by persons brought here from New York and Washington for that pur- pose. He gives no reasons for the at tempted outrages, except that there are too many foreign affairs in this country After having Rosseau under fire all aft ernoon the police classed him as an American patriotic fanatic
 The prisoner gave no information vol untarily to the police, admitting only those things which the police had fastened on him. Both the Washington and New York authorities want the man and it is probable that he will be turned over to the police of the latter city.
 The apprehension of Rosseau was due to the disappearance of Owen Kelly, a wealthy Irish American, who is promt- nent in Irish-American societies in this country. Kelly disappeared on October %, and from time to time the newspa pers particularly of the east, have pub lished articles on the mysterious disap- rhacp a noliPa think it. tracted Rosseau's attention. On Thurs day he called on Patrick Kelly, the brother of the missing man. and offered to take him to his brother in New York for $500. He said he and Owen Kelly be- longed to secret societies that were or ganized for the purpose of blowing up British ships in American ports The valise he carried, he said, contained ex- plosives. Patrick Kelly notified the po- lice, and Rosseau was taken into custo- dy. The valise contained an internal machine of the clock Encouragement va riety. but not loaded with explosives. About the machine was wrapped a Wash ington newspaper This gave the police the clue that he might know something of the explosion at the statue of Fred erick the Great, and his picture was taken and sent to both the Washington and New York authorities. In the meantime. he was also suspected of knowing some thing of the steamship Umbria incident.
 Today Captain Robert Boardman of the Washington decteetive force, and Alfred Carter, colored, and George Hazel.. men of Washington, who saw the man who attempted to blow up the statue ard Detective Sergeant Arthur Cary, of New York, and a Mrs. Curry who keeps a boarding house in the latter city. arriv- ed here for the purpose of identifying the prisoner Having satisfied themselves beyond doubt Lat the Identification was complete, the police officials of the three cities set to work in obtaining a confession from the prisoner As stated before, he said nothing voluntarily to incriminate himself In reply to a question, he ad- mitted the attempted outrage on the statue. He said he had manufactured the internal machine himself and that it consisted of candle, fuse and dynamite engine" It was his intention he said, to blow up the statue at night. because he did not want to hurt anybody. Because O. the ice in the Potomac river he failed to find any one who would row him from Seventh street wharf, Washington to the arsenal, which is on the bank of the river, and he had to change his plans. The failure to destroy the staufe, he said must have been due to the melt ing tallow spelling the fuse, or interfering with the dynamite. Rosseau then gave the police the interesting information that he had intended making second attempt to blow up the statue. this time with a clock machine.
 Regarding the sending of an internal machine to the steamship Umbria, Ros- seau said that the police report of his movement after the Umbria incident up to the time they lost track of him was correct Where he had been between May. 1903, and last week he will not say. always replying: That is for you to find out
 He said the made part of the Umbria internal machine in Chicago, and then took it to New York. In New York he obtained a room at Mrs. Curry's place, and there finished the work of making the machine. He admitted writing the note to Police Commission Green which read: .'The Mafia greets you and wishes you we'll. The society has declared war against England and has ordered the destruction of every steamer flying the British flag that sails out of New York. The society has undertaken to clear New York harbor of British ships. and it will succeed
 It was this note of warning which led