Milford chronicle., 1905-01-20
DYNAMITER
CONFESSES
Admits He Tried to Blow Up Status
and Steamship Umbria
ARRESTED IN PHILADELPHIA

Philadelphia, Jan 16-"Gessler Ros-
seau," who was arrested in this city
on Thursday with an unloaded infer
nal machine in his possession. admit
ted to the police that he is the man
who attempted to destroy the statue of
/ Frederick the Great in Washington
last Tuesday, and also thA it was be
who sent the trunk containing an in
fernal machine to the British steam
ship Umbria at New York in May,
1903 The prisoner. whose right name
is not known. made these admissions
after he had been identified By per-
sons brought here from New York and
Washington for that purpose. He gives
no reasons for the attempted es;trages /
except that there are too many for
eign affairs in this country" After
having Rosseau under fire all after
noon. the police classed him as an
American patriotic fanatic" Both
the Washington and New York au-
thorities want the man, and it is prob
able 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, wealthy Irish-American. who
Is prominent in Irish-American socie-
les IN this country. Kelly disappear
I'd October 25. On Thursday Rosseau
'alled on Patrick Kelly, the brother
Il the missing man. and offered to take
Inn to his brother in New York for
5OO. He said he and Owen Kelly be-
lnged to secret societies that were :
for the purpose of blowing
p British ships in American ports.
he valise he carried, he said. con-
lined explosives. Patrick Kelly noti-
ed the police, and Rosseau was ta-
en- into custody. The valise con. I
lined an internal machine of the Y
ock-arrangement variety, but no ex-
osiYes.
In reply to questions, he admitted
e attempted outrage on the statue.
2 said he had manufactured the in
nal machine himself. and that it
INSISTED of candle, fuse and "dy-
mite engine" Where he made II
would not say. 1t was his inten-
a. ne said, to blow up the statue
night, because he did not want to
Z anybody. Because of the ice in
Potomac river, he failed to find
? one who would row him from Sew
b street wharf, Washington, to the
email, which is OH one bank of the
9r, and he had to change his plans.
Ie said that he made part of the
bria internal machine in Chicago,
then took it to New York in a
TX. The trunk, he said, was not
ng enough, so he purchased one
er suited for the machine. In New
k he obtained a room at Mrs. Cur.
place and there finished the work
making the machine. He admitted
ing the note to Police Commits
er Green, which read:
The Malta greets you and wishes
well. The society has declared n ]
against England, and has ordered NF1
destruction of every steamer n.y. hAi
the British flag that sails out of
York. The society has underta- Nf
to clear New York harbor of Brit. M
ships, and it will succeed" IH
was this note of warning which VIA
;5 +: ss5 s :s:s :s s: 5: & g: s::$5 81 3: "a: u
ing his attempts on the Umbria
the statue, the police officials
ID their attention to learning
thing of the antecedents of the
He said he was born in Amer WW
nd that he was a farmer. Where
merica he was born and where IVA
resent home is, he would not say.
Omitted his name was not Cess
Iosseau."