The Glenwood post., 1906-03-31
F|END|SH PLANS
ATTRIBUTED TO INNER CIRCLE
OF MINERS.
CONFESSION OF ADAMS
Meant to Blow Up and Burn Trainlosd
of Non-Union Miners-Explosive
Known as "Hell Fire." Said to Be
Invented by Pettibone.

| of Non-Union Miners-ExpIosive
Known as "Hell Fire." Said to Be
Invented by Pettibone.
Boise, Idaho.-Following is state
ment made by James MCFARLAND, de-
tective manager, respecting that por-
ton of the confession of Adams cover
ing the alleged plan to kill lot of
non-union miners while they were
passing through Pocatello:
"On February 2Sth, while taking
down the statement of Stephen w.
Adams relative to the numerous out
RACES and murders committed at the
instance of the inner circle of the ex-
ecutive board of the Western Federaa
tion of Miners. and while talking about
certain high explosives, he informed
me that George A. Pettibone made an
explosive known as hell fire. or Pet
tibone DOPE that in his opinion was
the most dangerous explosive made,
on account of the fact that a fire
started by this explosive could not be
extinguished by water. In other words,
a building set on fire by this explosive
would be burned to the ground regard ,
less of the efforts to put it out.
This explosive was made of stick
phosphorus, bisulphate of carbon, al
cohol, benzine and spirits Of turpen-
tine. These ingredients being prop
erly mixed, were placed in bottles with
glass shoppers, the shoppers being
properly sealed.
In order to explode these bottles
e,ta Gra civ, ,rllN hn
bottle against a substance that would
cause the same to break, which would
cause frightful explosion and fire, a
fire that could not be extinguished by
water.
THE great strike in Cripple Creek
commenced in August, 1903, and dur.
ing the fall the mine owners were ship
ping in non-union miners from the
Occur dAleneS and other districts. 1t
was at this time that Meyer ap.
preached Adams in the presence OF
Pettibone, in the latter's store in Den.
yer, and informed him that he wanted
him to meet him again at the store
in the early part of the evening, when
he would go with him down to the
train.
He said he wanted him to go to Po
catello, Idaho, and carry with him
some Pettibone dope which he was to
throw into any train that was sup
posed to be loaded with scabs and sSk
the train on fire as it passed through
Pocatello.
He went on to state that according
to appointment, he met Meyer at Pet
tibcne's store, where Meyer provided
him with telescope gripsack. In this
gripsack was tin can, which he
thought contained two quart bottles
and three pint bottles of the Pettibone
dope. Meyer bought him ticket for
Pocatello and told him to get berth
in the sleeper, so that he would get <
good nights rest, and to watch every
train that came through Pocatello, and
| if he could find out the train that was
loaded with scabs he was to fill it full
of this Pettibone dope, or hell fire
Just throw the bottles through the win
dows and they would explode.
"On arriving at Pocatello Adams
made some inquiries relative to the
supposed scabs that were to pass
through, but SO far as he could learn,
If there were any scabs being trans
ported through the town they were
scattered throughout the trains. There
d fore, he concluded he would not take
any chances in burning up train of
innocent passengers, and did not use
this dope.
Having been informed through
Meyer, Haywood and Pettibone that
the mine owners of Cripple Creek were
shipping in scabs through from Ari-
zona by way of Ogden, he went there
and found that such was not the case.
Notwithstanding the fact that this
hell fire, or Pettibone dope, was Sc
curely sealed in bottles, he found that
it was smelling strongly, SO he took
the telescope containing these bottles
of explosive along the railroad track,
he thought, a little distance east of Po-
catello.
at was quite little distance from
the town, something near a min
where he planted the bottles in little
trench in front of an old building. The
building had no floor in it, and looked
as though it might have been an old
mill at one time. The bottles were
still in the tin can when he planted
them there and covered them with
little dirt. He tore the telescope up
and threw it back into this old build
ing.
while he remained some time in Pov
catello, he cannot give the location of
where the bottles of explosives were
buried, but said that he could walk to
the scene If in Pocatello, and he be-
lieves that the explosives are still
there.
"He went to Ogden and subse.
uuently came back to Denver and re-
ported to Meyer, Haywood and Petit.
bone that it was simply impossible for
him to execute the work he was de-
tailed to do without taking innocent
j peoples lives"