The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-02-16
PLOT TO KILL
! CLERGYMEN
Chicago Police, in Search for
Banquet Poison Con-
spirators
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MURDER PLANS
Also Buildings, Study of the
Prisoners Letters
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Chicago, Feb. l6-Search was started
yesterday for the principals in what is
believed by the police to have been plot
TO destroy buildings and kill members OF
the clergy, bankers and others, in a doz-
en- cities in various sections of the United
States.
Discovery of the alleged plot, accord
ing to the police, resulted from eXamina-
ton of the personal effects of John Allie
GRIM, coniidant of Jean Crones, who is
charged by the authorities with putting
poison in soup at the banquet given
Archbishop George w. Mundelein at the
University club Thursday night and
causing the illness of 100 of the guests.
Chief of Police Healy, Chief of Detcc-
tives Hunt and Deputy Chief of Polica
Herman Scheuttler announced yesterday,
after studying TRANSACTIONS OF letters
written in Italian found in Allegrini's
rooms. that they regarded as established
the existence of an anti-clerical organ
ization, headed by a committee Of l5'
of which Crones and Allegrini are be-
lieved to have been members
The police are searching for Croncs,
who is a former assistant chef at the
University club. Allegrini is in jail
charged with conspiracy to commit muir
der.
The police We're guarded in making
public the contents Of Allegrini's CORE
spondence, but it was stated that plans
and specifications were found of several
large downtown buildings in Chicago,
which, it is said, had been marked for
destruction by the committee These in
cluded the Peoples Gas Light & Coke
company building, one of the largest OIL
flee buildings in Chicago, the Union
League club and the federal building.
The attempt to wreck st. patricG's |
Roman Catholic cathedral in New York |
a year ago also is believed by Captain |
Hunt to have been a part OF the alleged |
plot According to the detective who |
did the translating, certain leaders in a i
which is said to be interna
tional in scope, have headquarters in
Rome. He added that some of the let
ters contained detailed descriptions Of /
bombs used by the conspirators. Some
Of these, he said, were designed to wreck
buildings, Others to kiln policemen and
still Others to spread death among church
goers when they are walking away from
church discussing the sermon"
The names OF the committee of 81
are said to be in the hands OF the police
and it was predicted that the arrest OF
some of the committee members would
be made before night.
Chief OF Detectives Hunt communicat-
I'd with Nashville, Tenn. Salida Col,
st. Paul and st. Louis. in the hope uf
experimenting Crones in one of those
titles. Il
Police working on the cases pointed {
,ut yesterday that the illness of 80 /.
yuests who attended the Knights Of Co Il
umbus banquet on the night Of Oct
asst might have been due to the activi- |
les of the alleged consprators. At frat
t was believed that the illness OF the |
,anqueters was caused by ptomaine pois.
ming but discovery of the plot to pois- s
N guests at the Mundelein dinner has h
iven strength to the belief that the Ill
less of the other banqueters may have /
een due to d similar plot. il
In connection with the alleged plans {
T the conspirators to destroy public a
buildings and church property, police
ecords show that two score or more y
hicago churches have suffered fire losses q
'ithin the last few years At the Moody R
hurch, it was said no less than six fires,
i believed to have been of incendiary q
rigin, had been discovered and extin- -
uished with small loss during the last
ear. Other churches in which incen-
larry fires have been discovered include
race Episcopal church, which was de-
,royed Sept. 20 last. Oakland Methodist
lurch. Norwood Park Methodist church.
uburn Park Methodist church. st. Sc
istian's Roman Catholic church. Evan
alical Lutheran st. Nicholas church,
rinity Reformed Episcopal church and
lree Episcopal churches-St. Chrysos-
ms, All Saints and st. Adams.
One of the interesting developments in
re case Monday was the finding of
tier in Allegrini's pocket in which ref
ence was made to a fund collected for
lie widow OF Gaetano Bresci, who as
ssinated King Humbert of Italy. Sub ~
quent developments have led the police =
believe that Crones and Allegrin may
we had knowledge of the plot to as Is
ssinate the Italian monarch. :,
That an attempt to blow mp the state \,
at Joliet. ILL., was one % .;
e plans of the alleged plotters was in - :,
Gated by one of the Allegrin letters, %
Q police later said. p
Recently il became known that dvn9 OIL
lie in quantities sufficient TO wreck F.
any buildings had been found secrctcd n,
the penitentiary. II