Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-05-22
Donald MeserVe Connects
Caplan with Times Ex-
pIOsiOn at Los Angeles
SAYS CAPLAN PLANNED
MURDER OF MCKINLEY
Also That His Gang Planned
Murder Of Rockefeller
Other Crimes Told

Seattle, Wash, May 29.-Tn a state
ment issued h're by Donald Vose
Meserve, employed by the Burns Detec
tiYe Agency and in important witness
in the David Caplan and Matthew
Schmidt trials at Los Angeles in con
nectiOn with the Times explosion, new
and startling disclosures Of alleged an
archist plots were made today.
These included a plot to kill John D..
Rockefeller by dropping bomb from
an aeroplane on his house at Tarry-
town and another to blow up the Tombs
prison at New York. He also gave new
light on the Czolgoz assassination of
President Mckinley, and asserted that
it was the same anarchist group which
placed the bomb that caused $4,000
damage to the st. Patrieks cathedral in
New York in 1914, and another bomb
which wrecked the Bronx court house.
Meserve is the son of Gertrude Vosei
for many years a close friend of En-
ma Goldman, the noted anarchist lead
er. He is 26 years old, and for Il
years lived at The Home Colony, this
anarchist settlements near Tacoma. II
was this association that naturally woI
him the confidence of the anarchist
leaders throughout the country anc
made it possible for him to learn somt
Of their important secrets.
In 1913, he declares, he offered hi
services to the Burns detectives to fine
Caplan and Schmidt - and succeeded
Bomb Exploded TOO Soon.
The Rockefeller bomb exploded, hi
said, while the plotters were testing i
in their room in New Lork. The name
of the bomb makers, according to Mes
erve were named Carmon and Hanson
and Berg. All three were killed whel
the bomb went off and wrecked tn
house.
The bomb which was to have wreck
ed the Tombs was discovered before i
went off.
Meserve had met both Caplan an
Schmidt becoming an operative. II
met Caplan in San Francisco, he de
clared, the day before the Times wa
blown up, and Caplan told him he wa
going to Los Angeles. The next day
October l, 1910, the Los Angeles Time
was blown up.
"From that day until September
1913" said Meserve, "I tried to fin
Caplan on my own account. l final
decided I could do nothing withou
backing, and so offered my services t
Burns"
He soon located Caplan at Rollin
Bay, Wash. aud it was there that CAY
. Ian, he says, revealed to him the a
} legged anarchist plot to kill Presider
Mckinley. Together with Czolgoz, VIII
. fired the fatal shot, a woman and al
other man planned the assassination
Meserve declared.
,, CzolgOz Changed Plan.
! nCaplan told me Czolgoz did not d
the Job as they had planned, " sal
Meserve. "They had arranged it :
Czolgoz could escape. Caplan said
had a closed carriage and was vaitin
: for Czolgoz to take him out Of Buffal
! , He was still waiting, he said, when
heard people shouting the president WI
7 shot and the assailant captured. Ca
. Ian thought that at the last minut
Czolgoz changed the plan so it wou
look as if he alone were responsible.
/ David Caplan as well as Emma Col
!. man, and another man, were arrested
3 suspicion Immediately after the shoe
g ing of Mckinley, but were release
q for lack Of evidence.
Meserve says the plan TO drop
bomb from an aeroplane at the Rack
/, Teller home was decided upon becau
there was high wall around Il
Rockefeller estate.
4 In his guise as an anarchist, Meser'
himself was sent on reconnoiteril
expedition 10 the Rockefeller estate
week before the bomb was to have be-
+ fired,