Bombers Planned to Blow Up Mayor, City Commissioners' Homes, Apartment Building, National Showcase Factory, Dec. 28, 1922

Bomb Plot Stopped in Georgia. . . Mal-Contents Planned to Destroy National Show Case Factory and Officials’ Homes in Columbus, Ga.. . . Extraordinary Session of Grand Jury Called to Investigate Plot Said to Include Members of Police Department and Criminals

By Associated Press

Columbus, Ga., Dec. 28—The Muskogee grand jury was called in extraordinary session here today to investigate the alleged bomb plot unearthed here yesterday which caused the police to place guards around the homes of the city commissioners, an apartment house and a large factory.

It was reported that there was no visible move made on the part of the plotters last night. The officers continued their search today to obtain evidence and to round up suspects and they are ready to present to the grand jury full details of the plot they claimed had been formulated to bring about wholesale destruction of property in this city.

Marshal Morton, a city commissioner, in a statement made public last night, claimed that the alleged plotters had planned to make their first attack early this morning.

He based his statement on what had taken place at a meeting of the alleged plotters held Tuesday night in a local cemetery.

In his statement he intimated that the authorities have the names of every man who attended the meeting.

Another meeting had been planned for yesterday but activities by the police are believed to have called off this session.

The police say there are 12 men involved in the alleged plots, which includes members of the police department, malcontents and criminals.

At a meeting of citizens called yesterday afternoon, it was stated by the authorities that they had information to the effect that the plot was for the party to divide each group going in automobiles, carrying a quantity of T.N.T., and at the appointed moment to use the explosives on the property marked for destruction so that all explosions would have occurred at once.

The places to be destroyed, it is said, were the following:

Residence of J. Homer Dimon, city commissioner and mayor;

Residence of Miss Anne Griffin, commissioner;

Residence of Reuben Kyle, city commissioner;

Residence of Marshal Morton, city commissioner;

Residence of R.E. Kismukes, city commissioner;

Plant of the National Show Case Company, of which Mayor Dimon is president.

Dimon Court apartment owned in part by Mayor Dimon.

Resolutions were adopted at the citizens’ meeting to back the commissioners to the limit in any step they would take to enforce the law, preserve order, and protect life and property. Citizens offered their services to any extent of “ridding Columbus of this band of outlaws.”

From the front page of the Salisbury Evening Post, Thursday, Dec. 28, 1922