At Home With the Capitol Gunman

By Chris Taylor Tuesday, Aug. 04, 1998
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Haven't we seen this somewhere before? Federal agents search the Montana cabin of a loner charged with killing government officials and turn up, among other items, a bottle of gunpowder, books with titles like "Don't Bug Me" and a mysterious envelope marked "CIA packet." This was not the Unabomber's shack, but the Rimini, Mont., home of accused Capitol killer Russell Weston. Details of a recent FBI raid there were unsealed by a federal court late Monday, but the details were sketchy enough to allow for a certain amount of suspense.

For example, what is contained in the mysterious "diagram" the feds say they found in Weston's notebook? No elaboration was provided. And what was in the envelope titled "public info Freeman -- CNN"? Does it mean Weston was a Montana Freeman sympathizer, or that he corresponded regularly with CNN? Weston, still hospitalized with gunshot wounds, is in no position to tell us any time soon. Let the conspiracy theories begin.