The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1871-06-29
SUMMERFIELD'S SECRET.
GA Million of Dollars or I'll Set
the Pacific Ocean in Flames
Fate Of a Man who Burnt Up
a Mountain Lake in Fifteen
MinuteS-A Remarkable Story.

CllC Z dCluC OCSbu LII L lCtlllOS
Fate Of a Man who Burnt Up
a Mountain Lake in Fifteen
Minutes-A Remarkable Story.
In the Sacramento Daily Union of re-
cent date appears the extraordinary state
ment of one Leonidas Parker, written be-
fore his death, and giving what purports
to be true account of his connection
with the murder of Gregory Summerfeld
The latter individual has been known for
many years as The Man with the
Secret" and he met with horrible death
at the age of seventy years, by being
pushed from the platfrom of train upon
the Union Pacific railroad, near the north
fork of the the American river, at place
called Cape Horn. The unfortunate
wretch was hurled downward a distance
of over one thousand feet upon the brst-
ling rocks at the foot of the declivity
Parker, who was upon the platform at the
time Of the catastrophe, was twice arrested
and tried for the alleged murder, but was
on each occasion mysteriously acquitted
once by justice and the second time by a
grand jury.
Parker was himeslf a distinguished
lawyer of Sacramento, and was widely re-
spected. He always remained silent con-
corning the circumstances of the imputed
crime, but shortly before his death he
placed in the hands of friend docu-
ment, the fist of which we give below,
the entire story taking up nearly page
of the Union.
Referring to George Summerfeld, the
murdered man, Mr Parker speaks of him
as having been one Of the deepest chemi.
cal students of the age, natural mathe-
matician, profound astronomer, and
man of excellent general literary attain
ments Parker had known Summerfeld
for over twenty years, their acquaintance
having been formed in Texas during the
days of the republic. Continuing his ac-
count Parker says:
One day toward the close OF last Sep
tember an old man raped at my Office
door, and on invitation came in, and ad.
vancing called me by name. Perceiving
that | at first did not recognize him, he
introduced himself as George Summer
field. After inviting him to scat |
scrutinized his features more closely and
quickly identified him as the same per-
son whom | had met twenty two wears
before. He was greatly altered in ap-
pearance, but there was the old charm ofI
intellectual superiority in conversation,
and | welcomed him to California as an
important addition to her mental worth.
ltwas not many minutes before he re-
luested private interview. lie followed
me into my back Office, carefully closed
the door after him and locked it. We
had scarcely seated ourselves before he
inquired of me if | had noticed any re-
cent articles in the newspapers respecting
he discovery of the art of decomposipg
water SO as to fit it for use as a fuel for
ordinary purposes Y
g [ replied that had observed nothing
lcw upon the subject since the expert.
nents of Agassiz and Prof. Henry, and
ldded that, in my opinion, the expensive
node of reduction would always prevent
is use."
" In few words he then informed me
hat he had made the discovery that art
vas extremely simple, and the expense
attending the decomposition go slight as
o be Insignificant
" Presuming that the object of his visit
o me was to procure the Decessary forms
o get out patent for the right, | con
;ratulated him upon his good fortune and
Tas about to branch forth with descrip
ion of some of the great benefits that :
aust ensue to the community, when he
uddenly and somewhat unciVilly request
d me to 'be silent, and listen to what he
ad to say. Z,
He began with some general remarks
bout the inequality of fortune amongst .
ranking, and instanced himself as a strk. /
lg example Of the fate of those men
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