Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1871-07-11
THE MAN WITH A SECRET


A most remarkable story comes
to us through the. Sacramento UAion,
which, If not designed to be sensa-
tlonal, makes the most wonderful
disclosures of the age, and suggests
inquiries that will interest chemists
as well as the world at large. The
story is told in four-column article.
from which the following synopsis
contains the most salient points:
Some time ago, "a man named
Gregory Summerfeld was murdered
by being pushed from a platform of
car on the Union Pacific Railroad
at Cape Horn, and falling down a
| thousand feet on the rocks below.
Symmetrical was man of extraor-
binary literary and scientific attain
ments, and was always known before
his death as "the man with the Sc
cret." The only person on the plat
form with him when he was thrust
down the precipice was Leonidas
Parker, Sacramento lawyer of tall
emit and an excellent reputation. He
was twice tried for murder, and each
time mysteriously acquitted. Recent
ly he died but left behind him an ex.
PLANTATION of the whole transaction.
A short time before Summerfeld' 8
death he came into Parker's office,
that being his first appearance in
Sacramento for number Of years,
and told him that he fathomed the
mighty secret of making water burn
by means OF preparation of potas-
SUM, which would separate the partl-
Giles and ignite the liberated oxygen,
thus creating and recreating its own
force, and proceeding until all the
particles were destroyed. Possessed
of this terrible power, he demanded
81, 900, 600, to be raised in San Fran
cisco, or he would set the Pacific
Ocean on fire and let the world take
the consequence. Parker thought
himself dealing with a lunatic, and
treated the matter disdainfully, but
offered to try one of his potassium
pills in wash bowl Of water, which
skipped and Missed around as it al
ways does, and seemed about to ex>
pire, when sharp explosion took
place, and to his surprise, the liquid
blazed in lurid flames to the ceiling
until every drop was consumed.
Deeming this worth considering,
he impaired the discovery, with Sum
merfelds condition, to a leading
banker, bishop, a chemist, two
State university professors, physic-
ian, Judge and two Protestant di
vines, who, with himself witnessed
the experiment on grand scale in
mountain lake ten miles from Sam
Francisco. In fifteen minutes every
drop of water in the pool was con-
sumed, and the committee became
alarmed, while Summertield became
importunate. Only half a million
could be raised at San Francisco, and
something must be done or the Pa
cifc Ocean would roll pillows of flame
instead of water. 1t was propose to
attempt subscriptions in New York,
when the bishop rose and said that
all that was child's play that moth
ing would satisfy the wretch, ex-
termination was, under the crcum-
stances, justifiable. All conceded,
and Parker, who knew the gorges and
widings of the Pacific road, was
chosen as humanity's avenging an
gel. In the conclusion of his docu-
ment, he says: 81 selected Cape
Horn as the best adapted to the pur-
pose, and = Z the public knows
the rest. Having been fully acquit-
ted by two tribunals Of the law,
make this final appeal to my fellow
men throughout the State, and ask
them confidently not to reserve the
judgement already pronounced"
The truthfulness of this revelation
having been questioned, the party
with whom the statement of Parker
was left, and who furnished it for
publication, published a card giving
the names of the parties who witness
ed the experiment Of the burning
lake who are among the we'll known
citizens of San Francisco, and offers
to furnish further proof if necessary.
The story has the smack of sensa-
ton about it, nevertheless, and we
shall await some statement from
these prominent San Franciscans
before we give it entire credence