The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1871-07-01
GALES, gksttbes, 9netOotes, 1T.
a TERRIBLE THREAT
I'll Set the Pacific Ocean fin Pianos =,
Mysterious Murao-

In the Sacramento Daily Union of
recent date appears the extraordinary state
ment OF one Leonidas Parker, written be-
fore his death, and giving what purports
to be the true account of his Connection
with the murder of Gregory Summerfeld.
The latter individual had been known for
many years as ''The Man with Secret"
and he me; with horrible death, at the
age OF seventy years, by being pushed
from the platform of a train upon the
Union Pacific Railroad, near the North
Fork OF the American River, at a place
called Cape Horn. The unfortunate
wretch was hurried downward distance
OF over one thousand feet, uponsthe brist-
ling rocks at the foot of the declivity.-
Parker, who was upon the platform with
Summerfield at the time of the catastro-
phe, was twice arrested and tried for the
alleged murder, but was on each occasion
mysterlously acquitted, once by Justice
and second time by Grand Jury.
Parker was himself distinguished
lawyer OF Sacramento, and was widely
respected. He always remained silent
concerning the circumstances of the impu,
ted crime, but shortly before his death be
placed in the hands of friend docu-
ment, the gist of which we give below,
the entire story taking up nearly a page
of the Union.
Referring to Gregory Summerfeld, the
murdered man, MIR. Parker speaks of him
as having been one of the deepest chemi-
cal students of the age, and man of ex-
celient general literary attainments. Par
keT had known Summerfield for over
twenty years, their acquaintance having
been formed in Texas during the days of
the Republic. Continuing his account,
Parker says:
''One day towards the close of last
September, an old man wrapped at my
office door, and on invitation came in, and
advancing, called me by name Perceiv-
ing that L did not at first recognize him,
he introduced himself as Gregory Sum
merfield. After inviting him to seat /
scrutinized his features more closely and
quickly identified him as the same person
whom l had met twenty-five years before.
He was greatly altered in appearance, but
there was the old charm Of intellectual
superiority in his conversation, and |
welcomed him to California as an impor-
tant addition to her mental wealth.
CIT was not many minutes before he
requested a private interview. He fol-
lowed 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 1 had noticed any
recent articles in the newspapers respect-
ing the discovery of the art of decompos>
ing water so as to fit ii for fuel for ordina-
ry purposes
81 replied that had observed nothing
new upon that subject since the expert
ment OF Agassiz and Professor Henry,
and added that in my opinion the expen-
sive mode of reduction would always pre-
vent its use.
Sin few words he then informed me
that he had made the discovery that the
art was extremely simple, and the expense
attending decomposition SO slight as to
be insignificant.
"Presuming that the object of his visit
TO me was to procure the necessary forms
to get out patent for the right, congrat-
ulated him upon his good fortune, and
was about to branch forth with descrip-
ton of some of the great benefits that