St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-12-03
A PLOT FOR A DRAMA.
Perrin H. Sumner Arrested
in New York for For
gerry.
The Amount Involved Said to
Be Three Hundred Thou
sand Dollars.
The Ghost Of a Mysterious
Suicide Trails Along Be-
hind.
Packer Allepton'S Cashier
Robbed in Broad Daylight
Of $1,000.

NEW YORK, Dec. 2.-Perrin II. Sum-
ner, a Broadway real estate speculator,
who gained considerable notoriety in
connection with the mysterious suicide
of the man who registered at the Getty
house. YOnkers, as George Smith, was
arrested to-day by Capt. Mclaughlin,
charged with forgery. The prisoner, it
will be remembered, identified the sui
eide as his friend, James ii. Edgar, a
wealthy English chemist. There was
suspicion that the Identification
was not correct, and was made
by Sumner tor the purpose
of defrauding life insurance company.
Inc sequel tends TO show that this was
the swindle intended, and that Sumner,
apparently in the hope of realizing 10y
the scheme the sum of S3OG.OOO, did not
hesitate to commit forgery. The sui
eide took place Oct. 81, and the man
who passed under the name of George
Smith had beeu stopping at the Getty
house couple of days before he sWal-
lowed the fatal dose of morphine. A
few days later Sumner visited the Getty
house and identified the body. He de-
clared that he did not believe Edgar
had
Taken His Own Life,
and limited at foul play. Capt. Mangin,
of the Yonkers police, appealed to In
spector Byrnes, and an investigation
was begun. During the inquiry Sumner
had stated that he had learned of the
alleged suicide from George II Edgar.
a nephew of the deceased. He had the
body buried at his own expense, and the
authorities at once began hunt for
George Ii. Edgar. now supposed to be a
myth. Sumner, when closely pressed,
showed letters written by James H..
Edgar and his nephews, George Ii. Ed
gar and Robert Rowe, all of which were
declared by an expert to he in the same
handwriting. Sumner, besides. had a
rather shady reputation. On Nov. he
made his temperance at Yonkers, ana,
to allay suspicious. asked for the eX-
animation of the body for further identi-
ication. When the coffin was diSin-
TERED and opened, he said to the cor
oner: Yes, that is Edgar" After
wards he said that Edgar was about
1ls
The Suicide. George Smith,
was measured, and proved to be barely
five feet six inches in height. When
Sumner heard this he said the man was
not Edgar. He exhibited a picture,
which resembled the deceased. The
police were satisfied that they had
thWarted life insurance sWindle,
dropped the investigation, and up to
htA 81 81
mysterious George Smith, has not
been discovered. George r. Phoebus.
reporter, determined to fathOm
the mystery, and for the past three
weeks has been watching Sumner. He
found that he visited a man of shady
character, who lived in tie Ninth ward.
This man was the counterpart of the
picture exhibited as that of Edgar, but
he was living under another name. 1t
was also discovered that Sumner had
made proposition to Lawyer Francis
ID. Turner, of 45 Broadway, which was
to have a man personate Edgar in
the drawing up of will of which
Sumner was to be executor. The law
yer, of course, rejected the proposition,
but, as he thought it would be well to
have the mystery cleared, he suggested
that he find a man to act the part re-
quired. He introduced PhuebuS to Sum
her, who thereupon
Fell Into the Trap.
The will was drawn up by Turner
and signed by PhoebuS and Sumner.
1t was afterwards attested by a notary
public. 1t was in the singing of the
will that Sumner committed the forgery,
1t seems that Edgar owned property
worth 100000, of which Phoebus was to
receive 10 per cent for his trouble. The
suspicion is that Edgar is fugitive
from justice on account of some crime
perpetrated in England. 1t seems
odd, however, that if Edgar was
a. party to the deep plot, that he did not
appear in person. when Phebus' ser
vices would be unnecessary. The
police Surmise is that Edgar was in the
dark concerning the bogus will, and
that Sumner, who was willing to re-
sort to forgery, ultimately intended
murder. When Phe bus had led Sum-
ner into the trap. with Lawyer Turner,
he called at the police Headquarters to-
day and placed the details of the plot
before Inspector Byrues, who before
making any other move, decided to OBJ
tain warrant for
Summers Arrest.
This was done, anG late this afternoon
the speculator, who lives at 429 St.
Nicholas avenue. was taken into Gus
tcdy. This is not Summers first ap-
pearance before the public. On Nov. 6,
1884, he was arrested, charged with
grand larceny, at the instance of a man
named David M. Davidson. At that
time, it is said. he made a compromise
with the complainant and thus escaped
a conviction. Summers friends say
that the speculatOr is accused of
forging James II. Edgar's signature to
Il power of attorney, making him his
executor. They say the signature is
genuine. and il the case ever comes to
trial, they will be able to produce
Edgar. Their version of the affair is
that Edgar is heir to a fortune of $780,
600, which is SO held in England that it
is liable to fall to the illegiti-
mate offspring of his nephew,
George H. Edgar. This, it is
alleged, is stated in the power of
attorney which Sumner is accused of
forging. 1t is likewise stated that at
the time of the Getty house suicide
young Edgar drugged his uncle, and he
remained i'll until long after the publ
cation of the mystery and the Identified
ton and burial of Smiths body. Be-
fore Edgar recovered his nephew had
vanished, and is DOW supposed to be
somewhere in the West.