The Portland daily press., 1890-05-15
LYING DEAD IN HIS OWN DOORYaRD.
How Andrew J. Piummer Of saccar-
Kappa Was Found Yesterday.
Supposed To Have Been Killed by a
Fall From His Carriage.
Little Evidence In Support OF suspIc-
Ions OF Foul Play.

ShS yesterday morning. rumOrs began to
De circulated around the city that a man had
been found dead In the road In Saccarappa.
Investigation proved that the rumor was
partially true. Andrew J. Plummer. man
some 60 years Of age, had been found In his
own dooryard dead. and with surroundings
that indicated for time foul play.
Plummer lived on Valentine street, so
called, In the southern part of the village.
separated from the cemetery by small
sheet Of water. Although called Valentine
street, 1t Is little more than country road.
being rough and Uneven. and Is not a public
road. That unevenness, II Is now thought,
may have been cause Of Mr.. Plummer's
death. His house Is small. weather-c0Iored
story and half building. setting back some
40 feet from the roadway. The intervening
space is grassed over. About six feet from
the house, toward the street, Is hitchlng
post. just beyond that Is an old iron pot,
surrounded by cordwood and stones, and
about three feet further out toward the
street is cart used by Mr.. Plummer In his
business, that Of teaming.
AT $40 yesterday morning. Mr.. Edward
Cartwright, who lives next below Mr.. Plum
mer, was awakened by his wife, who told
him she heard horse ranging about outside
as though he had no driver. He went out
and found that IL was Mr.. Plummer's team.
He called up Mrs. Plummer, and was by her
requested to unharness the horse and put
him up. which he did. Mrs. Plummer
thought that her husband had stopped some
where for drink and that the horse had
come home alone.
At about 6 o'clock, Mrs. Cartwright looked
across to the Plummer house and discovered
the body lying, as already stated. in front Of
the house on the grass. The neighbois were
at once collected and the body taken into the
house. When found, Mr.. Plummer lay on
his back, with one arm across his chest, the
other extended toward the house, covered
with a buffalo robe. There were signs In
the road and through the grass, where he
had been dragged from where he fell from
the wagon to the spot where he was found.
Mr.. Plummer was hatless. and there was
wound on his head which bled profusely. IL
was cut throug skin. but not, In the
opinion Of those who examined 1t, fracturing
the skull. measuring IA inches. 1t was on
the back Of the head, on the right side. Be-
side this there was a bruise exactly on the
right temple and the mark of an injury
which he received few days before by be-
ing hit with road machine. There were
not, as has been stated, bruises on any other
part Of the body or the limbs.
Later on in the forenoon the dead mans
hat was found nearly a quarter of a mile
from his house on the road to Portland. Ii
was an old stiff hat, with several holes in II,
and having red stain inside which might,
by liberal license. be called blood. Still
later on the whip that Plummer Is known to
have carried was found on Spring street.
The movements Of the dead man on the
day and evening of Tuesday were as follows;
He separated shed from his house during
the day. and with the assistance of his
neighbors moved it to the rear Of the house.
He made the occasion something Of an old
fashioned house-raising. and was more or
less under the influence OF liquor when Ii
was over. In the evening. at about $50, he
started for Portland with two men, George
Cummings and a man named Tapley, who
wereanxious TO reach the Union station In
season to take the Ills east bound Pullman
for Freep0rt. 1t Is not known at what hour
they reached the city lImIts. but they were
seen during the early part OF the night drIy-
ing around town, visiting various saloons.
At II o'clock Plummer delivered his passen-
gers at the Union station and started for
home. He was seen some time later by a
man named Bradley driving by the Deerlng
town house in an intoxicated condition, with
his head bent forward on his knees and the
reins hanging loose In his hands. After that
no man now known saw him alive.
The carriage In which Plummer took his
last ride was high, side spring, extension
top buggy, the top being up and the sides
on. When found by Mr.. Cartright the dash
or on the right side was bent forward as II
the occupant had lurched out over 1t, and
the inside of the wheel was wiped clean of
the mud which was thick on every other
part of the conveyance. On the right side
and sleeve Of Plummer's coat were found cor
mud stains and streaks Of axle
grease.
The theory that accounts for his
death is, that he was In a state Of
stupidity from intoxication, and
lurching forward, as Bradley says
he did, he was jostled out by a rough place
In the road, and falling. struck the end of
The spring against his temple at the same
time that the iron step came In contact with
the back Of his head cutting the cash which
bled so profusely. 1t is generally believed
that this latter cut was not sufficient to cause
death. The presence Of the whip and the
hat in different parts of the town Is easily
for by previous lurehes and rough
places.
The only unexplained point Is the fact that
the body was found so far from the road and
so completely covered up. This Is not so
as many think. Plummer might
have picked somebody up. and this compan-
ion knowing his habits. when he fell from
the team pulled him on the grass out OF the
way Of teams. There is no fence between
the road and the house. and 1t would have
been an easy matter for a man almost as
drunk as Plummer himself was to drag him
out of harms way.
Another theory is that somebody as yet
came along, and finding Plummer
in the road pulled him into the yard and
covered him up to let him sleep Off what he
thought was drunken debauch.
Coroner Gould was called In the forenoon
and viewed the premises. he impanelled
jury consisting Of Leander Valentine, John
Knight. Dwinal Pride, G. Fred Murch, b. +.
Roberts and A. 7. Skillings, who viewed the
remains at o'clock and adjourned to the SO
lectmeR's Office on Friday at 10 a. m, when
the inquest will be held.
The two men, Cummings and Tapley. re-
turned from Freeport and offered to appear
before the coroner's jury. They were ques-
toned by Mr.. Gould. and allowed to return
to Freeport, they promising to appear at the
inquest.
Cumberland County Grange.