The Portland daily press., 1892-11-21
SUMNER PLAIsTED's DEATH.


Was He Enticed Into the Woods and
Murdered, or Did He Commit suicide?-
His Relatives Say He Was Murdered.
| Mention has already been made OF the
finding of the Wondering corpse OF
man in the woods near Bryant's Pond by
| two partridge hunters few weeks ago.
The man was lying with his head on his
valise, a copy of the PRESS for October
Both, 1891, under his right shoulder,
bottle containing morphine beside him
and a watch and a few dollars in money
in his pocket. The place where the
body was found was on a cross road,
very lonely, and the spot was some dis
lance from that road on the side of a
steep hill. The corpse had mouldered
away SO that only the bones remained;
but so high was the hill that the prevail
| ing winds would probably have carried
all odor of the decaying body far over
the road. This probably accounts for
the long time the body lay undiscovered.
| The corpse was soon after identified as
that of Summer Plaisted, resident of
| Edes Falls in Naples who had spent
much of his life in Boston, where he
kept saloon for some time, bet on the
races, and in general led the life of a
moderately successful sporting man.
Plaisted had no family of his own. A
sister, Mrs. Edward Hall of Edes Falls,
and nephew and niece, j. Fl. and Clara
Fogg of Bridgton, are his only relatives.
When at Edes Falls, Plaisted usually
made his home with Mrs. Hall. He
seemed to have enough money, and used
to let some out among the farmers of
Naples. But he was very secretive
about his businss affairs. He drank
some, though not to excess until within
the last year of his life, when he would
sometimes, get the worse for liquor.
The circumstances under which the
body was found, especially the bottle of
morphine, at first suggested suicide. But
his relatives refuse to admit this theory.
A prominent citizen of Naples, who was
in this city Saturday, told PRESS re-
porter that he had just come from Bos-
ton, where he had been looking UP
Plaisteds movements there previous to
October Both, 1891, the date when, from
the finding of the copy of the PRESS,
he is supposed to have passed through
Portland on his way from Boston, 1t
was found that Plaisted boarded with
Mrs. A. G. Walker at No "a 81 street.
South Boston. He left her house either
the goth or the 3Oth Of October, 1891.
He seemed in his usual spirits at that
time. It was also found that there were
several men in South Boston, saloon
keepers and others, to whom Plaisted
had lent money, and who were perfectly
good and ready to repay 1T at any time.
This citizen of Naples thought that there
must have been $1,000 or $500 SO owed.
He was not able to discover, either, that
Plaisted had lost money in betting on the
races, although be learned that he had
attended and bet at Mystic and other
places. 1t is also said that he bet a
large amount on New York race; but
nothing of this was learned in Boston,
This PRESSES informant thought that
want of money could hardly have driven
the man to suicide, and was inclined to
think that some of the gamblers with
whom he associated might have enticed
him to Bryant's Pond, led him to the
lonely piece of woods and there shot,
stabbed or strangled him. The authori-
ties at Bryant's Pond seem to take sim
liar view of it, and recent dispatches
from there speak of cries having been
heard in the woods in October, 1891, and
of two suspicious characters in that re-
| gion who have now disappeared.
These seem to be the grounds for the
murder theory. On the other hand there
seems to have been some reason for sui
eide. 1t is said that when Plaisted left
Edes Falls to go to Boston for the last
time. he had a little falling out with the
husband of his sister, with whom he
made his home. He was proud man,
and would not like to be brought to de-
pendence on his relatives. He was ae-
customed to gamble, and had been
heard to say:that there was now,no money
in betting around in this region. He
might have made heavy losses during his
trip to Boston, and have started for
Maine feeling poor and perhaps some
| what under the influence of liquor. He
might have gradually sobered off as he
neared home, and feeling that he did not
wish to go to his sisters, and having no
other place to go, might have concluded
to end it all. He should from his ticket
have got off the train at Oxford, Me-, but
he went on to Bryants Pond. His rela-
tives and friends argue that he would
not have taken SO much pains to commit
suicide, but who can tell?
Plaisted was about Ga years OF age,w
tall erect weighing over 200 pounds, and