The Washington times., 1902-10-12
Strange Story of a Double
Life Lived Without Sus-
picion for Score of Years
Comes From England.
DEATH LIFTS THE VEIL
British Military Officer of High
Standing Was Long Known as
an Expert Accountant Among
Former Friends.

England there comes a strange story OF
the double life lived without suspicion
by man for nearly score of years
Nineteen years ago there came TO live
In house called the Old Grange in the
small Dorsetshire village of Oborne, Ed
mund Hall, an accountant. He lived
there with his wife and family and
gained the respect of the whole neigh
borhcod
On Monday, September /. Mr.. Hall
drove with his little son 10 a neighbor-
ing farm in the village of Templecombe.
Afterward he went TO a farmhouse. and
while taking tea with the wife of the
farmer died from heart disease.
Some surprise was expressed when II
became known that Mr.. Hall would be
buried the following Saturday at Bril-
tol, instead of in the Oborne church
yard, where two of his sons are buried.
A Strange Life.
On Wednesday the Bristol newspapers
announced the sudden death from heart
disease on the previous Monday, at Il
small village near Templecombe. of
Col Edmund Carter Plant, c. B., we'll
known resident of Bristol who would
be buried Saturday in Bristol with full
military honors.
Some of the residents of Sherbourne.
where he was well known. noticed the
coincidence of the date and the manne.
and cause of two deaths. The editor o.
the Sherbourne paper, however, sus
pected something more. He made ia
quries. which convinced him as to the
identity of Hal! and Plant, but he was
unable to prove his case. However, he
did not lose sight of the body, which
on Friday evening was taken to the
station attended by large number o.
sorrowing villagers, and was placed in
the guards van The coffin plate was
inscribed:
Edmund Hall, died September 9. 1907.
aged Co.
The Bristol undertaken entered the
van with the coffin, but at .he juno
ton, where the van was detached and
coupled to another train, he got out.
When the rrain arrived at Bristol the
coffin plate was seen to be inscribed:
Edmund Carter Plant. c. B., colonel,
Bristol Engineers. died September E,
1902, aged co."
Streets Were Thronged.
On Saturday the streets os Bristol
were thropged with thousands of peo-
pie anxious to see the funeral, which
was the finest military spectacle the
populace had seen since the late Queen
Victoria visited the place in 1897.
Eight military colonels acted as pail
bearers. They were followed by bril-
liant cortege of officers and troops, and
also by the lord mayors state coach
and high sheriffs in carriages. Thus
this distinguished resident @! Bristol
was laid ia the cemetery of The town
beside his wife. who died in 1900, ar
10 whom he was married in 1865.
Plants career. from his boyhood, with
the exception of the nineteen years he
lived al Oborue as Hall, is well known.
He had lived at Bristol since 1861. he
was lieutenant colonel and colonel
commanding OF the Second Volunteers,
r. E. (the Bristol engneersD.
Gained Promotion.
He passed through all the graGes by
appointment to colonel commanding. He
was decorated for services in connec-
tion with the battalion and raised the
Clifton College Cadet Corps. which won
the Ashburton shield on three occa
sions and the cadet trophy twice.
Not until his death was the identity
of their father revealed to the Children
at Oborne. The Mrs. Hail. knew that,
but for the clumsy work of his legal
advisers when they notified the Bristol
newspapers Of the colonel's death. the
secret would never have been revealed.
The mention OF Templecombe gave the
clue, however, and resulted in the ex.
posure. The colonel's absence at Bristol
or oborne 'on business never aroused
the slightest suspicion