Burton "Bert" Loomis Burton "Bert" Loomis, a well-known and wealthy tobacco grower from Southwick, Massachusetts, and his friend Napoleon Bascom, who lived with him and his wife, arrived at the Pease House in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, on Thursday, July 14, 1921.  The two men ended up going their separate ways by boat, with Bert continuing onto New York and Napoleon crossing over to Poverty Island.  Bert returned to Old Saybrook on Saturday and negotiated with a boat captain from Springfield, Massachusetts, who was summering there, to take him roundtrip to Poverty Island so he could get Napoleon and then return to the Pease House to get his automobile that he had parked in the garage so the pair could drive back to Southwick. Along the way, Bert took issue with the route the captain had chosen to avoid shallow water, and an argument ensued.  When Bert arrived, Napoleon told him he had decided to stay on the island for a few more days.  It was getting late, but b...