Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-11-09
|R||ll|UNDSVOLD IS
CERTAIN BOEN
], WAS NO SLAYER
and Suicide Theory
in Boon Mystery Secuted
ssE by Neighbors.

Rev. Rundsvold. pastor of the Nor
g9Wegiani Lutheran church at North
wood, who yesterday ofticiated at the
funeral sspf Olaf Boon and his son.
Lester. found mysteriously dead IN
their home last Monday morning, said
today that personally he was at a loss
to explain what caused the death OF
sBoeRssand his son. He added that
there was a disposition among all the
people at Northwood to disbelieve the
runners thatqBoen had killed his son
and himself.
Rev. Rundsvold also said that he
made as thorough an investigation as
possible in order to ascertain wheth-
d murder and suicide had been com
mEitted. for. he added, it was o Gus
g.tomary for his church to give MUIR
derers a church funeral. The inves-
tigation which Mr.. Rundsvold con-
Quoted, satisfied him that death had
not been caused by any action on the
part Of Olaf Boen.
At the funeral yesterday afternoon
the Northwood church was filled to
capacity with neighbors and friends
Of the Boon family.
No New Developments.
1t appears that Boon was born
aboard the steamer which carried his
: parents from Norway to America a.
years ago. He had been living all his
life in this country, and his sister,
Mrs. John Berchard of Cameron,
Wis, says that as far as she knows
OlafA.Boen was always of a cheerful
disposition. He lac from time to
time suffered reverses, but it had
never been his habit to brood over
them for any considerable length OF
time.
States Attorney Theodore B. Elton
is out of town today and no statement
Of any kind was Forthcoming from
the authorities.
The public, health laboratory of the
North Dakota university has not vet
completed its examination of the
stomachs and parts of the lungs of
the two victims of the tragedy, but 1t
is likely that some kind of a state
ment will be issued tomorrow. 1t is
confidently expected that while this
statement may not explain the man
ner Of death, it will throw some light
on the actual causes.
IN Boen's Last Day.
Roy and Irene Boen. the surviving
members of the family. are now tenn
porarily quartered at the home Of Mr..
and Mrs. o. H. Hanson. a few miles
distant from the Boen house. 1t is
said that while they naturally, are
stricken with grief, they bear up
comparatively we'll. n friends are
doing all they Ear to comfort the two
children.
Mrs. Hanson today gave The Her
aid the following report of Olaf
Boen's last day:
con Sunday afternoon Mr.. Boon
and. his family came over to visit us.
MI. Boon wanted to take a loo at
one Of our horses, and later on the
day was spent as usual in talking and
chatting. .
There was absolutely no trace Of
desnondency or mental disturbance
in Mr.. Boen's behavior. He acted as
natural and rational as always before,
and nothing seemed to he remoter
from his thoughts than the idea of
death.
1--WE have known him for upward
of five years and we're rather we'll ac-
quainted with his modes Of thought
and habits Of life. We never found
anything out OF the way in the man
ner in which he behaved"
The Eve of Tragedy.
Late in the afternoon the Boon
family returned home.
"Our son. Earl. went along" Mrs.
Hanson said, land he spent the whole
evening at the home Of the Boens.
The. family entertained our boy in the