Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-12-14

coroner's Jury
Finds Deaths Resulted
From Causes Unknown.

AHe3 eat OF AOlaf Boon and his
son, Lester, who Were found in the
ven1ber S. waR brought about by
causes unknown, according to a YER
DICT rendered today by Mcoroner's
Y + before Coroner II. M. Mclean Of
Grand Forks county.
The verdict sets forth that the in
quest which opened November g., had
considered the evidence available, but
s1nal m We've of the fact that the pub
Laboratory Of the Univer-
sity of'North Dakotavat Grand Forks
naa.sent no direct report which could
sned any light on the cause Of death,
the jurors had been unable to ascer-
tain the cause OF. deakh:;S
" appears that the public health
laboratory 'upoD repeated examina-
ions being conducted Of the stom-
achs and parts Of the lungs OF the de-
ceased had beef in . no position to
state positively that death had been
caused by poisoning. About a week
after h death of Boon and his son,
the laboratory reported in a prelim-
mary statement which@wa not alter
ed later on. that NO traces of poison
had been found, but that considerable
Inflammation had been ascertained.
The actual source Of the inf1amma-
lished. "
The death Of Boen and. Lester
lormed one OF the most impenetrable
mysteries %chronicled in the annals Of.
This part of North Dakota.
On ~the-night of Sunday, November
s. Boen and his children, Roy, Irene
nd Lester, returned from a visit to
q neighboring, farm and before retir-
ing partook Of a meal which con-
sisted mainly OF soup heated over
from the monday meal Of the family.
Shortly after midnight the family re-
tired and the lights were turned out,
Irene was awakened some time att
onward by hearing Lester crying and
yelling. She tried to calm him, but
meanwhile BDen also had been arous-
ed. He raised himself upon his ell
!, bow and told Irene that she should
disregard Lester's cries and the boy
was ordered TIP keep quiet. ~
Irene theh. tfen aslsep again. and
sonic time afterward half awake. h
heard her father get up andsdress; he
down stairs. q He did not remain away
, very long,. however. for Irene thinks
She heard him sgotupstairs again, a lit
stle.While later. ''%@t =
SS,r'rpm this time until 1880 in the
morning nothing is known or ,remenl-
bered.. The children who got to bed
very late. slept soundly, and it was
iAl1il pGSSG ClCSCA WAlOll LSOy o"OnS. 14G
saw his father lying, fully dressed, on
the bed beside him. Boen's shoes
were still on his feet, but unlaced.
His head was hanging back. his face
? was dicolored. and there was constd-
cradle froth about his mouth.
. Roy was instantly frightened n
aroused Irene saying to her That he.
even dying. For some time h two
children concentrated all their atten-
ton about their father and then re-
membered Lester. III
Turning to: him. they found that the
boy was lying motioniess on his stoni-
J ach with his face buried in his hands:
Testers face also was discolored. It
/, t!teir youngest brother either was
> CRY sick or. probably. already dead.
Upon sumimoning medical aid, 1t
was quickly made clear to Roy and
Irene that their father and brother
we're dead. mi 81
- A multitude Of thaorieS Were pre-
!. scented in connectfon.sswithsEth prob
orally thought chat poisoning might
have resulted from the eating of the
soup on Sunday night. But this
theory was abandoned because two
members of the family who also had
eaten OF the soup were untnjured.
p States Attorney Thos. B. Elton was
called to- conduct aMlegal investiga-
ton, and meanwhile the public health
laboratory at the university made eff
forts to. establish the cause of death.
Pending the report Of the labora-
tory, the inquest was held open, and
only today the verdictNwas announc-
ed. It was Mgned by A. S. Ellingson.
A. 3. cLandt and Gilman Johnson.
It IL uhdersto6hs that Irene andrRoy
Boon now are with their relatives at
Cameron Wis, /. ..,, ID 72t i