The Sauk Centre herald., 1929-09-12
CONG. 0. ]. KVALE
BURNED TO DEATH
Charred Body Found in Ruins
of Cottage in Ottertail
County
WAS LYING NEAR COT
Believed Gasoline Stove Ex-
plOded-Officials Are In
vestigating Cause


stances of the tragedy in which
Congressman o. J. Kvale lost his
life were being investigated by OF
ter Tail county authorities tonight.
DR.. 1. T. Kvale, of Willmar, son of
the congressman, was enroute to
join them.
The charred body of the seventh
district representative was found
Wednesday morning in the ruins
of his cottage at Otter Tail lake.
The body was so badly burned that
identity was established only by
dental filings.
Coroner j. G. Vigen, in charge of
the investigation, tonight ordered
the body removed to Fergus Falls,
the county seat, and prepared to
complete his findings in the case.
The cause of the fire which de-
stroyed the cottage remained un-
established. The coroner inclined
to the belief that the stove ex-
ploded. DR.. Kvale suggested that
his father might have taken a
sleeping potion to relieve his in
somnia, and might have rekindled
the fire before dropping off to
sleep. Whatever the origin of the
fire, it completely destroyed the
cottage.
He said that his father has been
troubled with insomnia frequently
since the death of Mrs. Kvale three
years ago and that he often left
his bed at night in an effort to get
relief. A stove, known as an air.
tight stove and gasoline lamp
were in the cottage and DR.. Kvale
expressed the belief that the stove
exploded.
He believes his father may have
arisen because he could not sleep,
and built a fire in the stove because
of the cold. He believes he return
ed to bed after taking sleeping
potion and then when the stove ex-
ploded or gas forced open a vent
he did not awaken
Very probably, the son believes,
hot Goals were blown about the
cabin, but that Mr. Kvale did not
awaken due to the sleeping potion.
If he did he believed it was too late
to enable him to escape.
Mr.. Kvale, who, neighbors saidr
was alone at the cottage, was last.
seen at 10:30 p. m. Tuesday.
Mr.. Kvale, with other congress
men, had been a guest over the
week end at the hunting lodge of
F. E. Murphy, publisher of the Min
neapolis Tribune, near Battle Lake.
The congressman left the party
Monday night and went to his cot
tage IL miles away.
According to T. W. Malcolm.
tenant on the Kvale farm on which
the cottage is located, the seventh
| district congressman was at his
| home last night. He planned to re-
turn this noon to see him, Mr.. NAL
colin said.
The destruction of the cottage by
fire was discovered this morning
when Mr.. Klinik, seeking to rent
land, went to the cottage to see Mr..
kvale. Klinik could see body in
the ruins, but no efforts to remove
or identify it were made pending
arrival of the coroner.
! Mr.. Malcolm said the congress
man had been at the cottage few
days, and that so far as he knew
he had not departed after he came
to his home last night. The tele-
phone operator at Maine, said Mr..
Kvale had used the telephone at
9:30 p. m. last night.
The garage near the cottage was
also destroyed.
/ Neighbors said they heard and
saw nothing during the night to
indicate there had been a fire and
did not know of it until this FORE
noon.
Tuesday afternoon Mr.. Kvale
visited in Fergus Falls and told
relatives and newspaper men that
he intended to return to his cot
tage for the night. 1t was several
hours later that he was seen at the
cottage.
Coroner Vigen said the body was
found near the ruins of a cot which
had been on a porch. He said a
gasoline lamp and stove had been
used in the cottage and expressed
the belief that one or the other
may have been responsible for the
fire. At noon the fire still was
smoulderins.
4 The cottage, called Trails End"
is in a lonely region, % miles north
east of Fergus Falls and II miles
from Battle Lake.