Evening star., 1950-10-31
Boettiger
Continued From First Page

marriage to Curtis Dali, New York
investment banker.
For the last year Mr.. Boettiger
has been partner in a Park ave-
nue. public relations firm.
Thomas Swanson. the firms
president, said Mr.. Boettiger had
suffered nervous breakdown a
week ago. He had since been
under the care of a male nurse,
Joseph Payne, at his suite in the
Hotel Weylin at 40 East Fifty
fourth street.
Complained of Restlessness.
Mr.. Payne said that about $3.50
am. today, Mr.. Boettiger COM
planned of restlessness and the
nurse gave him a sedative. Later
on, Mr.. Boettiger awakened, said
he wanted fresh air and asked that
Q window be opened.
Mr.. Payne said he opened the
window. then seated himself on
chair. with his feet on another
chair and his body blocking the
window. Mr.. Boettiger got out of
bed, Mr.. Payne said, then wheeled
suddenly and jerked the chair from
beneath the nurses feet. Using
the chair to fend off the nurse, Mr..
Boettiger maneuyered himself to
the window and dived through
without saying a word. The
pajama-clad body landed on the
sidewalk below.
Informed of the death, Elliott
Roosevelt, son of the late Presi-
dent and Mr.. Boettiger's former
brother-in-law, said he informed
his mother, Mrs. Eleanor Roose-
welt.
Naturally we are both very
shocked" Mr.. Roosevelt said. 1T
is a tragic thing"
Might Not Have Liked Field.
Mr.. Swanson indicated Mr.. Boet-
tiger may have been depressed
over his change from newspaper
work to publicity.
He had always been a news
paperman and I'm not sure he was
happy in his new field" Mr.. Swan
son said. HE had been relatively
idle for the past few months"
Mr.. Swanson continued:
"On Saturday, Mr.. Boettiger ap-
parently had taken, perhaps acci-
dentally, an overdose of sleeping
pills. Along with several friends
visited him Saturday. Although
he seemed to be suffering from the
effects of drugs, he talked normal
ly and seemed in somewhat
seneial mood and apeared to be
recovering completely.
Two doctors were engaged
along with a male nurse for his
care. Yesterday ! visited him,
and, although he seemed bit de-
pressed, he talked to me normally
and naturally and seemed to be in
q good mood.
HE was supposed to be taken
to the hospital today"
News Broken to Wife.
MIR. Boettiger's present wife,
the former Mrs. Virginia Daily
Lunn, of Phoenix, Ariz., heard OF
her husbands death when she ar
rived at LaGuardia Airport from
the West Coast at noon. She
started East after hearing about
the sleeping pill episode on Sum
day.
Informed of her husbands
death by Mrs. Swanson, Mrs.
Boettiger screamed, "Oh, no. Oh,
no." She almost slumped to the
ground but Mrs. Swanson, DR..
John Glenn, and two business as
sociateS of her husband assisted
her and led her to a waiting car.
She and Mr.. Boettiger were
married November l, 1949, at
The Hague, the Netherlands. Her
former husband was Richard
Lunn, step-son of former Senator
Wallace White of Maine.
A lifelong newspaperman, Mr..
Boettiger was a political reporter
for the Chicago Tribune when he
met the Presidents daughter dur
ing a Roosevelt campaign tour.
Anna Roosevelt then was serving
as an aide to her father and an
unofficial White House hostess.
After the two were married, Mr..
Boettiger became publisher OF the
Seattle Post Intelligencer, a
Hearst paper. Anna worked as
an editor and columnist on the
paper. Mr.. Boettiger left the
Post-Intelligencer during the war
to serve in the American military
government as a lieutenant
colonel.
Later the couple moved to
Phoenix, where they bought the
Phoenix Shopping News and