George Loren Bunn Commits Suicide

Young Man Takes Strychnine at The Home of Mrs. Ralston

On Sunday afternoon Coroner E. C. Pierce was summoned by telephone to the home of Mrs. Abbie Ralston, nine miles north of Blair, on the bottom, with the statement that George Bunn was dead at that place.

Upon arriving at the Ralston farm it was soon learned that George Bunn had taken strychnine after reaching the house. He left Blair on the ??????? man and walked from the station to Mrs. Ralston’s farm. Arriving here he found the house locked and no one at home, but in some manner he effected an entrance.

The young man had been paying attention to Mrs. Ralston, who is twice a widow, and she had accepted presents from him, including a diamond ring, it is claimed but on Saturday, it is alleged, he received a letter from her in which she stated that she wished to sever her relations with him. Being of a despondent nature, he took the letter greatly to heart, and went to her home Sunday morning with the intention of having an explanation, and, it is reported, told his father and mother Saturday evening, that in case she persisted in turning him down, refusing to marry him, he intended to kill her and himself and “end it all,” as he expressed it.

Mrs. Ralston, accompanied by James Conety, who is working her farm, had driven her car to Benson that morning to see her mother who is sick, and the fact that she was gone had a depressing effect upon the rejected suitor.

He selected some of her stationery and wrote a three-page letter in which he referred to their relations and especially mentioned the diamond ring and told her that he intended taking his life and that he would take the strychnine (which he had purchased at a Blair drug store) together with a piece of cheese and end it all.

It seems he carried the threat into execution as his lifeless body was found by a son of Charles Hain, who was working for Mrs. Ralston. This young man had been out on a wolf hunt and returning found the house locked and proceeded to take a door off its hinges to get in. He found the body in the house and at once sent out the call.

The corner decided that it was too evidently a case of suicide to justify an inquest and that formality was dispensed with.

George Loren Bunn was a son of Mr. and Mrs. Val Bunn, well-known residents of Blair. He was born in Harrison county, Iowa, Jan. 16, 1877, came to Nebraska when a small boy. He leaves to mourn his sad death, a loving mother and father, two brothers, Benjamin, a farmer adjacent to the place where his brother suicided, and Herbert, of N.D., two sisters; Mrs. Sam Barrett, of Farnam, Neb., and Mrs. Sam Deaver of Herman.

Funeral was held Feb. 3, from the Methodist church. Rev. G. R. Warren officiated, burial in the Blair cemetery.

#2-Pilot 4 Feb 1914

The body of George Bunn was found on the bed in the farm home of Mrs. Abbie Ralston, formerly Mrs. George Tyson, last Sunday noon by Stanley Hain, who works for Mrs. Tyson. An empty bottle labeled strychnine stood on the table near the bed, which told the story of how the young man had met death. A note addressed to Mrs. Ralston, recently divorced, with whom he had been keeping company, told how he had killed himself and why. Having received a letter from her on Saturday asking him to cease his attentions to her, he evidently decided that death was preferable to life without her. He told his father, Val Bunn, he was going to kill himself when he left the house Sunday morning, but Mr. Bunn didn’t think that he meant it. He went up to Herman on the train and walked over to the farm. He had expected to find her home but she and the man who farms her land, James Conety, had gone to Benson by auto. The house was locked up, but he got in some way, and after writing the note to Mrs. Ralston, placed the strychnine on a piece of cheese he found in the cupboard, and ate it. His coat was neatly folded and laid on the back of a chair, with his hat on top of it. He had taken off his shoes and placed them carefully beside the bed. When Stanley Hain returned from a wolf hunt he found the house locked up and had to take off the storm door and pry the inner door open to get in. He say the body lying on the bed but didn’t recognize who it was. Greatly frightened he ran over to Watson Tyson jr’s place and Mr. Tyson went back with him and saw at a glance it was the body of George Bunn, who had worked for him for over three years. Coroner Pierce was notified by phone, also Mrs. Ralston, at Benson. After she arrived and had read the note addressed to her there was no question of how he came to his death. Coroner Pierce read the note also and concluded no inquest was necessary, so he brought the body home with him. The funeral was held at the Methodist church at 2 o’clock yesterday afternoon, Rev. George B. Warren officiating. George Loren was born in Harrison county, Ia., Jan. 16th, 1877, and was therefore just past 37 years of age. He came to this county with his parents when but a small boy and this has been his home every since. besides his parents he leaves two brothers, Benjamin, who lives on a farm north of town, and Herbert, of Minot, N.D., also two sisters, Mrs. Samuel Barrett, of Farnam, Neb., and Mrs. S. R. Deaver, of Herman.

#3-Published in the Tribune, 2/4/1914.

GEORGE BUNN SUICIDES

The community was shocked Sunday afternoon when the news reached town that George Bunn had committed suicide by taking strychnine at the home of Mrs. Abbie Ralston, eight miles north of Blair. George had ben infatuated with Mrs. Ralston for some time, and being unable to gain her consent to marry him, he took his own life.

Mr. Bunn took the 9:30 train from Blair Sunday morning, going to Herman, from where he walked to the Ralston home. Mrs. Ralston and James Conety, the man who farms her land, had left at 9:00 o’clock by auto for Benson, Nebr., to spend the day with Mrs. Ralston’s mother, having securely locked the doors and fastened the windows.

Some mystery existed as to how he entered the house. Stanley Hain, who also worked for Mrs. Ralston, returning from a wolf hunt, went to the house to get his overcoat shortly after noon and had to take off the storm door and pry the inner door open to get in, when he found the body.

Mr. Bunn had made careful preparations as to the way he was going to die, going to the farm that formerly was his father’s, and was then the home of the woman he loved. After he entered the house, he removed his overcoat and hat and placed them on a chair, took the dose of strychnine in some cheese, and later took a drink of water, placing the water glass on a chair beside the bed, along with the empty strychnine bottle. He laid down on the bed and folded his arms across his breast, and from indications he died without a convulsion or a struggle.

Mr. Bunn left a three-page letter that was well written, addressed to Mrs. Ralston, supposedly explaining why he committed the deed, though the letter has been returned to Mrs. Ralston by the coroner and has not been made public.

From reports we have been able to gather, Mr. Bunn called on Mrs. Ralston Saturday, coming to Blair on the train Saturday morning . In the evening he received a letter, and later telephoned, saying that “she remembered what he told her once before, and that he met (meant) to do it.” We understand that Sunday morning he told his father that he was “going out on the farm and settle it,” and the next time his folks heard of him, his body lay cold in death.

We have known George Bunn for some fifteen years, and always found him a man of quiet disposition, who talked very little to any one. A man who tended strictly to his own business and a man who neither used liquor or tobacco in any form. If he had any troubles they were his and he kept them to himself.

George Loren, son of Mr. and Mrs. Val Bunn, was born in Harrison Co., Iowa, Jan. 16, 1877; came to Nebraska with his parents when a small boy and grew to manhood on the farm where he died, eight miles north of Blair. He was never married and made his home with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Val Bunn, in Blair. He leaves to mourn his loss a loving father and mother, two brothers, Benjamin of Blair, Herbert of N.D. and two sisters, Mrs. Barret of Farnam, Neb., and Mrs. Deaver of Herman.

The funeral was held Tuesday afternoon at 3:00 o’clock from the Methodist Episcopal church, Rev. Geo. B. Warren conducting the last rites, and the body was laid to rest in the Blair cemetery.

# 4 - Printed in the Blair Democrat, Feb. 5, 1914

GEORGE BUNN A SUICIDE

George Bunn, a son of Mr. and Mrs. Val Bunn, of this city, committed suicide last Sunday while at the home of Mrs. Abbie Ralston about six miles north of Blair, and the funeral services were held Tuesday from the Methodist church, Rev. Warren officiating.

According to stories, young Bunn was very much in love with Mrs. Ralston and had tried on numerous occasions to force his attentions upon her. On Sunday morning he took the train for Herman and when next seen was found lying on a bed in the Ralston home.

Mrs. Ralston had gone to Benson in her auto early that morning and how Mr. Bunn gained admittance to the home has not yet been learned. The remains were discovered by Stanley Hain, who worked for Mrs. Ralston and had gone back to the house to get a coat after he had been to a wolf hunt. This was about 1:30 and as Mrs. Ralston left the house at about 9 o’clock, the deed must have been committed about noon.

An empty bottle that had contained strychnine and a letter addressed to Mrs. Ralston was found on a stand in the room, and it later developed that the poison had been purchased at a local drug store on the excuse that it was to be used to kill golphers. The coroner has refused to divulge the contents of the letter, but has given out the information that it was the sort of a missle usually left in cases of this kind.

The remains were brought to Blair Sunday evening after Mrs. Ralston had been summoned home from Benson, but it was not deemed necessary to hold an inquest.

George was born in Harrison county, Iowa, January 16, 1877, and came here with his parents when a small boy, having grown to manhood on the farm where he took his life. Besides the parents he leaves two brothers and two sisters, who have the sympathy of all in their sorrow.

~~~ Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~