I was working in Rycroft at the Central Peace Signal in 1987-88 before coming to South Peace News. I met Const. Irving Kurz. He was quite a historian and wrote a book called Policing the Central Peace. In it, he published the complete record of the first Peace Country police officer killed in the line of duty. Credit for the majoprity of this column goes to him.
On June 21, 1919, S/Sgt. George Henry Leopold Bossange was struck and killed by lightning while on duty eight miles northeast of his detachment at Spirit River. Of all the bizarre ways to go, he was killed not by being in an accident, not by an accused who shot him, but by lightning.
It was George Shirk who reported the incident. In the official police report filed, Shirk testified John Zahara came to his place to report the incident. Bossange and his horse were both killed by the strike near Zahara’s place. Zahara said he was traveling by horse and wagon when he found Bossange lying on the trail when he was driving home at about 9:30 p.m.
Shirk hired an auto and left about 2 a.m. He found Bossange and his horse dead and appeared to be so for several hours as the body had begun to stiffen and the horse bloated. The steel at the butt plate was melted and part of the steel gun was melted where the electricity had gone through the gun and into the body of the deceased. The watch Bossange was carrying stopped at 5:40 p.m.
Zahara also testified Bossange’s hair was burned.
Bossange died on duty while returning home from Ivan Yaremko’s place. Yaremko said he was visited by Bossange at about 3:30 p.m. on June 21. Yaremko said he was asked if he was “naturalized and some more questions” before leaving at around 5 p.m. Yaremko added he asked Bossange to stay until the rain was over, adding the horse was frightened at the thunder and broke the snap on the halter rope.
A short time later, Bossange was dead.
June 23, coroner P.H. Belcher arrived from Grande Prairie to examine the evidence and declared an inquest was not necessary. He wrote: “To whom it may concern and to Cpl. Allen of the Alberta Provincial Police, this is to certify that I have today inquired into the death of S/Sgt Bossange of the Royal North West Mounted Police, who met his death by being stuck by lightning on the 21st of June 1919, at or near Spirit River, and after examining the evidence produced, I do not consider an inquest necessary.”
For years, I thought this was the only death by a police officer in the Peace. Not so!
Although Kinuso is not part of the Peace Country, Const. George Edward Osgoode of the Alberta Provincial Police was shot and killed by a bootlegger Jan. 25, 1922.
Jan. 23, 1967, Cpl. Donald Archibald Harvey, of the Grande Prairie RCMP, died while investigating the murder of Georgine Roberst. Harvey was ambushed and fatally shot.
March 11, 1993, Const. Brent Harold Veefkind, working for the RCMP, Grande Prairie, Municipal Detachment, was killed in a traffic accident while on duty.
Not in the Peace but near Slave Lake July 24, 2000, Const. Noel Sadee was killed in a head-on collision with a school bus. He worked at the Athabasca RCMP Detachment.
As always, we thank everyone who dies in the line of duty for the public. Their service should always be remembered.
Chris Clegg