The quiet of Guild Street was broken at midday when Monroe Boyden, long separated from his wife, Sarah F. Boyden, arrived at her Norwood home in a state of agitation. For two years, he had opposed her efforts to obtain a divorce, and when the court recently granted her a decree with alimony of seven dollars a week, his resentment deepened. Carrying a revolver and a pocketful of cartridges, he entered the house shortly after one o’clock and confronted Mrs Boyden, demanding money and declaring that he would not abide by the court’s order.
Mrs Boyden, aware of his temper and past threats, sent word to her sons, Everett and Henry, who had long feared their father might attempt violence. Everett arrived first and found his parents in heated discussion. Though the elder Boyden spoke bitterly of the alimony and his own financial difficulties, Everett did not believe immediate danger was at hand. Mrs Boyden quietly asked him to summon his brother Henry from Walpole, and a friend outside was asked to telephone for him.
For nearly an hour the three remained in the sitting room while Boyden continued to speak of his grievances, contrasting his own circumstances with those of his wife, who supported herself through lodgers and dining service. When Henry entered the room at half past two, the father’s anger rose sharply. Everett stepped outside to alert the police, and in the moments that followed, the elder Boyden turned upon his son and then upon his wife, acting upon threats he had made many times before.
Boyden opened fire on his eldest son, and by a miracle, the young man’s life was spared.
Turns Pistol on Wife.
Instantly, Boyden turned to where his wife was standing and before she could flee be sent a bullet into her left breast. She stumbled, but regained her footing and ran through the kitchen and into the yard. Henry Boyden in a second, realized that he was not seriously wounded, and he followed his mother and reached her just as she fell prostrate on the walk.
Neighbours, hearing the commotion, quickly summoned the police. Patrolmen Creed and Breen arrived within minutes and entered the house, where they found Boyden lifeless in the sitting room. Mrs. Boyden was taken for medical care, and though her wound was serious, attending physicians later expressed confidence in her recovery. Henry, struck at close range, escaped with only a superficial injury, the bullet having passed through his clothing and deflected harmlessly aside.
Medical Examiner A. H. Hodgdon of Dedham viewed the remains, which were taken to a local undertaking establishment. Boyden, fifty‑five years of age, had lived most of his life in Norwood and was known as a capable cabinetmaker employed in the railroad repair shops. He was also a musician with occasional theatrical engagements. Mrs. Boyden, formerly Sarah Fales of Norfolk, had been a schoolteacher before their marriage more than thirty years ago. Their life together, though long, had been troubled by frequent quarrels, and in recent years Boyden’s temper had grown more severe.
The couple’s difficulties had been known in the community. Boyden had previously been involved in disputes concerning his daughter, Mrs. Adolphus Holton, and had once been arrested for assault with a dangerous weapon.
In the divorce proceedings earlier this month, Mrs. Boyden alleged cruel treatment and improper conduct with a woman in Boston. Boyden contested the case chiefly to avoid alimony and to retain an interest in the Guild Street property, but the court ruled in his wife’s favor.
Chief Fred S. Sackett of the Norwood police had been warned by Mrs. Boyden’s counsel that she might be in danger, and officers had been instructed to arrest Boyden if he appeared in town. Despite these precautions, he arrived by train shortly after one o’clock and reached the house unnoticed. Mrs. Boyden immediately sent for her sons, but the warning to notify police at once was not carried out until Everett stepped outside moments before the shooting began.
The tragedy brought to a close a long period of domestic unrest. Boyden had attempted repeatedly to dissuade his wife from pursuing her divorce and had declared that he would not pay alimony. His resentment toward Henry, who supported his mother, had also been plainly expressed. When he entered the house that noon, he carried a newly purchased revolver, fully loaded, and fifty cartridges in his pocket, indicating that he had come prepared to carry out the threats he had uttered for months.
Mrs. Boyden, though gravely shaken, was expected to recover as the evening progressed. Her sons remained at her side, and the community expressed sympathy for the family, whose long‑standing troubles had ended in such sorrow.
Source: Boston Globe, 1908
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