The record-union., 1893-11-08
SOME new TESTIMONY.
JeReris' Original Statement Put in
Evidence.
Progress of the Murder Tria1-The
Prosecution Gets in Some Testi-
mony That is New.

While most of the evidence thus far
introduced in the Jefferis murder case
has been the same that was brought
out by the prosecution on his
partial trial for bigamy a few months
ago, some of it is new, especially that
contained in the statement made by JEFF
ferris to the officers directly after his
arrest.
This statement was not permitted to be
put in evidence at the bigamy trial. but
was yesterday admitted by Judge Prev
EFT. In it Jefferis denied that he was ever
married to Miss Ayers, or that he ever
obtained license for that purpose: de-
MED that he had introduced her at the
Arcade Lodging-house as his wife; de-
MED that he had been at Brighton within
year, and claimed that the last time he
saw Miss Ayres was at the depot in this
city. She told him she had nearly $4,000
and wanted him to leave his wife and
live with her on the interest of her money,
and threatened that II he did not do so
she would injure him. He said the
woman had been forcing gifts on him and
he had shown them to his wife and told
her where they came from. Some years
ago, he said, he had been on intimate
terms with her, but denied that he had
ever met her in San Francisco.
When asked how, in his opinion, Miss
Ayres' death occurred, he said: 1T
might have been murder, or 1t might
have been suicide. She often threat
ened to commit suicide if she did not get
me-" He declared thatRon the day of the
alleged marriage in San Francisco, he ar
rived in Oakland from Sacramento about
1890 o'clock a. NJ, and, after getting his
lunch, took an engine to Port Costa, re-
turning about 6:45 p. NJ.
Some portions of the statement are
unfit for publication. Jefferis alleged
that Miss Ayres bad made criminal prop
OSitiOnS to him since the former intimacy
referred to, which he had spurned be-
cause he had lawful wife. This portion
of the statement was given in detail, but
the corps Of ladies in the courtroom sat 1t
out bravely.
Detective Burke in his testimony re-
lated that Jefferis said to him that on the
2Sth of December-the day before the
discovery Of the charred body of Miss
AyreS in the Brighton Station ruins
he reached Sacramento from Oakland at
$40 P. NJ; got supper in a restaurant Op-
pOsite the Orleans Hotel; met AL Starkey,
the yard switchman, who accompanied
lib lO OGuSTlS IOOul III the orleans,
where they played cards till 1920 O'Clock,
when Starkey went away and Jetferis
went to bed. Jefferis said he did not
leave the Orleans until awakened by the
porter next morning.
Dan o. 'Hern was the next witness, and
he gave substantially the same testimony
as on the trial for bigamy, with some adj
ditional He testified that few weeks
before the alleged marriage of Jefferis and
Miss Ayres the former had him 90 to a
printing office in Oakland and have some
slips printed to represent newspaper
clippings and stating that G.. b. Jefferis
had been divorced from Nellie L. Jetleris
in Judge Greene's court.
O'Hern denied that he had spent the
night of the murder of Miss Ayres play
ing cards in Jetteris' room, as stated by
the latter to the officers. He also went
over the whole story Of his trip from
Oakland to San Francisco with Jefferis
on the day of the latter's alleged marriage
to Miss Ayres, as heretofore published,
and of the alleged visits to Brighton to
procure photographs and papers that were
i'll Miss Ayres' possess ion.
| The witness was being severely cross
examined by General Hart when the
court adjourned till this morning.