The record-union., 1893-01-07
THE INQUEST.
The Jury Did Not Know How Miss
Ayers Met Her Death.

The Jury Did Not Know How Miss
Ayers Met Her Death.
Coroner George Clark began an inquest
last night at the Morgue in the now cele
brated Ayers murder mystery.
The small examination-room was
crowded with witnesses and spectators,
and there were hundred more who had
to content themselves with remaining out
on the sidewalk for lack of room inside.
The inquest was good deal of disap-
pointment to the curious. District At
torney Ryan, the Coroner and the de-
tectives held conference in the afternoon
and agreed only to prove the death and
identity of Miss Ayers at the inquest.
The first witness called was benjamin
L. True, the Southern Pacific detective.
Being asked to relate what he knew
about the death Of Miss Ayers, he said
that he heard that the depot at Brighton
was burned and he telephOnedto Detective
Burke to flag the Placerville train at
Tenth and r streets and go Immediately.
He went out himself on the next train.
| He examined the burned building, and
found the charred remains of human
| being there. The officer said he had been
| to the building several times since that
day. When he arrived he.
FOUND THE REMAINS
Upon bench in front of where the depot
used to be. There used to be four rooms
in the building-a waiting-room, a bed
room, sitting-room and kitchen. 1t was
| tile property of the Southern Pacific Com
| pany and was ole-story building. The
| knowledge went was Miss Ayres, the
! station agent.
The witness gave instructions to sec
! tion-men to find what they could belong
! ing to the deceased, and in order to do so
/ they had to bale the water out of the
depot.
Mr. True was then excused.
| Miss Susie +. Cox of Elk Grove was
! then called. She said she was acquainted
with the deceased and was very intimate
with her. The witness visited the
Morgue on the day that the Brighton
station was burned and viewed the re-
mains. She positively identified them
as those of Miss Ayres. She knew the
clothing. The deceased was 81 years OF
age and was telegraph operator by oc-
cupation. The witness visited Miss
| Ayres frequently at the station and knew
that she most always slept there. The
! last time the. witness saw Miss Ayres
alive was between the 23d and 25th OF
November. The witness knew nothing
about the fire, except what she had
heard.
KNEW SHE WAS MARRIED.
Continuing, Miss Cox said Miss Ayers
always kept pistol, and the witness had
seen it frequently.
Coroner Clark handed the witness the
blackened pistol found in the burned
building, and she said it looked like the
one Miss Ayres owned, but she was moi
positive.
"Was Miss Ayres married or single?'
asked Coroner Clark.
"What do you mean?'' asked the wit.
ness, nerVousIy.
why, so far as you know, was sh'
single or married?'
Married"
'Are you sure?"
"Well, she told me so," replied the wit
ness.
Mr.. Clark stepped out of the room anC
spoke to some one, and upon returning
asked Miss Cox when it was that Mis-
Ayres told her of her marriage.
about the middle of July last"
''Whom did she marry?"
''She told me George jefferis.'
The witness was then excused, and A
T. Bagwell was called. He testified tha
he lived near Brighton EJunction. H
was stopping near the station the morn
ing OF the tire, and rose at about Al
O'Clock. He reused his daughter, ant
then went down to where the section mel
were stopping and told them OF the fire
1t was the depot which was burning
After the building had burned down, tn
witness and several others raked tn
ruins and found several pieces of the de
ceased's skull. He also found a five-dol