The record-union., 1893-01-06
STARKEY CONFIRMED.
Marden, Alias "SIiverS,' Tells Of
JtAerB' Conspiracy
TO have MISS AYRES KILLED.
Clergyman Ferguson Allowed to Gaze
On the Prisoner.
SCENE IN THE SHERIFFS OFFICE.
SCENE IN The SHERIFF'S OFFICE.
A Bluff That Under-Sherif Bugbey Stood
Of-InqueSt on Miss Ayres'
Body Tonight

bVuI ~ Nl5n|
The damaging story related by al
Starkey, in which he stated that En-
gineer George B. Jef1eris had endeavored
two months ago to get him and another
man" to murder and rob Miss Ayres, the
Brighton telegraph operator, has been
corroborated by the other man." and
the result is that Jef1eris is in position
that makes his case a very serious one.
This second person is man named
Marden, or O'Hern. (being known by
both names), who is said to be brother
in-law of Jefferis. He was formerly en-
ployed in the railroad yard here, but was
discharged some four weeks ago. From
here he went to Banta, San Joaquin
County, where he was employed as a
train hand.
A RECoRD-UNIoN reporter learned
from railroad employe on Wednesday
that Marden was the man whom Starkey
had referred to (but not named, and re-
Trained from mentioning his name until
the officers had found him and procured
his statement.
HE SUSTAINS sTARKEY.
Y Yesterday Marden-who is also known
among railroad men as "Slivers''-was
brought to this city and subjected to
rigid examination by District Attorney
Ryan and Detective Burke. The officers
declined to reveal all that Marden said,
but 1t was learned that he told substan-
TALLY the same story that Starkey did,
and which has already been made public,
including the trip to Brighton some two
months ago, and their backing out of the
proposed murderous job.
AT THE BREWERY.
a night watchman at the Buffalo Brew
cry, in the outer part of the city, states
that one night last week JefIeris, Star
key and one or two other men came to
the brewery on a locomotive. He de-
clines to say positively that it was the
night of the Brighton tragedy, but it was
about that time.
There are railroad yardmen, however,
who have said that Jeheris did go out on
switch engine that particular night as
far as the brewery.
No one has yet been found, however,
to say that Jeheris was known to have
gone any farther than the brewery on the
night of the tragedy.
MRS. JEFFERIS WAS HERE.
A singular circumstance in connection
with the affair is that while the fire at
Brighton Junction, which consumed the
body of the unfortunate telegraph opera
tor, was still smoldering, the real wife of
Jefferis passed the spot on the 10:40 train
bound for Oakland. 1t is said that Mrs.
Jef1eris arrived from Oregon about
o'clock that morning.
At all events, a Sacramento lady who
knows her was passenger on the I0:4O
train from here that morning and talked
with her on the way down. The CONVEX
sation is said to have been chiefly on the
subject of Miss Ayres, the other wife of
Jetferis, whose charred remains had only
q few hours before been gathered from the
burning debris.
FERGUSON Is HERE.
A subpoena was yesterday issued in this
city for Rev. NJ. j. Ferguson, the
preacher who is said to have officiated at
the wedding of Jefferis and Miss Ayres
in July last, but he telegraphed to Dis
trict Attorney Ryan that he would come
up on the evening train.
He arrived last night and there was
scramble between newspaper reporters
anG officers over the possession of the
reverend gentleman. Two reporters of a
San Francisco paper claimed that the
clergyman had come here expressly for
their paper, while the officers were equally
as positive that he had come here because
he was wanted at the inquest, which is to
take place tonight.
Arriving at the Sheriff7s office one of
the San Francisco reporters demanded
that himself and Ferguson be permitted
to interview Jetferis without anyone else
being present. He demanded this as
right and privilege. But Under Sheriff
Bugbey was on deck, and he fatty denied
the right of anyone to claim or demand
any such exclusive privilege.
Some high words followed, and finally
Mr.. Bugbey ordered his Office vacated by
all except the officers and the witness.
He found it necessary, however, to bodily
eject the reporter.
PREACHER AND PRISONER
Then the clergyman was allowed to see
Jefferis, but only in the presence of the
District Attorney and officers. There
was no interview with the prisoner, the
object OF the visit being merely to see if
Mr. Ferguson could identify Jefferis as
the person whom he married to Miss
Ayres.
From the Jail the clergyman went to
District Attorney Ryan's office, where he
was examined at some length by the
latter, in the presence of Coroner George
II. Clark, touching matters connected
with the wedding and the subsequent
efforts of some person to obtain posses
sion of the marriage certificate.
SOMEWHAT RATIFIED.
1t was quite evident that the reverend
gentleman regretted that he had ever off,
ciated at the wedding. There had been
such pulling and hauling to get posses
sion of him, and so much excitement had
been created in the Sheriff's office by his
presence there, that he became quite
nervous, and could not make as definite
q statement as the officers wished.
1t will be remembered that at the time
the marriage between Jefferis and Miss
Ayres is said to have taken place he
(Jefferis) wore beard, which he after
ward shaved off; so that Rev. Mr.. Fergu-