The record-union., 1893-01-05
HAS FAITH IN HIM,
Mrs. Jefferis Believes Her Husband IS
Innocent.

| Mrs. Jefferis Believes Her Husband IS
| Innocent.
| A reporter Of the San Francisco C1roni-
Gle on Friday visited the wife OF George
Jefferis, the railroad engineer who is now
under arrest on suspicion Of being impli-
Gated in the death of Miss L. 0. Ayres.
the Brighton telegraph operator, to learn
what she had to say on the subject. Mrs.
Jetferis is reported to be pretty little
/ woman, and very much attached to her
/ husband. She was very composed, and
/ had the greatest confidence that there was
no foundation for the serious charge
\ against her husband.
For one whole year l have not been
| out Of my house after dusk alone,D said
| Mrs. Jeiieris, "and all on account of that
| woman. My husband warned me that
| Miss Ayers was very desperate and in
! tended to do away with me. On this ac-
! count have never gone out at night, ex-
| cept on few occasions when my hus-
! band was able to accompany me- The
I woman was tiend incarnate, and for six
| years left no stone unturned to blight my
/ life and separate me from my husband
/ She tried her wiles on my husband for
/ several years, and finally had the etfront-
! cry TO write TO me. She finally attempted
| to bribe me to leave the country. Next
| she wrote threatening letters and prom
| lsed TO give me money If / would leave
! my husband. l spurned her offer. |
knew that my husband was true to me
and did not Wantsto have anything to do
with Miss Ayers, but she was insane in
her infatuation TOR my husband. She
/ thought that If | were out OF the way he
would marry her.
( Il never met the woman and did not
! know anything about her love for my
| husband until little over year ago. al
| though she began annoying Mr Jefferis
! with letters a few weeks after Our marri-
I age in 1856. He did not contide in me till
| last year, when he warned me to be very
| careful as Miss Ayers had designs on my
| life. My husband did not want to worry
| me about this woman's mad love, but
| she became so bold that he deemed it best
/ TO put me on my guard, and that is why
| he informed me about Miss Ayers.
The letters which l gave my husband
will 90 long way toward proving that
Tam telling nothing but the truth. 1
never did the woman any harm. She
! probably thought that / came between
! her and Mr.. Jeheris, but he would never
have married her. She was q bad, wicked
woman and has worried my husband as
no man was ever worried before, She
| conceived and put in execution every
/ plan that seemed likely to separate me
/ from my husband. y attempt was made
at concealment, and on account Of her
/ open threats l have been in mortal terror
1 OF my life.
There is no truth in the report that
my husband ever married Miss Ayres or
ever contemplated marrying her. How
| could he? l was his lawful wife, and
there is no better nor truer husband in
this world than George Jeheris. No one
can assail his character. He was very
| domestic in his habits, and was never
away from home when he was in the
! city.
mo one could make me believe that
my husband would do anything wrong.
As for committing arson and numbering
Miss Ayres, why the very thought IS
terrible. He will be cleared, though, as
he is innocent, while her reputation was
anything but savory."
Jetferis is about IS years old. and has
! been in the employ of the Southern
Pacific since the 10th OF January, 1876.
He has two children by his present wife,
one five and a half and the other three
and half years old. He also has two chill
dren by his first wife. from whom he was
divorced little while before the MARI
riage to his present wife, who was a
Lathrop girl.