The record-union., 1893-11-10
THE BRIGHTON TRAGEDY.
Eighth Day of the Trial of George
B. Jefferis.
Testimony to the Effect That Miss
Ayres' Clothing Was Found sat-
urated With Oil.

eris, for the murder of Clara Olga Ayres,
the Brighton telegraph operator. con-
tinues to attract crowds to Department
One of the Superior Court, notwithstand-
ing many of the same persons listened to
the same witnesses few months ago,
when Jefferis was partially tried for big
amy.
While most of the testimony thus far
introduced was brought out at the other
trial, in the present case there have been
some new points touched upon.
The defense claims it cannot be shown
that Clara Olga Ayres is dead-that
it was impossible to identify the re-
mains found in the debris of the burned
station. 70 fully establish the fact that
the woman was burned when the build
ing was destroyed, the prosecution yes
terday recalled officer True, who de-
scribed the fragments of clothing found
about the blackened trunk, and pro-
duced her watch. The face of it showed
that it must have stopped at Loo O'Clock.
DR.. q. A. White, County Physician.
who examined the body at the Coroner's
inquest, said the stomach was burned to
such compressed mass that it could not
be learned whether it contained poison
or not. AS to the head, it was gone, as
were also the legs.
Coroner e. II. Clark testified that the re-
mains were identified to the satisfaction
of the Coroner's jury as those of Miss
Ayres. He found fragments of clothing
under the body, but did not notice any
odor of Oil about them.
g. l.. Dreison of Stanton, Neb., Miss
Ayres' brother, testified that when the
remains were received by the family and
the coffin opened they detected very
strong odor of burnt oil. He said he was
an engineer, and knew it to have been
mineral, seal or signal oil. The former
is used for lighting lamps in railroad
coaches, and the latter for signal lights.
The former burns rapidly, while the lat
ter burns slowly.
Witness said that after coming here he
visited the ruins of the Brighton Station
with District Attorney Ryan and c. C.
McMullen, and MIR. Ryan found a piece
of dress material in the debris. A piece
of cloth was shown the witness, and he
declared there was strong evidence of oil
on it, and that it was similar 10 the oil the
odor of which was detected when the
caSket was opened.
Mrs. Ii. Anderson, who was formerly
Miss Susie b. Cox, identified portions of
the clothing found in the ruins as belong
ing to Miss Ayres. She testified that the
latter told her that she was married to
Jetferis, but the court directed that the
statement be ruled out aS being hearsay.
Another friend of the deceased, Miss
Matte Stoeckel, testified that she parted
with Miss Ayres about half-past o'clock
on the evening before the fire. 1t was at
Brighton Station, and Miss Ayres was
alone. Witness and Miss Ayres came to
town on the Saturday preceding July 4th
and the latter was with Jelferis about an
hour, after which she and witness drove
back to Brighton.
In response to questions by General
Hart, witness said she knew Sam Fulton
of Brighton; she had never seen him
talking to Miss Ayres; Fulton did not,
she thought, resemble Jefferis.
DR.. w. f. Wizard testified to the incl
dent of himself and wife detecting the
odor of burning cloth while passing the
Brighton station about o'clock on the
morning of the fire. They could see no
fire and passed on.
Mrs. j. Il. Fonte, the first wife of JEFF
ferris, again told the story of Jefferis' al
legged proposition to her IN Oakland to go
to Brighton with him and if possible OBJ
tain the 5000 that Miss Ayres had there,
witness to receive 500 of it. She asked
Jefferis if he thought Miss Ayres would
quietly submit and he replied:
whats the matter with killing her
and burning down the station? Every
body Will think that trampS did It," lie
said: 81 will do it, if l hang for it.''
Witness said Jefferis threatened to kill
her if she repeated what had passed be-
tween them.
When it came to Mrs. Fonte's cross
examination some very sharp passages
occurred between her and General Hart
growing out of the latter's effort to provo
that she and her husband ran public
house of questionable reputation in Oak
land. The most the witness would ad-
nit was that they kept respectable
saloon.
Witness said she procured her divorce
from Jeff'eris on account OF his present
wife formerly Nellie Eby). He claimed
to be in trouble and the divorce was pro-
cured at his request.
| Being asked if she had been married
more than three times, witness replied.
mo, not YETI
| Shortly after 4 o'clock Judge Prewett
declared a recess until 10 o'clock this
morning. He SAID that possibly he might
at that hour continue the recess until
Monday morning.
Subsequently it was learned that the
cause of the sudden recess was the re-
ceipt by Judge Prewett of atelegram an
nouncing that his mother was lying at
the point OF death at his home in Auburn.