The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-11-27
She HAD CONFESSED
INTERESTING DEVELOPMENT IN
THE BONNIE TRIAL.
TOLD A LAWYER FRIEND.
ASKED HIS ADVICE BEFORE TALK
ING AT INQUEST.


Look Upon Photographs of Ayres'
Body Showing Bullet Wounds.
Several witnesses visited saloons
with Ayres on Night of Killing,
but All Say He Came Home Sober.
Lawyer Gardner Relates Mrs. Bo-
mines Confession to Him.
Washington. Nov. 26.-The fact was
brought out to-day in the trial of Mrs.
Lola /. Bonine for the killing of James
S. Ayres, Jr., that she had made pri
vate confession of her part in the
tragedy on the evening after the homi-
eide. several days before she took the
police officials into her confidence. This
recital was made to George B. Gardner,
an attorney employed in the law divis-
ion of the interior department, who was
a boarder at the Kenmore Hotel, and
who usually sat at the same table at
| which Mrs. Bonine took her meals. Mr..
| Gardner was on the witness stand to-
| day and told his story for the first
time. He said that Mrs. Bonine had
| sought him out and asked his advice
as to whether she should make a pub
| lie statement, and that he had sug-
gested to her that she should delay her
confession until the theory of suicide.
which was first entertained, should be
fully exploited. A number of other wit
nesses were heard during the day. sew
eral of them being men who had taken
Ayres out to the neighboring saloons
during the evening of May IA, and one
of whom had taken him to his room af-
ter midnight about two hours before
he met his death. These witnesses said
| Ayres was perfectly sober.
William Schoenberger, keeper of the
morgue, testified to having taken
charge. of Ayres' body. He had been
present at the autopsy and had taken
photographs showing the location of the
wounds on the body. The films were in
troduced as evidence and exhibited to
the jury. Mrs. Bonine gave one hasty
look at the pictures as they were held
by one of the attorneys, but she quick
ly turned her head and gave them nc
4 further attention. She engaged in con-
versation with Attorney Fnlton most oi
the time while this testimony was be-
ing given.
The witness said there were powder
marks on the breast and arm wounds
but none on the thigh wound. Under
the arm there was a burn. Describing
the condition of the corpse when he
| found 1t. Mr.. Schoenberger said the
arms We're drawn UP in front of the
/ face.
I'm order that the stenographer may
describe the posture" said Mr. Gould,
II suppose there will be no objection
| to his noting that the attitude was one
of Defense"
1--WE do object most decidedly" re-
| sponded Mr.. Douglass.
The court agreed that the descrip-
| ton would be improper, and it mas
| decided that he should say that the
arms were placed as if shielding the
| face.
| on cross-examination the witness
| said that when he entered the room
where the killing occurred, he saw sew
| eral empty cartridge shells in the slop
| jar and, had also seen some shells
and cartridges on the trunk and on
| the washstand.
Her First Confession.
The next witness was George b.
| Gardner, to whom Mrs. Bonine made
her first confession on the night after
| the tragedy.
| she knew more about the death of
| Ayres than had been given to the pub
| lie. ! think she hesitated a moment,
| and either my manner or something
I said induced her to go on, and she
| said she was present when it hap
pened and told me that she had come
to me because she wanted my advice.
| She told me that the morning of
| Ayres' death he came to her room and
knocked on her door and complained
of being ILL., and asked If she could
! not do something for him; that when
| she got into Ayres room he had as
saulted her, and had a pistol in his
hand. and in the scuffie which ensucd,
he was killed"
Did she describe the struggle that
took place." asked the district attor-
| ney.
| The witness said that she said Moth
/ ing more than that when the struggle
! followed the assault the pistol was
| fired. The witness stated that she did
not tell him in whose hands the pistol
was. but later corrected himself by say
ing that he believed she said the wea-
pom was in Ayres' hand
She also told me that Ayres was un-
! der the influence of liquor at the time
OF the shooting" said Mr.. Gardner
The witness also said that Mrs. Bo-
nine had spoken 10 him again on the
next DAY or the second day after the
| tragedy She sat at the same table with
him in the dining room and she again
sought 10 talk with him concerning the
tragedy.
she said" Mr.. Gardner testified.
that she was feeling badly and that
nothing was sustaining her except the
console usnezs OF her innocence. She
added that she could not get ~ out and
asked me II she had better destroy H.
By ~ / understood Der 10 mean that
| she referred 20 one OF her garments,
but ! didn't know what ] told her 20
destroy nothing as she had not decided
upon o. public confession"
on cross examination Mr. Gardner
testified that he could not exactly say
Mrs. BOnine Was excited. She was hur-
Tled and her manner was tense She
had asked bis 8dy8ce - - be adyis-
ability Of making o. public statement.
ana b. bad advised her 70 remain quiet
Unn it was determined whether the
suicide theory wDuif hold g0oa,
said AgeFs wss s0beF,
james Burns, WHO Was Ayres' infl.
mate friend. ang who ha9 aaeomDa-
MED nIm ~ 30 room fae nlFhi NJ fhs
trfEeqF Hef nF1f Gales. ~ said t4af
30 ihe niEbf ~ tfe tfgFe1y Akfet bed
gone Nffh hin aHd several Others ~
fA0 ~ tlfes sficgot arQ8ud fse corner.
where ~ feie. hyrfp hsf oTBnk fgaf.
inRlY re hNN fhen At GDgH " ~
o'elofs ncc9WpRrieg fffef ~ fif roqn
ieafinF NlW ln 3 perfectly folef conc
for 4nf Hfneff 1910 fhsf Nhi'f ofiNr
rp'lY Afrer sne Afs h9ulof nbf ben