The evening times., 1901-05-20
PRIcE ONE CENT
AYERS CASE TESTIMONY
Probing for Solution of the KEN
more Hotel Mystery.
Interesting Evidence Brought Ont at
the Inquest Thfs MorniBE-A Lock-
smith Important witness-No
Yerdic: Expected Until Tomorrow.

the inquest sls 1UrnfH HE-A LOCK-
smith an Important witncss-No
Verdict Expected UntII Tomorrow.
The Coroner. the court officers. and the
detectives at work on the Ayers murder
mystery, are bending every effort to as
certain who is responsible for the trag-
edy enacted in the Kenmore Hotel last
| Wednesday morning.
The great bulk of evidence already
brought out by the enquiry which Is pro-
eeeding slowly at the Sixth precinct po-
| lice station, only tends to confuse The
mind The case is so surrounded by en-
vironments and circumstances which may
! or may not be of value, so far as the
tragedy itself is concerned. that nothing
definite can be arrived at until all the tes-
tin1ony is IN, and it has been carefully put
together and considered. as its various
parts corroborate or ada to the weight oe
each other.
| Taken by themselves as bits OF circum-
stantiaI evidence some of the statements
! Of witnesses heard by the Coroner's jury
today are highly sensational, but they
shed no light directly upon the murder
| Several witnesses declared that they had
| seen Mrs Bonine the married woman so
f-equently mentioned in the proceedings,
| in the room OF Ayers, and one of them,
Mary Grayson. formerly chamber
maid at the Kenmore, testified that she
| had heard Ayers order Mrs Bonin4 from
his room upon one occasion. and that the
latter explained to her that Ayers was
angry with her because he thought she
| had told the guests of the hotel some
| thing about his having been intoxicated
What the police seem to attach consid-
erabIe Importance to is an anonymous
postal card received by Major Sylvester.
the contents of which have not been made
public.
". W. Warfeld, the proprietor Of the
Kenmore. was placed upon the stand
again. and admitted that. by Ayers di-
| rection, he had recently had a new lock-
put upon the door of Ayers room The
Iocksmfth who put this lock on the door
testified that Warfeld shad said to him
that he wanted lock placed there that
TO other key IN the hoteG would 1T
The case is still an absorbing topic and
there is not sufficient room at the sixth
station to hold the crowds eager to hear
the enquiry.
Standing room was in demand long be-
fore the hour set fer the hearing to be re-
sumed arrived a number of prominent
people had received cards of admission
from the Coroner and were among the
early eomers- There were several mem
bers OF the Diplomatic Corps present.
| There was much larger number OF woEn-
en- present than on Saturday and the
bright colors in their hats and dresses re-
lieved the sombre aspect Of the scene.
The witnesses and the jure-s were Iats IN
arriving despite the fact THAI they had
been notified that the enquiry would be
resumed at 10 O'Clock instead OF IL
Deputy Coroner GIazebrook was the
first Of the officials connected with the en-
quiry to arrive. He reached the station
shortly after $50 o'clock and proceeded
at once to the dorrnitory on the second
floor, which is being temporarily used by
the Coroner. Soon afterward others be-
gan to appear. 1t was nearly IL O'Clock
when Dr. hewitt entered the room and
announced that everything was in readf-
ness to proceed The room was then
cleared of all witnesses and the jurors
settled themselves for the tedious days
work before them.
Just previous to the calling Of the first
witness several photographers secured
permission to take pictures Of the jury
and group of those who figure rromi-
nentIy in the hearing
TESTIMONY OF MISS LAWLEsS-
Miss Kate 5. Lawless was the first wit
ness. She testified that she had lived at
the Kenmore about two years and oecu-
pied room 19 on the fourth floor Of the
hotel. which room adJoined that Of Ay-
ers She said she reached the hotel about
10 o'clock last Tuesday night, and did not
know that a dance had been in progress.
The witness said that Mrs Pickrell often
played the piano for those at the hotel to
dance. The witness said she did not know
that Ayers had any particular woman
friend at the hotel She knew nothing cf
the tragedy until after she returned from
her work at the Bureau OF Engraving and
Printing about $50 O'Clock in the after
noon Of last Wednesday.
Did you hear any unusual noises on
the night of the tragedy the witness
was asked
Il did not My sleep was slightly dis
turbed by a noise but it was vague and
indefinite" replied the witness
Miss Lawless when requested to do so,
could not describe the character of the
noise she heard. About $50 o'clock in
the afternoon of Wednesday. the wit
ness said, she returned from her Office to
the hotel. and was told for the first time
of the killing of Ayers The information
was given by Mrs. Drew, wife Of a Capt.
toI policeman, who boards in the house
Mrs. Drew said Ayers had been found
dead in his room,' he witness declared
Miss Lawless said she had not danced
with Ayers for about a week She never
saw Mrs Bonine or any other woman 90
to the room of Ayers. She did not know
that Ayers had any particular friends
among the wamen Of the hotel and had
never heard of his having had quarrel
with any of the women there
7rr11, STJADOw ON THE WALL