The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-05-22
Mrs. Bonine's Statement to the Wash.
ingtOn Police Contradicted i'm
Important Particular.
CONFESSION NOT SWORN TO
MRS. BONNIE YESTERDAY DECLINED
TO MAKE AFFIDAVIT.
Removed to the District of Columbia
Jail After the COrOner's Ner-
dict-Ayres's Father Angry.

WASHINGTON, May 2.-The coroner's
jury which has been investigating the MUIR
der of James S. Ayres, the young Census
Office clerk, at the Hotel Kenmore last
Wednesday morning, to-day brought in the
following verdict:
James Seymour Ayres came to his death
Wednesday, May 10. 1901. about the hour OF
o'clock a. m, at the Hotel Kenmore, IroIn
pistol shot wound in the chest. Further
more, that said shot was fired during
fatal conflict between said James Seymour
Ayres and Lola Ida Henri Bonine. We,
the coroner's jury, hold Lola Ida Henri
Bonine for the grand jury"
Before the jury rendered its verdict
number of witnesses were heard. An effort
was made to show that Miss Minas could
easily have heard voices through the door
connecting her room with that of Ayres
and that lights could have been seen
through the cracks. Detectives Horne and
Weldon testified to this effect, but Miss
Minas declared she saw no lights on the
night of the shooting. She also testified
that the cries she heard coming from
Ayress room were made by mans voice
and not by a woman's. She positive
that the voice was not that of Mrs. Bonine.
This contradicts Mrs. Bonine, who, in her
confession yesterday, said she had uttered
the only vocal sounds made in the room
at the time of the tragedy. Detective
Horne's testimony concerning yesterdays
confession was not materially different
from the statement as then given out.
District Attorney Gould said that Mrs.
Bonine had decided to appear before
the coroner's jury.
The typewriter copy of her confession
was taken to Mrs. Bonine to-day for the
purpose OF having her swear to IT, as she
was not under oath when she made the
statement Yesterday; Mrs Bonine. after
lawyer, and he had advised her TO avoid
anything in the nature of assisting the
prosecution. When the confession was
presented TO her to-day she positively re-
fused to make the desired affidavit After
the coroners jury had rendered the verdict
Mrs. Bonine was removed TO the city Jail.
y Washington dispatch to the Phladel-
phia Press says: The father of Ayres, the
young clerk in the Census Office who was
murdered the other night in the Kenmore
Hotel, expresses himself very bitterly be-
cause of the extraordinary neglect of people
come To the aid of his son. Three shots
were heard in his SON. room about O. CLOCK
in the morning, and he was also heard to
cry for help. and while number of people
have testified that they heard the shots
and one or two more to the fact that they
heard him cry for help, and two persons
say they saw woman come out of Ayres's
room and go down fire escape. yet no
one made any inquiries about the matter or
offered any assistance, and the dead body
was not discovered until several hours
aftcrward. The extraordinary circum-
stances call forth a good deal OF criticism.
A woman occupied an adjoining room, with
only a thin partition wall between, and she
testified under oath that she heard the
shots and the cry for help and the sobs
Of the dying man. and yet she never said
a wCrd about 1T until o'clock the next
morning. when she casually inquired of one
oil the hotel employees if Ayres had come
DOWN TO breakfast, and expressed the
opinion that there was something wrong in
his room. That led TO the discovery of the
murder. Richard p. Hopkins, man who
occupied the room above that in which
Ayres was murdered, also heard the shots
and the outcry. but, according TO his own
testimony, made effort whatever to in
vestigate or find out ii anything had hap
pened TO Ayres The people living in the
adjoining house heard the pistol shots and
one man, Thomas NJ. Baker saw a woman
come out of Ayres' window and descend
the fire escape. and yet that man gave no
alarm or made effort to find out what
had happened. A young. man across the
road also heard the shots and saw the wom-
an descend the fire escape Altogether il
seems TO be most remarkable case, and
the father of the young man is justified
apparently in the bitter feeling he expresses
concerning the way his son was neglected.
The boy had a good reputation, and was
only twenty-one years DID,