The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-01
EVIDENCE OF THE CHEMIST
WHO EXAMINED THE WRAPPER
WORN BY THE DEFENDANT.
Said He Found No Trace of Blood on
the G~arment-Mr. Ayres's Inter-
view with Mrs. BONNIE.

counsel for the defense, made a preliminary
statement in behalf Of Mrs. BONNIE. 1t
was made evident from Mr.. Keene's state
ment that the defense would try to show
lack of motive for the crime on the part
OF Mrs. BONNIE and to support her plea
that Ayres was killed in a struggle after
he had tried to intimidate her with a re-
volver. The principal witness to-day was
Joseph Schaefer, a chemist, who made a
microscopic examination of the wrapper
worn by Mrs. Bonine on the night of the
tragedy, and who said he had found no
traces Of blood upon it. He also said that
he saw no blood on the slippers which she
had worn on that occasion. Another wit
ness Of the day was Ayres's father, who
told of an interview he had with Mrs.
BONNIE three or four days after the kill
ing. He outlined his efforts to arouse her
sympathy, but said that she did not re-
spOnd.
LIKE A JUNK SHOP.
The courtroom to-day presented some
what the appearance of a junk shop from
the fact that a number of the belongings
Of Ayres's room, in the Kenmore Hotel,
were exhibited. These included the blood
stained carpet, which covered the floor,
Ayres's two trunks, and a section from the
inner part of the wall of the room belong
ing under the window, showing blood upon
plaster and washboard. The wrapper
worn by Mrs. BONNIE on the night Of the
tragedy also was shown.
Lieut.. James A. Moore, of the police
force, was the first witness. He identified
this miscellaneous assortment of chattels.
He said that, acting under Mrs. Bonine's
inGfr11cffOnc he had oropa fO how tho
day she made her confession to the chief
of police, and had procured the wrapper
and delivered it to the detectives. There
are torn places under the arms of the gar
ment, which he had not seen on that oc-
casion, but he said or cross-examination
that they might possibly have been there
without him seeing them.
DR.. Edwar NJ. Schaefer, the chemist
who made a search for blood on Mrs. b.
mines wrapper and analysed the blood on
other articles in Ayres's room, testified
that he had the wrapper with
great care and had failed TO find any indi-
cation whatever of blood. II did not find
a spot as big as a pins head" he said. He
also said that the rips under the arms are
now larger than when he first saw the
dress.
District Attorney Gould asked: In case
of a struggle between a large person and a
small one. in which the larger had been so
rounded that blood poured over the small
er PERSONS shoulder, and the two had
fallen to the floor together, would il have
been possible to cleanse the garment from
the blood that would have got on it?'
1T would nave been possible to do so by
the use of chemicals and by boiling in a
vat, replied the witness. by this process
all traces of blood can be removed"
Would ordinary washing take it out?"
Il think not"
"If the garment had been recently
washed could Won have determined the
fact?"
IL could; it had not been washed"
On cross-eXamination DR.. Schaefer said
he had used only the microscopic tests; he
had made no chemical analysis. In reply
70 a question he said he had not intended
TO say hat the wrapper had never been
washed. but that it had not recently been
washed.
DIR. Schaefrer was subjected to a rigid
cross-examination, Mr.. Fulton. one of the
attorneys for the defense, using, for the
purpose Of illustrating his points, a young
man. and later Mrs. Meacham. Mrs. Bo-
mines sister. DR.. Schaeffer said 1t was not
BONNIE says she and Ayres fell, without
the woman getting blood upon a wrapper
worn by her at the time.
AYERS'S FATHER TEsTIFIES.
When DR.. Schaeffer was excused, James
S. Ayres. father Of the victim, was called
to the stand. He told Of coming to Wash
ington on the day after the tragedy. "Mr.
Ayres said he had sought out Mrs. Bonnie,
and" he said, II told her about my boy
who had been murdered" He then went on
to say that he told her how his son had lost
his mother when he was only three years
old, and how near and dear he was to him
because of the care ne had given him. II
tried" he said, ito be as sympathetic as
L could, because 1 had il In my mind that
Mrs. BONNIE was the destroyer OF my sons
nee onA L UyanfnH IN find the orrf1fxy ~
1 dwelt upon his character as a beautiful
and obedient boy and told her Of my af-
fectlonate parting with him when he left
me in Michigan TO come to Washington in
May, 1906. i really opened up my heart 10
her, telling her how, when he had left me
in Detroit, he had thrown his arms about
me and kissed me on the lips as a daugh-
ter would have done. l told her how 1
had admonished him to protect his reputa-
ton, saying to him that L knew he was
going TO a tough place. / told him that l
wanted him TO continue in the course he
had pursued and 1 preferred that he should
not drink at all, but that IL he did drink
he should not take more than one drink
In response to a question from Mr.. Gould
Mr.. Ayres said that Mrs. BONNIE had made
no response while he was talking, but that
when he concluded she said something
which he would never forget. What this
something was Mr.. Ayres did not reveal
and no question was asked to bring IL out.
Il thought that Mrs. BONNIE, being a
wife and a mother" he said, would mani
fest some sympathy with me in my dis
tress, and 1 dwelt upon all the particulars
OF my coming 10 Washington, telling how
/ had first received the news Of my sons
death and had afterward learned that he
had been murdered; but she manifested no
emotion whatever and interrupted me only
once. Then she looked up and smiled In
what / thought was a deceitful manner
and recited a quotation from Browning"
In response 10 another question from Mr..
Gould, Mr.. Ayres said that at this inter-
view Mrs. Bonine's manner was calm, self
contained and nOn-cOmmittal. Il thought !"
he said. that she was the nerviest woman
/ ever knew. She manifested no emotion
whatever and expressed no sympathy"
Mr.. Douglass announced when Mr.. Ayres
had concluded that out OF the respect OF
OF young Ayres they would ask no queS-
tons OF him on cross-examination. He also
said that for the same reason he had not
interrupted Ayres in making his statement,
Notwithstanding IL was in many respects in
violation OF the rules of evidence. Mr..
Gould then announced that the prosecution
had closed its case. and the court took
the usual noon recess.
MR.. KEENE'S STATEMENT.
After recess Attorney T. w. Keene. OF
counsel for Mrs. BONNIE, made the prelimi-
nary statement outlining the defense. He
contended in the beginning for due consid-
GRAFTON OF the presumption OF innocence.
This. he said. was evidence. not a mere
formality. Ii was not the purpose OF the
defense to minimize the orense of which
his client was charged. for IL was undenia-
bic that the tragedy had fallen heavily on