The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-11-26
Man to Whom Mrs. BOnine Flrsl
Told Her Story
Gives Testimony Rather Favor
able to the Defendant.
HE is AN ATTORNEY.
She Told Him All About 1t the
bay of the Tragedy.
Her Story Then Was Almost
Identical With Later One.

Washington. Nov. 26.-The first wit
ness called at the trial of Mrs Lola
Ida Bonine for the murder OF James
Seymour Ayers, jr., today was Wm- .
Shoenberger, keeper of the morgue- he
testified to having taken cnarge oi
Ayers body at the Kenmore hotel anu
TO taking it to the morgue on the morn
ing of May 10 last, under the direction
of the coroner. He had also, ne salu,
been present at the autopsy ana ndu
photographs showing the location OF tne
wounds in the body The films were
introduced as evidence and eXhlolted 70
the Jury Mrs. Bonine gave one nasty
look at the pictures as they We're neiu
by one of the attorneys, but she QUICK
ly turned her head and gave tnem no
further attention. She engaged IN con-
versation with Attorney Fulton most Oh
the time while most OF this testimony
was given
The witness said there were powder
marks on the breast and arm WouhQs'
but none on the thigh wound Under
the arm there was a burn DescIioltS
the condition of the corpse when ne
found it, Mr.. ShOenberger said the arms
were drawn up in front of the lace
In order that the stenographer may
describe the posture" said Mr. Goulu,
Il suppose there Will be no objection TO
his noting that the attitude was one OF
defense
I'VE do object most decidedly" re-
sponded Mr.. Douglass
The court agreed that the descrip-
ton would be improper. and it was de-
cided that he should say that the arms
were placed as if shielding the face
On cross-examinati ton 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 more shells ana
cartridges on the trunk and on the
WaShStand-
The next witness was Mr.. Geo. B.
Gardner, an attorney in the interior de-
partment who with his family Occu-
pied rooms under the suite occupied by
the BOnines in the Kenmore hotel His
testimony was new. The fact was
brought out that Mrs. Bonine had made
her first confession to him This con-
fession had, the witness said, been
made on the evening of May Is, the
day of the tragedy. He was followed to
his room by Mrs. BOnine-
''She stated to me- he said, that she
knew more about the death of Ayers
than had been given to the public l
think he hesitated a moment and either
my manner, or something L said induced
her to go on and she said she was pres
ent when it happened and told me that
she had come to me because she wanted
my advice. She told me that on the
morning of Ayers death he came to her
room and knocked on her door and
complained of being i'll and asked if she
could not do something for him: that
when she got into Ayers room he had
assaulted her and had pistol in his
hand and in the scuffie which ensued, he
was killed"
Did she describe the struggle that
took placer" asked the district attor-
ney.
The witness stated that she said moth
ing more than that during the struggle,
the assault. the pistol was fired The
witness stated that she did not tell in
whose hands the pistol was but later
corrected himself by saying that he be-
heved she said the weapon was in
Ayers hand. She also told me that
Ayers was under the influence of liquor
at the time of the shooting said Mr..
Gardner.
The witness also said that Mrs Bonine
had spoken to him again on the next
day, or the second day after the trag
edy. She sat at the same table with
him in the dining room and she again
sought to talk with him concerning the
tragedy. She said" Mr.. Gardner tes-
titled, that she was feeling bad and
that nothing was sustaining her except
the consciousness of her innocence She
added that she could not get it out and
asked me If she had better destroy it.
BY it 1 understood her to mean that
she referred to one of her garments,
but I did not know what. I told her
to destroy nothing, as she had not de-
cided upon a public confession
HER MANNER WAS HURRIED
On cross-examination Mr.. Gardner
testified that he could not exactly say
IL
hurried, and her manner was tense
She had asked his advice as to the ad-
visa bility as to making a public state
ment- and he had advised her to re-
main quiet until it was determined
whether the suicide theory would hold
good.
On cross-examination Miss Minas tes-
titled that in her room the night of the
tragedy she had talked with Mrs.
Bonine about trip which they had ar
ranged to make to Falls Church the
next day The noises which she heard
in the middle of the night sounded to
her as if they came from the hall. She
did not recognize the voice as. that of
Mr.. Ayers. She heard no evidence of a
struggle On the Monday night before
the tragedy Ayers and Mrs Bonine
were entertained in her room. She gave
them ice cream and cake. She saw no
that night.
When Miss Minas was excused Miss
Mary Woliums was called. She had the
room under that occupied by Ayers
ana ana saw the shadow of a person pass
her room at o'clock of the morning
that Ayers was killed She said she re
tired the night before about 10 O'Clock
ana was awakened by sounds in the
room over ner own She heard voices
pistol shots and something falling She
had gotten up, lighted the gas and
looked at her watch She then noted
the shadow of a person passing if The
SHADOW. she said, was thrown upon the
Wah OF ner apartment The next morn
Ing MISS Wollums left and did not re-
turn until Thursday night She then
expressed fear of going To her room
WHereupon Mrs BOnine volunteered to
90 with ner- After they arrived there
Mrs Bonine asked her about tbe
shadow and requested her TO evn1ai,, -
her how 1t appeared. When Miss VVolI
ums replied that she could NOT rronerI1,
snow ner now 1t was with the gas burn