Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-05-21
SHE CONFESSES.
Mrs. Bonine Arrested for Mur-
der Of Joseph Ayres.
Voluntarily Says She Shot Him, While
Resisting Improper Advances.
Claimed 10 Have Been Enticcd TO Ayers Room
on Plea Of illness.

Washington. May 2O.-The mystery
attending the killing of James Sey
mour Ayres, a census Office clerk, in
the Kenmore Hotel, early last Wednes-
day morning, and which because of the
peculiar circumstances surrounding ii
has aroused Washington more than
any tragedy in several years, was solv-
ed, today, by voluntary confession
| from Mrs. Lulu ]. Bonine, a married
woman and a guest at the house, that
| three shots which ended Ayres' life
had been fired in struggle between
herself and Ayrcs. Mrs. Bonine is the
wife of a drummer for wholesale
drug house in Chicago.
The tragedy which resulted in Ayres'
| death was discovered. last Wednes-
day morning, when his dead body was
found in his room at the Kenmore q
| small family hotel.
Mrs. Bonines confession was entirely
voluntary When she reached police
headquarters she said she had state
ment TO make. She was turned over
to Detective Horne. who took her con-
fession. She said she was alone in
| Ayres' room with him when the kill
| ing took place and that the shooting
was the result of his own misconduct
| She stated that Ayres had drawn the
pistol upon her for the purpose of max
ing her respond to an improper pro-
posal which he had made to her.
| She said that Ayres had come to her
room in the Kenmore hotel, about .
O'Clock Wednesday morning. and upon
| the pretense of being i'll had gained
| admission to her room. He complain
| ed of feeling as il he was going to
have a chill and asked her to give him
| some preventive.
She mad given him, she said a medi-
| cine which she had in the room and he
| had then referred to some differences
which they had had in the past and
had asked her to come to his room
where they might quietly talk the
matter over. She had agreed.
When he called at her room he was
| entirely dressed. but when she entered
his room she found him standing be-
| hind the door undressed except as to
his undcrshrt and with revolver in
| his hand. He then told her that he
had entced her to the room for his
own purpose and that if she did not
submit to his wishes he would kill her.
ately graspcd the revolver and in the
| struggle which ensued it was dscharg-
cd three times, striking the man at
| each discharge, the last shot proving
| fatal. She says that the cries for help
which Miss Minas heard were all from
her. as were also the screaming which
| Miss Minas described.
| Mrs. Bonine says that after the
| shooting she passed through the win
dow of Ayres' room onto and down the
| fire escape ladder and entering the
! parlor window OF the second floor
passed through the parlor and back up
| the stairway of the hotel to her own
| room on the fourth floor. She then
| washed her hands. undrcssed and re-
| tired.
! Mrs. Bonine WAS entirely sclf-p
| sed. She is apparently about 90 years
| of age and says she was born in Ma
| son, Mo. She then removed to Hamil
| ton. in the same state and afterwards
| to Richmond. KaS., where her huSha nd
was engaged in the drug business. Sub
scGuently she went to Brunswick, Ga.
and then to Florida. where her hus-
band was engaged in orange growing.
| SHe says ti!at IL was ~ nc' nus
| bands solicitation that she learned to
| practice with revolver and that he
had made the suggestion that she
| should learn this art for sclf-1cfcnse
against possible assaults.
She said she had twice in her life
| fired a revolver to frighten burglars
| and that she had brought bull dog
| revolver with her to Washington. but
had given it away to a negro man.
| After she had concluded her state
mcnt the woman was placed under ar
rest and sent to the house of detention
| The dead mans name was' James
Seymour Ayres. He was between 90
and q years of age and lived in Port
Austin. Mich. before coming to Wash
ington as a clerk in the census office.