The times., 1901-05-24

| were presented to Major Sylvester.
| through Inspector BoaPdman, but we were
| not permitted to arrest the woman. No
| positive orders to the contrary. however,
| We're given us Yet. had we acted. arrest
| Cd Mrs. Bonino, and placed her in jail,
the responsibility would have rested en-
! tirely on the man who acted, and in case
OF a mistake, severe cenSure. if not dis
missqi from the force, would have fol-
| loged
II do not believe that Mrs. Bonine would
! have been able to evolve such a shrewd
( story IN her defence If she had been taken
! into custody when the suspicion warrant
! ed her detention. OF course, am making
J this statement on the theory that Mrs
| Bonlne has not told the true version of the
| killing of Ayers. OF course l do not be-
! lieNe that she has told the truth. Sne has,
J in my opinion, cOucocted merely a shrewd
/ scheme Of defence which she should not
! have had time to make up. In fact she
! would have been taken off her guard
| For instance, let me call your attention
/ to several weak points in her story. She
| SAYS she was struggling with Ayers for
! the possession of the revolver If so.
| the WeanOn could not have been more
| than arms length from Ayers. 1t is
| probable that his arms would have been
( ncNed ana the pistol within a foot or
so of his body. Yet there were no pow
der burns from two Of the shots, the
ones producing the wounds on the leg and
in the breast. The left arm alone show
ed that q pistol had been held close
(! enough to produce a powder burn. These
facts tend to show that the revolver was
Atit d ieN itel away Wnen discharged.
In my opinion Ayers was first shot in
the leg and crippled, and it was then easy
TO finish him
Between Coroner Nevitt and his assist
ant, DR.. GIazebrook. there is said TO be a
gulf the bottom of which has not yet
Deen reached. There are those who state
that Deputy Coroner Glazebrook has
pressed his services upon the Coroner to
the point of interference with the duties
and prerogatives of the latter. 1t is well
known that Dr. Glazebrook showed re-
markable prOwess at the inquest: that he
was most minute in his questions,
many of which came within the scope of
personal investigation by the Coroner,
and that his explanations of bloodstains
and the like were somewhat at variance
with the testimony of DIR. Edward NJ
Schaener, an expert in microscopical ex-
animation
It is reported that DR. GlaZebrook threat
ened more than once to clear the room
in which the inquest was being held at
the Sixth precinct station. This was be-
cause he thought the newspaper men, the
detectives, and the public were making
too much noise for inquest
With Coroner hewitt, the inquest ap-
peared to be tedious one, for he brought
ii most abruptly to a close, without hear
ing the testimony of Mrs. Bonine, who
had refused to swear that she made any
confession at all
Considerable comment was occasioned
yesterday when ii became evident TO the
public what a brilliant move Mrs Bonine
had made in furnishing the police with
the case was discussed in hotel corridors
and on the street corners and the uni
versal verdict was that either Mrs Bo-
nine Is a woman of extraordinary mental
ability, has had the benefit of exceptional
legal advice, or by accident stumbled upon
the most adroit move that was possible
under the circumstances.
AT first she endeaVOred to keep clear
of any connection with the ragedy, but
when it became evident to her that she
could not avoid being involved she did
what the officials believe has never been
equaled in the history of crime.
She has placed herself in a position
where the Government viii be compelled
to place her statement fn the hands of
the grand jury, thus ensuring hearing
for the defence before that body. This
action is considered unprecedented. Mrs.
bonlne. they say, saw that each day was
IUt aLuiEg TO the accumulation Of evil
dence, all Of which pointed directly to her
having some connection with the case.
This evidence was summed uD as far
as could be done without interfering with
the ends of justice, the morling OF the
day of Mrs. BOnine's confession, as il |
was called at the time. As the time ap-
preached when she was to be placed un-
before the jury which was sitting in in
quest over the remains of the dead man
she recognized that it would be impossi- !
bic for her 10 avoid being implicated in |
the case in some way, and she took one |
Of the detectives aside and poured into |
his ear a story of the crime that was |
I
but which it is now believed was an !
adrOit defence.
BY this means she avoided the eXamlna- !
tion on the stand under oath and the eTa- /
baTrassing and trying ordeal which it IN |
YOlyed. She placed in the hands OF the |
Government a statement that viii be used /
before the grand jury and that az a mat |
ter of fact viii place before that BODY /
the defence of the accused She will also /
be able to place before the trial jury her /
statement Of the case without going on 1
the stand and being subjected to the at |
tacks of the prosecuting attorney or in |
voiviug an examination IS 10 any Of her |
But bv far the most important bearing |
that her action had on the case was the
calling off Of the detectives and others |
from the search for evidence and the |
abandonment of effort on their part and /
on the part Of the Coroner The Coroners |
Office appears to lave been satisfied that |
a person had been found who could be |
charged with the crime. or at least held
mediately abandoned the investigation, al
though several important Witnesses had
not been examined. This resulted IN
verdict by the jurors that was C0uchea IN /
such language as is already proving eX-
tremely embarrassing 10 the Government.
Mrs. BoniTe is in tho peculiar position |
Of being confined in the District Jail
without any charge standing gaInst her.
When placed under arrest by Detective |
Horne and Lieutenant Moore
and lodged at the House Of Detention the
fnalBe OF LluEltI disfTtIfI against JiteE
name on the records of that institution. |
For want Of proper evidence before them |
the Coroner jury avoided a direct ac- !
cusatiOn and simply alleged that Ayers |
came to his death In struggle In which |
Mrs. BOnine was involved. Douglass & |
Douglass. who have been retained as
counsel for Mrs. Bonine. have seized VI on
this weakness and propose. il Is under
stood, to base their claim for writ of |
habeas corpus upon IL. Attorneys who |
have discussed that matter believe that |
the point IS well taken and that there is |
an excellent chance for her TO secure her |
liberty IN this manner.
James Seymour Ayers. the father Of
the dead man. Is quoted in a Detroit |
paper as saying in zone of calm de-
the -volver out OF his hand is all non
sense. lie was an all-arOGnd athlete. a
fine runner, wrestler, and boxer. and Is
it likely she could disarm him2 She is a
French woman, and old enough to be his |
mother Why, she has a boy of fifteen |
Walter Gum the cOlOred waiter who
was formerly employed at the Kenmore |
Hotel and 10 whom Mrs. Bonine stated |
she had given the revolver that she FORM |
erly owned. visited Police Headquarters |
y Yesterday afternoon and turned the
weapon over to Captain Boardmau.
II Is a 32 calil-e Of the bulldog type, a.
Mrs Bonine had described.
Gum stated that he had not worked at |
the Kenmore since March. 1900, and that |
Mrs. Bonine gave him the weapon in
either January or February Of that year. |
detectives Whatever Mrs Bonines con
nection with the case has been the police
that she is one of the most re
markable women that they have ever
dealt with
It Is true that Mrs Bonine is woman
l.