The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-11-26
MISS MINAS HEARD SHOTS Reports Followed by the Body's Falll ;.
  THE TRIAL OF ,Ss. BONNIE
  Policeman ys;w's Evidence Favor sae Defense. He Swore There Was Room Enough For Him to Stand Behind Door While It Was
 Opened.

Seymour Ayres, Jr., at the Kenmore I1o- tel last May, began in real earnest today.
 The preliminary details as to the ind ing of the body, the location of the fur niture, blood stains, etc., were all brought in with the conclusion of the tes- timony of J. F. Drew. the Capitol police man, who was on the stand when the court adjourned last Friday. Baker, the man who saw Mrs Bonine descending the fire escape; Hopkins. who roomed over Ayres and raised the first outcry; Miss Woolums, who roomed under Ayres, and Miss Lawless and Miss Minas, who roomed in either side of him. testified to- day. Drew testified that there was room enough behind the door of Ayres's room for a man to have been there while the door was opened to admit another per- son, a contention which the prosecution denies, and also that there was empty cartridges in the slop jar in Ayres's room before the pistol with which the shooting was done was emptied by Officer Brady after the tragedy. This would tend to establish the theory of the defense that the pistol belonged to Ayres.
 Policeman Drew Resumes.
 J. Frank Drew, the Capitol policeman, who was on the stand Friday when court adjourned, resumed his testimony when court convened today. He swore that he had several times seen the defendant come out of Ayers's room. The last oc- casion was about a week before the trag- edy. It was at night, about o'clock On crcss-examination he testified that he locked over the transom into the room on the morning the Ayerss body was dis covered. He was closely questioned as to the location of the furniture, clothing and the position of the body, to which he has testified upon direct examination. He tes- t'fieS that there was space enough behind the door for a person to have stood there while the door was opened to admit an- other person. He testified that he had seen Mrs Bonine come out of the rooms of others in the hotel, among them those of several single men, and her demeanor was in no wise different from that when he saw her emerge from Ayers's room. She displayed no evidence of excitement. Her bearing was natural. She had habit of visiting the sick.
 Baker Heard Pistol
 Thomas M Baker, an employe of the Fish Commission Company, who resides in the building adjoining the Kenmore, testified that on the night of the tragedy he was awakened by the report of pis- tol shot He jumped out of bed, went to the window and heard voice from above inquiring what was wrong below He replied that he had heard pistol shots. ..
 Then, while standing at his window, he saw figure on the fire escape just out side of Ayers's window. The figure walk ed the length of the fire escape in his direction, and then desce nded two flights to the floor of the veranda, where it dis appeared into a window. It was the fig ure of a small woman, clad in dark, tight-fitting clothing. The woman wore no hat, and as he did not hear the fall of her footsteps, he judged she was in her stocking feet. He described the man. ner of her descent, which he said was very deliberate and without emotion.
 He did not know the defendant at the time of the tragedy, but he saw her about 1 o'clock of the afternoon of that day. She was at that time being questioned by Detective Horne. She was smiling and he heard her say she knew nothing about the cause of Ayers's death. The shots he heard sounded muffied. He could not tell exactly but judged they were about 10 or 15 seconds apart.
 Hopkins Saw a Skull.
 Robert P. Hopkins, clerk in the War Department, who lived at the Kenmore Hotel where the tragedy occurred, tos- t!fied that he lived on the fifth floor, over the room of Miss Lawless, who occupied the room adjoining that in which Ayers was killed. His daughter was ill all the night of the tragedy. He had been att tending her and just as he was returning to bed he heard three loud reports. He went to the window and looked down. He saw something which looked like skull lying on the fire escape, just outside the window which he afterwards ascertained was the window of Ayers's room. The shots were fired in quick succession, ahout four seconds, he judges, between the first and the second.
 Tn the conclusion of MT. Hopkins's tes- timony there was stir in the court room as Emma A. Lawless. who occupied the room adjoining that in which the tragedy occurred, was called. Miss Law Iess showed considerable nervousness as che took the stand. She testified that che was employed in the Bureau of En- craving and Printing. On the night of the tragedy about 9:30 o'clock she testified that Ayers knocked at her door and ask ed If she had any sugar. He told her he was going away and wanted to make some cocoa. She gave him the sugar.
 About ten minutes later he knocked again and asked her if she did not want A cup. She re piled that she did not care for if About 10 o'clock she retired. She was slightly aroused during the night hut was not awakened. She formed no idea as to what aroused her or what time it was. The District Attorney then turned the witness over to the defense counsel. but he asked but a single ques- ton which brought out nothing addition al At 12:15 o'clock the court took a re- cess until 10 o'clock
 Miss Mary Minas.
 After the recess, Miss Mary E. Minas described what she knew of the tragedy, She had been awakened by three pistol shots, followed by cries for help and a gurgling sound; then a fall, and then all was quiet. Her first idea was that it was a burglar in the hall, but it all happened so quickly that she really was not aware it was not a nightmare.
 ''I was paralyzed with fright" she tes- tified. II rushed to the door and piled several chairs against it to protect my self l then sank into a rocking chair. I think I must have tainted. After some time went to the window and looked