The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1901-05-24
AYREs MURDER CONFESSED
MIRA y D. h""'"r. y m'ss"nrI Woman. Con
fessss That She Killed Jospeh
Ayrcs.

Washington. Ma, 2l.-Mrs. J. n
Bonnie was arrested late ycstrrdaJ
afternoon for the murder OF Joscrl|
Ayres. She nas confessed.
Mrs. BONNIE Was Il resident Of m,
| Kenmore hotel. where the murd. :,
Was committed, and is The wife Of \
drummer for a Chicago house. Sh,|
is about thirty-fiye years old. Mrs
Bonnie, in her confession. admits TIM \
she was alone with Ayres in his room
when the murder was committed.
Mrs. Bonine's confession was entire
ly voluntary. Al a few minutes pa. i
three o'clock Yesterday afternoon M,
telephone for Maj Sylvester, chief cd
police, saying that she was coming ,d
his office. aud she appeared there i
few minutes afterwards. When size
reached the office She said she had j
statement which she wished 10 max,
and she was Immediately turned o,cr
10 Detective Horne. who took her con.
f~ession. She said that she was alone
in Ayres' room with him when Ia.
killing took place. and that the shoot
ing was the result Of his own miscon
duet. She stated that Ayrcs had
drawn the pistol upon her for the
purpose of making her respond to an
improper proposal which he had madd
to her.
At the commencement Of the Atari
she said that he had come To hen
room in the Kenmore hotel about two
O'Clock Wednesday morning and upon
the pretcnsc of being i'll gained adj
mission 10 her room. lie complained
of feeling as if he was going to have
a chill. and asked her 10 give hin|
some preventive. She had given him
she said, n medicine which She had
IN her room. and he had then referred
10 some differences which they had
had in the past and had asked her I'll
come to his room. where they might
quietly talk the matter over. and
come TO an amicable understanding
She had agreed TO 60 to the room a4
he had requested, and he left hrl|
room. preceding her TO his room.
When A,rcs called at her room he
VAS entirely dressed. but when She
entered his room as per agreement
She found him standing behind the
door nndressed. except as to his M
dcrshirt. and with a revolver id his
hand. He then told her mat be had
enticed her ~ the Don for his own
purposes and hat il she did not sub
nit to his wis hes he would kill her
NJ. D..... 49,, -. ....lt...
ly grapsed The revolver. and in The
struggle which ensued il was dis
charged three different times. strik
ing him at each discharge, the las1
shot proving fatal. She SAYS that thd
cries for help which Miss Minas heard
sobbing which Miss Minas described.
Mrs. Bonnie says that after thu
shooting She passed through the win
dow of Ayrcs' room onto and dow1
the fire escape ladder. and entcrin1
the parlor window of the second floor
passed through the parlor and bac1
up the stairway Of the hotel TO he
own room on the fourth floor. Shi
then washed her hands, undressed and
retired.
Mrs. Bonnie was entirely self-pos
sessed when she made her confession
and did not exhibit any evidence o|
either present or past unusual excite
mcnt. She is apparently about tllir
ty-two years old. and says she wal
born in Macon. Mo. She then moved
10 Hamilton, in the same state. and
afterwards to Richmond. kas., wherf
her husband was engaged in the drua
business. subsequently she went Il
brunswick. ga. and then TO Florida
where her husband was engaged m
orange growing. She says that il wal
at her husbands solicitation that shd
learned to practice with n re,ol,e1
and that he had made the suggestion
that she should learn this art for self
defense against possible assaults. Shd
said she had twice in her life fired 4
revolver @ brighten burglars and tina
che had brought n bulldog revolset
with her TO Washington. but had give1
il away to n negro man.
After she had concluded her state
ment the m was placed under ar