Evening star., 1901-05-20

the hall closed and the key turned In the
lock. Looking out into the hall she found
the lights burning as usual She knew
Ayres slightly. Had spoken to him prob
ably four times during her stay in the
house since last September. He seemed to
be quite friendly with all the ladies. Wit
ness mentioned Mrs. Bonine as one Of
Ayres' friends, but had no knowledge of
his having Quarreled with any woman in
the Kenmore. Mrs. Harris and Mrs Hop
kins came to her room about O'Clock
the next morning and the latter said: II
wonder II Mr.. Ayres had any love affair"
After this witness was told for the first
time Of Ayres' death.
Heard Three Shots.
Albert p. Hopkins. a clerk in the War
Department, said he had lived at the Ken
more two years. He was called about
1:30 o'clock Wednesday morning by his
sick daughter, who wanted a glass of
water, and after getting 1t for her was
returning to his bed when he heard three
shots. He called from the window, asking
what was the matter three times. and
nothing wrong down here" He heard
nothing further. Opening his door In the
hall he went half way down the steps. to
within twenty feet of Ayres room in the
floor below but hearing no sounds re-
turned to his room His son and daughter
both heard the shots His daughter, he
said, in reply to close questioning by Mr..
Gould, was not on either particularly good
or bad terms with Ayres Hopkins admit
ted having said the Friday night after
the tragedy that Ayres ought to have been
killed six weeks ago, or words to that
effect. He said he had been very foolish
to utter such words. He had read all sorts
of statements in the newspapers, and he
might have said, if all that had been writ
ten about Ayres was true, he should have
been killed six months before. He admit
ted having disliked Ayres, because Ayres
once asked his daughter to dance with him
while he (Ayres> was intoxicated. There
was other cause. just or unjust, he de-
clared. for such remark as he was credit
ed with making Friday night.
Ayres' Intimate Friends story.
James Burns, who is employed at the
government printing office and lived at the
Kenmore, swore he had known Ayres since
June last and had been intimate with him.
He told how Ayres had participated for
short time in q dance at the hotel Tuesday
night, and how he had called him out, and
with Messrs. Hogan, Hooper and McCub-
bin. the two went around to several saloons,
but AyreS drank only one glass OF peer
Witness went to Ayres' room later where
they conVersed about an old trunk. Ayres
had purchased a new one and had offered
to give witness the old one. Witness left
Ayres' room about 1880 o'clock. He didn't
know if Ayres owned a pistol, and had
never seen the shotgun found on the trunk
in Ayres' room. The latter had told wit
ness that he was leaving the Kenmore be-
cause he could make better progress with
his studies. Ayres had already passed his
examinations at the Dental College with
honor and was very cheerful about 1t.
Witness said he and AyreS once had a dis
pute over asbroken engagement to go to
the theater, but it was over in ten min
utes.
Mr. Burns, in reply to questions, said he
regarded Mrs Bonine as Ayres' most inti
mate female acquaintance in the hotel.
The couple had a falling out some time
ago. but witness never heard Ayres refer
to it. He had frequently seen Ayres dance
with Miss Hopkins when he first came to
the house.
Miss Minns on the Stand.
Miss Mary Minas, the most important
witness of the day, was reserved for the
last. She has been employed in the census
office since February, 1900. and resided at
the Kenmore during that time.
In the course of her testimony Miss Mi
| mas said she knew Ayres, and was occu
| pying room 81 adjoining his. She went to
her room about 7:30 Tuesday night. and
after reading for a while retired about IL
| o'clock. She was awakened by hearing
three shots very distinctly. She was
| greatly startled, and hurried to her door
as quickly possible to see if it was
| locked. After putting chairs against the
| door she heard a cry of Help! Help!
| Then pitiful crying and sobbing, then fol-
| lowed by gurgling sound, as of some one
| vomiting. The cries and sobs were those
of a man. She was so frightened she didnt
know what to do. She walked the floor
| and was afraid to go out in the hall. She
| looked out the window, but everything was
very quiet. Witness declared she was
| haunted by horror She felt instinctively
that a man had been killed and felt sure
| his body lay outside her door in the hall.
Mr.. Gould asked her why she did not
| light the gas or touch the electric bell but
| ton in her room. She replied that she had
haar, nfr to do hn frct md q n
! thought of the second.
Miss Minas said she did not recognize
Ayres voice in the cries for help.
Ayres and Mrs. Bonine.
| She showed much nervousness when the
| district attorney began to ply her with
| questions about Ayres' relations with wo
| men boarders in the hotel She admitted
knowing that ladies had gone to his room,
| and that Mrs. Bonine had gone there
| number of times. The same line of exam
| nation brought out the knowledge on the
| part of the witness that Mrs. Bonine had
| gone to Ayres' room at night. Witness un-
| derstood that Ayres and Mrs. Bonine had
| misunderstanding about the inaugural
ball. The two did not dance together after
| that Mrs Bonine had spoken to witness
| about Ayres not dancing with her. Miss
Minas said she had not known of Mrs. Bo-
nine going to Ayres' room at night since
| the misunderstanding. At the dance on
| the eve of the killing. Mrs. Bonine was
| present She was also a visitor to the
| room of the witness the same night.
! Visit Tuesday Night.
.'She came to my room about IL o'clock
Tuesday night said Miss Minas. "She
was apparently in a hurry, saying she was
looking for her son Morris. She wore
| wrapper"
What was the color of the wrapper
| Mrs. Bonine wore them inquired Mr..
| Gould.
1T was black and brown" responded
| Miss Minas.
Miss Minas, in relating the occurrences
| after hearing the shots and walking the
| floor, said she opened her door at daylight
| and looked out expecting to see a body
| lying in the hall. When she saw nothing
| to alarm her she concluded she must have
| had a nightmare, and decided to say moth
| ing unless some one else spoke about the
noises She declared she had no idea that
| Ayres was injured when she sent Dan
Woodhouse to his room
Further questioning by attorneys and
| iurymen failed to develop anything further
| than that Miss Minas was frightened and
| nervous. and incapable of acting In any
practical way after hearing the shots and
.,,d Ga I'll n