The Savannah morning news., 1901-05-25
THE B0NINE-AYRES TRAGEDY.
Washington Unusually Excited over
the Murder.

Washington Unusually Excited over
the Murder.
Washington. May 24-During the last
week or ten days Washington has shown
a phase entirely unknown to those who
have lived here for years The Capital
City has actually become hysterical on
account of the killing of that census Of
fee clerk by Mrs Bonne. New York
thrills, grow alternately hot and cold
upon very smell provocation. Even or
binary homicides in the metropolis which
is so provincial in many things, serve to
justly the sallow reporters assertion that
great excitiment prevails" washington
probably furnishes more horrible crimes
in proportion to population than New
York, but the inhabitants refuse to be-
come excited. 1t is a most peculiar city
in that respect.
There is a most rational explanation to
be had for this failure to show a demon
allied nervous system. Nobody ever ex-
poets to reside permanently in Washing
ton therefore, he is interested chiefly in
what happens in the section whence
he came. In New York the case is exactly
the reverse. Usually the first question
asked Wnen anything out Oh the OTuludTy
occurs here is. where's he from" That
may horrify the grammarians, but on
such occasions Washingtonians, like the
imperial Dutchman, are "supergrammati-
can" If the chief actor Is from Missouri,
New Workers. and down-east Yankees lv-
ing here have no further interest in him.
The fiutter of excitement is confined al
most wholly to the persons hailing from
the same geographical section OF this
broad republic. OF course. when the Nor
ris-McDonal tragedy occurred a few
months ago, the interest was widespread.
The murdered man and his slayer
were both from Ohio. When hulking
brute from Georgia murdered a young
girl eighteen months ago, interest was
exhibited chiefly by Southern people. The
average Washngtonian cannot say posi-
lively whether Smell has or has not been
hanged for his Infamous crime.
Since the beginning of the year there
have been a dozen or fifteen homicides
among the colored people and one among
the whites. but not one of these counts
for anything in the matter of sustained
popular interest. Anything less than
triple hanging in the local jail yard is
deemed unworthy of notice by the corre-
spondents of newspapers In other cities.
But this Bonine-Ayres case, the older in
habitants say, Is to be compared with
nothing less than the interest aroused by
the assassination of Garfield. Although
the mysterious murder" Is supposed to
appeal to those whose literary ideals are
formed by studies ranging from Dead
Eye Dick" to the productions of Laura
Jean Libbey, 1t is nevertheless true that
weII-read washington has gone daft on
this thing that was a mystery, the plain
figures OF which were a handsome young
man done to death by woman In black
who walked on eerie nights with a stead
mess and assurance almost supernatural
at an hour when timid woman-kind, II
compelled to be awake, IS covering and
starting at noises created by an over
wrought Imagination. And[when Wash
lnEton does evince an interest. It Is more
hysterical than any other city in the
country.
The serious Illness OF Mrs Mckinley
and the death Of Mrs. Gage were events
not noticed, except in a very scant man
ner. Even the gyrations Of the giants
i'm the stock market we're forgotten for
whole days AT time. Cabinet officers
who give daily audiences to parties OF
newspaper men invariably asked n there
had been any developments worth talk
ing about. before submitting to ques-
lions concerning the affairs OF gov
eminent There will be sermons to-
morrow upon the subject for a number Of
pastors have chosen texts suggested by
the tragedy.
Everything concerning the history Of tho
house that has fallen into the hands Of
the reporters has been printed. Perhaps
II would be better 10 say everything since
the purchase Of the property by George
Washington. II was a boarding house in
those days. and Il is a tradition that the
father OF his country lodged there more
than once during trips to the embryo city
TO look at work on the capitol. Naturally
all the tragedies that have occurred with
In its walls within the last los or 100
years have been recounted. and the in
situation has been put out that Il was nor
the best place for young girls. even wnen
Gen. Washington owned H. and was sup
posed TO have some voice IN the theory
The tragedy has given greet opportunity