Evening star., 1901-05-18
PROBING FOR FACTS.

w men DT- CIaZeDrOOk 9 testimony was
concluded at 1:45 o'clock, a recess was
taken until o'clock.
PROBING FOR FACTS.
Detectives Lahoriously Pursuing Clues
in Ayres Murder Case.
Many conferences were held last night
and this morning between police officials,
detectives, witnesses and others interested
in the Kenmore Hotel murder mystery, but
so far as the police would state they were
no nearer solution of the circumstances
attending the killing of James Seymour
Ayres this afternoon than they We're the
day of the murder. Additional theories had
been advanced since yesterday, anonymous
letter writer's had been at work and rumors
of all kinds had been set afloat. One was
that man had been arrested and con-
feSSed, and this report even went as far
as New York over the wires Inquiry after
inquiry came to police headquarters and
in each case a negative answer was given.
Considerable comment has been indulged in
about the city because of the failure of
the detectives to solve the mystery, and
In answer to this 1t is stated that the
members of Inspector Boardman's staff
were handicapped because of the delay
caused by the apparent lack of interest
taken In the case by people who heard
the pistol shots and by reason of the fur
ther delay caused by the failure of the
sixth precinct officers to send word to
headquarters.
The case was first reported as one of
suicide, and Coroner hewitt who was no.
titled Immediately of the finding of the
body, telephoned for a sixth precinct po-
liceman to go to the hotel In the mean
time, 1t is stated, Policeman Brady was
notified, and he forced open the door Pre-
cinct Detective Williams of the sixth pre-
cinct was sent from the station to the ho-
tel, reaching the latter place before 8
o'clock. 1t was apparent from the position
of the body and the location of the bullet
that a murder and not a suicide had been
committed He continued his investiga-
tion. and 1t was not until 1915 o'clock in
the day that an official message was sent
to headquarters notifying the officials
there that Ayres had been murdered. The
inspector had been told of the affair, how
ever, by reporters about II o'clock, and he
at once sent detectives to the hotel.
A Star reporter was among the first to
reach there after the arrival of the coroner
and precinct detective, and he suggested
to- the latter the advisability of barring
the doors and making a thorough search of
every room This suggestion was not
adopted although some searching was done
prior to the arrival of the headquarters
detectives. During the day many of the
guests were interrogated and search was
made of several rooms for blood-stained
garments. but this resulted in nothing.
The Woman in the Case.
The statement of Mr.. Baker regarding
the woman on the fire escape gave the de-
tectives the information that there was q
woman In the case. For this reason par
ticular attention was devoted to the rooms
of woman boarders. 1t was suggested that
the woman might have entered the room
from the inside Of the building, because
MIR. Baker said she was in her stocking
feet, but the detectives, nevertheless, real
iZe that a woman not connected with the
hotel could have entered at any hour from
without.
1t is true the detectives have learned
nothing to show that either woman or man
left the hotel building from the time the
murder was committed until daybreak.
Many of them are reasonably certain, how
ever, that there was a man in the room,
and that he fired the shots. How he got
in there and why he fired the shots can
only be surmised. That there was severe
struggle the officers have no doubt, and
they are also of the opinion that the vic
tim tried to get the revolver from the per-
son who fired the shots. This seems evil
dent because of the blood stains on the
barrel and chambers of the weapon, the
stock appearing free of blood.
The investigation of the case thus far
recalls the cases of Frank Funk and Shoe
maker Hall. In the former case the suicide
theory was advanced and accepted, and it
was not until the following day that the
police became satisfied that the crime of
murder had been committed. In the case
of the colored shoemaker the condition of
dIdlrS IN MS room showed beyond doubt a
severe struggle had taken place, and yet
no noise was reported by persons who
might reasonably have overheard what
happened.
A Promising Clue.
What promised to be an important clue
to the solution of the mystery was re-
ported to the police Thursday night,
shortly after sundown. Policeman Brady
was informed by two colored boys that
they had found a black or dark skirt in
the yard in the rear of the hotel, but could
not say it was blood-stained. They hid the
garment under stone, they told the po-
lceman, and the officer was taken to the
place where they said they had secreted
1t. Much to the surprise Of all concerned
there was no skirt there, and the boys
called upon a colored man to prove that
they had made the find. The names and
addresses of the boys We're not taken by
the officer.
A colored man, resident of South Wash
fngton. stopped Detective Horne the
street last night and volunteered to appear
as a witness in the case. Tuesday night,
he stated, he attended a social gathering
on Capitol Hill, and between and 3 o'clock
in the morning he was on North Capitol
street on his way home. He said he heard
two pistol shots fired and described the de-
scent Of the woman on the fire escape from
the fourth floor. She was wearing a white
gown. he said, and not black dress or
skirt. and he pointed out the window
through which she disappeared The man
also stated that he saw man looking
from the window Of an adjoining house.
Yesterday afternoon several Witnesses
guests of the hotel, were questioned by
Major Sylvester and Inspector Boariman
al headquarters, previous to being sum-
moned to appear at the inquest today, but
nothing new was elected
A statement was made to the police last
night that woman supposed to live in
Baltimore had been seen to enter the hotel
yesterday. This woman 1t was stated had
once boarded at the hotel. The detectives
failed to substantiate the report.
Who Owned the Revolverf
The ownership of the weapon which was
used by the slayer of Ayres has not yet
been settled. Friends of the victim say
he had a revolver similar to the one found
in his room, and It is generally believed
he owned it. 1t is argued that a man
going to the room to commit murder
would have been armed, and the belief Is
expressed that such a crime was not at
first intended by the one who actually fired
the fatal shot.
Another suggestion made to the detectives
this afternoon was that there were two
women, who accidentally met in his room