The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1901-11-22

Democrat Leased Wire Service.
Washington, Nov 20.-The sec md
session of the court in the Bonine case
today has been taken up by continued
attempt to secure jury. There has
been little progress made, most of the
jurors being excused on account OF
having formed definite opinions in the
case.
People in Akron and surrounding
territory are intensely interested in tn?
case of Lola Ida Henry Bonine, be-
cause of the fact that Mr.. and Mrs.
Bonine were formerly residents of Az
ron. They lived at the Colonial house
in Broadway, up until about three
years ago, ami moved in the best cir
cles there. James G. Bonine was, and
ie yet, travelling salesman for a Chi
cago drug house. lie firmly believes
Ia his wife's innocence, and has en-
gagged the best of counsel for her.
Mrs. Ronine is charged with the
murder of James Seymour Ayres. Jr.
and the trial Is to be conducted be
fore Justice Job Barnard, of the su-
pieme court of the district attorney,
to a jury of Washington citizens.
For six months since the commits
sion of the alleged crime on the morn
ing of May Is, last the government
las been working up its case. AL
though it will call 60 witnesses against
Mrs. Bonine, including the best detec-
tiyes on the local force, so far as
known at this time, these will be un-
able to shed any further light on the
most absorbing mystery In the crimi
nal history of Washington than that
revealed by the defendant herself just
prior to her arrest.
The indictment charges murder. II
the jury finds her guilty as indicted"
Mrs. Bonine will suffer the death pen
atty.
Unless the attorneys TOR the govern
nlent succeed in adducing further evi-
dence than that already in their pos
session, the general opinion here is
that the most they can secure will
be verdict of manslaughter.
CLAIMS THAT 1T WAS IN DEFENSE
At present the principal evidence
against Mrs. Bonine is her own state
ment, which has been enormously
termed confession" Up to the time
she made the statement, which was
FIVE days after the killing, the police
had been unable to attach more than
g suspicion against her. She said that
the only reason she had not divulged
her terrible secret before was her de-
sire to protect the names of her two
innocent children, adding that she
had spoken only to remove suspicious
that had been directed against other
vcmen living in the Hotel Kenmore.
Mrs. Bonine has never admitted
that she murdered Ayres. Her story,
which she will again voluntarily re-
peat on the witness stand is that
Ayres, in his own room, to which she
had gone at his invitation in order TO
settle some differences between them.
threatened her with his revolver, and,
to defend her honor, she grappled with
him. In the scudie the weapon was
discharged, one or more times. ShY
was too excited to remember how
many shots were fired When Ayres
fell to the floor, she with him, his
lies blood gushing over her, she
found that the revolver was in her
own hand.
Realizing the futility of escaping
ty the door, she laid the revolver on
Ayres's trunk, then raising the curtain
stepped out On the fire escape and de-
scended to the second floor.
BLOOD STAINED CLOTHES.
There she entered the parlor window,
made her way to her own room, and
afterwards to the bath room, the door
oil which faces that of Ayres, where
she washed her blood-stained garments
All this time she was perfectly cool
and collected. Her work in the bath
room was done SO carefully and thor
oughly that she was enabled to exhibit
the garments next day to the police
without their suspecting her connec-
ton with the tragedy. Almost daily her
two little boys have visited her in her
cell and 1t Is believed, only
through the comfort of their presence
has she been able to maintain her
spirits.
Young Ayres was the son of James
Seymour Ayres, business man and
politician Of Port Austin, Mich. He
was clerk in the census Office.
One of the efforts of the prosecu-
tion will be to show that the relations
existing between him and Mrs. Bon
Inc were of the most intimate char
ncter. The defendant however, claims
her ability to prove that her interest
In the young man was entirely i'm
personal and only such as any good
woman might hold for boy who was
sway from his home, and subject to
the manifold temptations of life in O
g0vernment bureau.