The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-11-26
IN THE TRIAL OF THE BONNIE AYRES
MURDER CASE.
FINDING OF THE BODY DESCRIBED
By Policeman Who First Entered the
Room After the Homicide-Bloody
Pistol Found on a Trunk-Blood
Stains on Window-Shade Core and
Window Sill-1he Prisoner Displays
Emotion on Exhibition of the Bloody
Undershirt OF the Deceased

AACSoCS ncISl CdIu IOddy III Tie ITldl OI
Mrs. Ida Bonine for HI murder Of
James S. Ayres, Jr. Four of these wit
nesses were police officers who had
gone to Ayres' room after discovery Of
the body by employees of the Kenmore
hotel. and the fifth was w. w. War
field, who was proprietor of the hotel at
the time Of the tragedy.
The policemen testified to details Of
the wounds, position Of the body and
arrangement of the furniture in the
room. Mr.. Warfield's testimony was
very brief. In response to a question
by attorney Fulton, of Mrs. Bonine's
counsel, he said that Mrs. Bonine had
made arrangements to leave the hotel
before the tragedy occurred, but both
question and answer subsequently were
ruled out.
1t is understood to be the intention
of the defense to call Mr.. Warfeld later
for the purpose of eliciting information
from him upon this and other points in
Mrs. Bonine's behalf.
Policeman Walter S. Brady was the
first witness called. He was on duty
near the Kenmore hotel on the morning
that Ayres' body was discovered, and he
was summoned to the hotel at abou:
$500 o'clock by the proprietor, who told
him that he thought he had a sui
eide upstairs. The witness was then
escorted to Ayers room in company
with three or four other persons. Find
ing the door fastened he. under NJ
Warfield's instructions, forced it open
Upon subsequent investigation he had
found that the door was bolted and no:
locked.
The body of the dead NAH, he said
was lying on the floor lear the window
in q bent position and with the arms
drawn up in front OF the face. The
head lay across one of the rounds of a
rocking chair and the only clothing Old
the body was a light undershirt. The
shirt was open at the neck and the up
per portion of it was covered with
blood. There was some blood on the
left sleeve of the garment. The hands
and feet also were bloody, the latter
looking as if he had stepped in the
blood which was on the floor in consid-
cradle quantity.
Three wounds were found upon the
body, one being in the breast, another
in the arm and the third III the thigh.
The bed looked, he said, as if some n
had lain in it and had gotten up, throw
ing the cover back as he did so. There
was no other disorder about it and there
was only one indentation in the pillow
Ayres' coat. vest and trousers were
carefully laid over the back of a chair.
He said that a pistol and a small
single barrel shotgun lay on a trunk i'll
the room and that the barrel and the
chambers of the pistol were covered
with blood. The pistol was exhibited to
Mr.. Brady and identified by him.
Mrs. Bonine regarded the witness
and he weapon with close scrutiny.
but gave no evidence of any emotion.
He said there were blood stains on
the window sill, the Washboard and the
rocker. On a table in the room there
were nine cartridges lying loose. The
gas was burning when he entered the
room. but was turned low. The lower
sash of the one window in the room was
up is far as it would go. The 5trine
on the window shade was covered with
blood as if it had been drawn through
bloody fingers.
In concluding his examination in
chief Of the witness, the district attor
ney put in evidence the undershirt
found on the body Of Ayers. 1t was
we'll stained with blood. The sight Of
h garment apparently affected the
prisoner more than any preceding in
cident in the course Of the trial. a..
On cross examination officer Brady
aid a boy had first notified MIN Of the
tragedy. He lie not notice any finger
prints on the pistol he found in the
room. He had discovered what he be-
lieved to be finger prints on the win
oo" S1I1. LIS = VI Nlc VAli-
dow sill was identified by h witness,
who said the bloodstains were more dis
tinct on the morning of May 18th than
now.
Officer Brady said in reply to other
questions by Mr.. Douglas that the
loose pistol cartridges found on the
table were filled and were of calibre 81.
the same calibre as those found in the
revolver. In hat weapon there were
three loaded and three am"Iy shells
He said the bed as shown in the photo
graphs of Ayres' room was much more
disordered than when ne first went TO
the room, but he did not know who
had disturbed it before the photograph
was made. Mr.. Douglas brought u
the fact that h top button hole of
Ayres underShirt was torn out
Policeman Fulton Wolfe gave testi-
mony covering .he same ground as that
of the preceding witness.
/, Police Benjamin F. Williams. an
early visitor to the scene of The tragedy,
corroborated the statement of his
brother officers. He said Ayres hoes
and stockings were under the bed. Z.
also said that the blood marks on the
pistol indicated that it had been grasp
ed around the chambers and barrel bY
a bloody hand.
Mr.. Williams said hat he had dis
covered no evidence of a struggle in
Ayres', room when he entered it. He
also replied in the negative, as officers
Brady and Wolfe had done, when
asked if he had discovered n hair
pins or the floor.
On cross examination he said he had
noticed the torn condition of the upper
button hole Of Ayres' shirt, and he ad-
ded that the corresponding button was
hanging by a thread. There also were
powder marks about the wounds on
Ayres' body, indicating that he was
shot at close range.
The next witness was w. w. War
field, who was the proprietor OF the
Kenmore hotel when the homicide oc-
Cured. The witness said Ayres had
told him that the lock of the door to his
room was out Of order and that the
door could not be fastened with IT.
Mr.. Fulton on cross
asked the witness if Mrs. Bonine had
made arrangements to leave the Ken
more prior to the tragedy. Mr.. Gou!d
objected. but before he could state his
objection the witness replied that she
had made such arrangements. Mr..
Gould then asked to have the reply
stricken rom the record as irrelevant