Evening star., 1901-07-12
REPORT OF TIE GRAND JURY TODAY
Close of the Second Chapter Of
the Tragic Story.
RETURNS AGAINST OTHERS

| Indictment is in the following language:
The grand jurors of the United States Of
| America, in and for the District of Column
bia aforesaid. upon their oath do present:
That Lola Ida Bonine. late OF the Dis
| trict aforesaid. on the 18th day OF May in
| the year OF our Lord 1901. and at the Dis
| trict aforesaid, in and upon one James
| Seymour Ayres in the peace of God and OF
| the United States then there being. felo-
| niously. willfully and of her malice afore-
thought did make an assault: and that she,
the said Lola Ida Bonine. a certain pistol
| then and there charged with gunpowder
and leaden bullet, which said pistol she,
the said Lola Ida Bonine, in her right hand
then and there had and held, then and there
feloniously, willfully and of her malice
aforethought did discharge and shoot off to,
against and upon the body OF him, the
said James Seymour Ayres; and that She
| the said Lola Ida Bonine, with the leaden
bullet aforesaid, by the said Lola Ida Bo-
nine, discharged and shot off aforesaid,
then and there feloniously, willfully and Of
| her malice aforethought did strike. pene-
trate and wound the said James Seymour
Ayres In and upon the left side of the
breast Of him. the said James Seymour
Ayres, giving to him. the said James Sey-
rnour Ayres. then and there, with the lead
en- bullet aforesaid. so as aforesaid dis
charged and shot out Of the pistol afore-
said by her. the said Lola Ida Bonine in
and upon the left side Of the breast of him,
the said James Seymour Ayres, one mortal
wound Of the depth Of six inches and Of the
breadth Of half an inch; and OF which said
mortal wound the said James Seymour
Ayres then and there instantly died.
wflIfuI Murder Alleged.
And SO the grand jurors aforesaid. upon
their oath aforesaid, do say that the said
Lola Ida Bonine. him. the said James
Seymour Ayres. in the manner and by
means the means aforesaid, then and
there, feloniously, willfuily and of her
malice aforethought did kill and murder;
against the form OF the statute in such
case made and provided. and against the
peace and government of the said United
States"
The indictment is signed by Ashley M.
Gould, attorney Of the United States In and
for the District of Columbia, and is in.
dorsed "A true bill." by Edward f. Riggs,
foreman OF the grand jury.
Scene I'm Court Room.
The grand jury filed into the room Of
Equity Court No. /, where Justice Hagner
was presiding. at lao o'clock. After the
crier had formally opened Criminal Court
No. l. Foreman Riggs handed the court Z
batch OF indictments. After they had been
scrutinized by Justice Hagner the true bills
were turned over to Clerk Smith to be re-
corded, and the grand Jurors were excused
by the court until the 9th OF next septem-
ber.
Mrs. Bonine was attended with as much
interest as was manifested the day the de-
fendant appeared In court seeking release
on ball OF course, she was not present
today, although Attorney Fulton of her
counsel was among the spectators.
At the opening of the fall term of the
court, next October, a date will probably
be fixed for the trial of Mrs Bonine under
the Indictment.
Mrs. BOnfne Greatly Disappointed.
he ri fl,at ha
grand jury had returned an Indictment
against his wife, went to the District Jail
to prepare her for the news.
In speaking Of the matter afterward to a
Star reporter Mr.. Bonine said that both
himself and his wife were very much dis
appointed at the action of the grand jury,
although they had been told all along by
their counsel to expect an Indictment.
Asked regarding the coming trial, Mr..
Bonine said that 1t a matter that
they had not yet considered. They had
been awaiting the action Of the grand jury.
He commented on the length OF time IL
had taken that body In the consideration
Of evidence, and said he could not tell
what move would be made next by the de-
fense, whether or not an early trial would
be asked for, nor any other detail.
The only comment as to how Mrs. Bonine
received the news OF her Indictment was
that she was greatly disappointed.
Mr.. Bonine went from the jail to the Of
flee OF Mrs. Bonine's attorneys to confer
with them as to the preparations for trial.
History of the Case.
The indictment reported this afternoon
against Mrs. Bonine is a elimination Of a
tragedy that was wrapped in mystery and
has excited the interest OF the local popu-
lace to a degree probably never before
eQualed in the national capitals history OF
crime. James Seymour Ayres. tr., twenty
one years of age, who was employed a
clerk in the census office and was resi-
dent of Port Austin, Mich. was found dead
in his room in the Kenmore Hotel on North
Capitol street, about $50 O. oclock the morn.
ing of the 18th Of last May. His body was
in a cramp position on the floor near tho
window, his head being In a pool of clotted
blood. revolver that had been dropped
on a trunk near the window contained
three empty shells and as many cartridges.
One OF the missiles had entered Ayres left
leg, another the left arm and the third ono
penetrated the breast in the region OF the
heart.
1t was at first thought the case was one
OF suicide, but that theory was soon dis
carded, especially after Thomas NJ. Baker
OF the United States fish commission, who
occupies a room in the house Immediately
south OF the Kenmore, had declared that
about 2 o'clock the morning OF the 18th
he heard shots fired and, going to the win
dow OF his room. plainly saw q woman
emerge from the room occupied by Ayres
leisurely descend the fire escape to the
eecond floor and enter the hotel through q
window.
Almost the entire local detective force
went to work on the case with energy
Theories by the hundreds were advanced
and run down. Nearly everybody IN the
District of Columbia sufficiently old to
grasp the details Of the tragedy cherished
a decided theory as to the cause of the
killing and how 1t was accomplished. An
attempt to unrayel the mystery was be-
gun Saturday morning, May ls before q
coroner's jury. convened at the sixth pre-.
cinct police station. The investigation was
In progress all Of Saturday and the fol.
lowing Monday.
Makes an Admission.
Excitement that spread like wildnre was
created shortly after o'clock the after
noon of Monday, May 20. when the public
was informed through the medium OF an
extra edition of The Evening Star that
Mrs Bonine had confessed to having been