The Washington herald., 1913-09-08
BONNIE SHOOTING.
CASE RECALLED.
Occurred in the Old Kenmore
House, Soon to Be
Demolished.
WOMAN WAS ACQUITTED
Admitted Killing James S. Ayres, but
Said Revolver Was Discharged
During a Scufle.

With the announcement of the coming
destruction of the Washington Inn, the
old Kenmore House, there is recalled
one of the strangest killings in the his
tory of Washington. This was the shoot
| ing of James Seymour Ayres, OF Michi-
gan, twenty years old, a student of dem
tistry and a clerk in the Census Office, by
Ida Lula Henry Bonine, a married
woman of thirty-four. People who re-
member the tragedy still hold various
! opinions about it.
All the facts in the case are known
only TO Mrs. Bonine, who is thought to
| be still a resident of Washington.
What the police and public learned of
the case was substantially as follows:
On the evening OF May Is, 1901, an en-
tertsinment and dance was given by
the guests of the Kenmore House. Mrs.
Bonine and Ayres were of the party.
Both had been boarding for some time
at the hotel; were acquainted with one
another, and were thought to be the best
of friends. On this evening, they danced
and Chatted together.
Ayres had announced early in the even
ing that he was going to give up his
lodgings at the Kenmore House next day.
He was a favorite among his fellow
boarders. and they were sorry to hear
that he was going to leave them.
Girl Hears Shots.
Sometime after the party broke up.
Miss Minor. young woman who roomed
next to Ayres, was awakened and startled
by the sharp reports Of three shots, two
I'm quick succession and one after short
interval, during which she believed she
heard sounds OF scuffiinG. These sounds
seemed to her to come from just outside
her door.
She lay in bed terror-stricken. Follow
ing the third report, Miss Minor heard
loud groans, which soon became muftied,
as though some one were trying to stifle
them. Then, il seemed to her that she
heard sounds Of man and woman Sob
b!ng. When the hush came, she was too
thoroughly frightened to venture from
her room. She gave no warning of what
she had just heard.
A man living in house next to the
Kenmore, on the side where was Ayers
third-story room, coming home shortly
after the occurrence that had terrified
Miss Minor, saw a womans figure, cloth
ed in A lOOse-flowing wrapper. come out
Of a thirdstory window, hasten down
two stories Of a fre-esCape, and disappear
through an open window.
Found Dead in Room.
When the police began their invectiga-
ton of the tragedy in the morning. they
found young Ayres dead beside the win
dow, the door TO his room securely locked,
and furniture and bedding disarranged.
Ayres had been shot through the left
elbow. left thigh. and through the breast
Evidence seemed to show that the first
shots had been fired while >Ayres was near
the bed, while the fatal shot through the
breast had pierced its victim as he neared
the window.
All the guests OF the Kenmore House
were shocked and grieved, none more so |
than Mrs. BOnine, who, at first, appeared |
anxious to help the police in their solu- !
ton of the strange shooting.
After Miss Minor and the man who |
had seen the woman on the fire escape |
had told their stories to the police, and |
other information had been developed by |
the officers placed in charge OF the inves-
tigation, Detectives Weldon. Mullin, and
Bower. of the Central Office, arrested |
Mrs. Bonine, and she was taken for ex-
animation TO police headquarters. Here
after her statement, she was released.
Later in. the week Mrs. BOnine again was
taken to police headquarters by the same
officers, and once more was released
upon her statement.
story Told by Woman.
Not until the day of the inquest did
Mrs. BOnine admit that she had done the
shooting. She was taken into custody,
and made, a confession to the police. She
was charged with murder and held by
the grand jury. On trial, she was ac-
quilted on her own testimony.
According to the story told by Mrs.
Bonine, Ayers had asked her to come to
his room. saying he was i'll. Mrs. Bonine
had gone to his room to help him. As
she crossed the threshold, she said,
Ayers closed and locked the door, made
improper advances, and threatened her
with his revolver. Then, she said, she
grabbed the revolver from him, and in
the ensuing scuffie it went off. She ad-
nitted that it was she who had been
seen descending the fire escape. On the
strength of this story, the jury acquitted
ler.