Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-09-08
I'd EDITION.
HAMS TRIAL BEGUN.
After the Selection of a Jury the
L Court Takes a Recess.
VHEELAEN MEET At HARTFORD, CONN.
Secretary Proctor viii Accept the
Appointment Of Senator.
PORK EMBARGO REM ED.
WHEELAEN MEET At HARTFORD, CONN.
PORK EMBARGO REMOVED.
HAMS TRIAL BEGUN.


| Special Disps.ch 70 The Evening Star.
| HAMPTON. Va, Sept. S.-The trial OF young
Thornton ]. Hams of Washington, charged
! with the killing OF his friend, Edward Hanne-
! gam began in the circuit court here this morn
| ing.
| IL will be remembered that this is the sequel
70 the sad affair of June IL last. when Ned
| flanagan lost his life at tho hands of Hams
| while the two were sailing i'll large open
canoe opposite Fort Monroe. The two
young men had come down 10 Fort
Monroe from Washington in NJ John
Paul Jones yacht the CyGnot. earlier in the
week. Both of them wore very well known i'll
| Washington social life well at the iort.
where they had often visited together. Or
| that fatal friday evening the two went cut
| sailing in big SaToe that belonged 10 the
| engineer department.. hairs, WHO had the
! reputation OF being uGUsi:a. sklIiui sailor,
| had often used The boat before and was thor
| ouSAly familiar with its management. Toward
/ shutdown squall came up from the direction OF
! the mouth Of the james river. and it would
appear from the stories of tie witnesses of the
/ occurrence that Ia1no5an WIS anxious to
| come ashore before tine storm broke. lie was
! dead when the canoe was beacheG the
breakwater, just Beyond Commander Evans
house and few hundred yards from the
| Hygeia Hotel. For some reason or other
which still remains to be made public,
I Tony Hams had shot two bull
lets az his lifelong friend. The
second shot proved fatal Hams ran his boat
/ out into the teeth of the storm and was out
some little time before he returned to shore
When he did so he vent at once to the
telegraph office III the hotel and sent a
message 10 his mother, Mrs. Peter c. Hams. in
! Washington. in which lie said: Il have shot
Ned Hannegan. lie threatened to strike me"
| This was the first that WAS actually known Of
/ the affair.
| Commander Rodiey d. Evans and his young
son were seated in small dory on shore and
| were witnesses to the shooting, but the whole
affair WIS so quietly and quickly done that
they both thought it simply foolish
! piece OF acting, and they did not realize until
later that they had actually seen mans life
taken. Hams AT once gave himself up to the
military authorities at the post and was taken
to the county jail of Elizabeth City county
here at Hampton where he has since been con-
fined. The grand jury brought in an indict-
ment for murder and the case was set for the
18th of July, in criminal court before Judge @.
ii. Peck.
! INTEREST IN TEE TRIAL
| The affair, of course, aroused the greatest in
| terest both at the fort and i'll Washington.
Able counsel were retained on both sides, and
| the results CT the trial were awaited with
! the closest attention. The commonwealth $
attorney, Mr.. Edgar E. Montague. was assisted
by Mr.. A. A. Lipscomb Of Washington, and
Col. Tom Nelson of Indiana. the maternal
grandfather of young Hannegan was
present, but did not take an active
! part in the trial. The defense
had for its attorneys Hon. John Goode Of
Norfolk, one of the ablest lawyers Of the Old
Dominion. Dir. Joseph shillington, jr., of Wash
| ington and Messrs. Thomas Tabb and ]. W..
Wheeler.
The defense attempted to have the case post
poned on account Of the physical condition OF
the defendant but in this they failed. Accord
| ing to the laws of Virginia Hams was allowed
the ctoice of being tried before the criminal
court OF in the circuit court at its fall term in
Hampton. He chose the latter and the case
went over Until today.
| The counsel on both sides have been here
for several days past, making the final prepa-
rations for the trial which promises to be
ore of the most important that has taken
place in this part of the country in
many day. The social standing
of the two principals to the affair as well as the
prominence of the families most interested
has, of course, lent an added interest to the
4 case.
RELATIVES OF THE PRISONER ON HAND.
Col. Hams. the father Of the defendant has
been at the Hygeia for several days with his
brother. Lieut.. John Hams, the brother of
Thornton Hams. is now stationed with his COM
mand at the fort.
The steamer from Washington last night had
among its passengers Mr. Sellman n Hanne-
gau, the father of the dead young man. With
him was Senator Voorhees, and the two were
together the entire evening on the trip
down the river. Mr.. flanagan seemed sadly
broken and greatly changed since the occur
| renee in which his eldest son lost his life. The
presence of Senator Voorhees, is likely to be a
| prominent element in the case. Ned Han
neean was a protege of his and he had in ter
! ested himself in the future of the young man.
which seemed 10 be particularly bright He
I was detained in the west at the time of the mo-
ton for continuance and was unable
to be present then. He intimated. however.
! that il the case was postponed until September
ne would be here and would take a hand in the
trial His arrival at this time would make il
look as though lie might De q strong factor IN
| the prosecution
| Another interested party who came down on
last nights stearie. was Lieut. Henry d. Todd
IT,, popular young army officer, who is nov
stationed at Washington barracks. He was
a. Fort Monroe with his battery N
Juue and was well acquainted with
both Hams and flanagan, ard was one Of tbs
! las. who saw the latter alive. He was invited
\ bv them 10 go out sailing Sr the afternoon o
June L. but declined. He was summoned
! rs n witness in the trial ard his testimon,
will probably be used by the defense to prov,
tina. the two young men were the best Of :rieE9!
up tc the lime that they went out in the canoe
ana that hence there could have been no aetua
reconciliation in the shooting.
4 COMMANDER EVANS ON HAND.
Commander Evans OF the navy, who is til.
) principal witness for the prosecution, Wa
ordered to New York to take command of hi
vessel directly after the motion for a continu
| ance. In postpohing the case until Septembe
| there can be little doubt that the defense hoped
that he might be unableto put In an appearance
, ! when the case was called for trial Mr.
Evans was placed under $500 bond t.
appear and was on hand today. He was
witness OF the shooting. With his son. Franl
Taylor Evans. he was sitting In u small boa
that was partially drawn up on the beach II
: front OF his house, and the two wer
watching the rising storm when they notice,
Hams and Hannegan in the boat about q hun
dred yards from the shore. There u dea'