Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-11-08
JENKINS HAMS
RECITES STORY
OF ANNlS CASE
TELLS WHAT LED UP TO THE
WHARF TRAGEDY
INDICTED AccoMPLlcE BREAKS
LONG SILENCE AT LAST
Declares He Had Saved Publisher
from Being Shot by Brother
Once Before-Accuses
SIayer's Wife
EBy Associated Press.l

NJ EW YORK, Nov. 7-Thornton
Jenkins Hains, in his cell in the
~ Queens county Jail, made a
statement today in which he gave ad-
ditional details of the circumstances
Immediately preceding and leading up
to the murder of William e. Annis by
Capt. Peter c. Hams, jr., at Bayside'
Long Island.
Thornton Hams was present at the
time of the shooting and is charged
with having assisted his brother in the
commission of the crime by holding Off,
at the point of a revolver, members OF
the Bayside Yacht club who had at
tempted to go to the assistance OIL
Annis.
Both brothers are under Indictment
for murder in the first degree.
While Thornton Hams, unshaven,
collarless and with strand of rope
about his waist doing duty as a Ia
borer, was relating his story, the cap
tain. gaunt and unkempt, stood less
than ten feet away, his long monklsh
bath robe trailing the floor, his eyes
staring fixedly at the white walls OF MS
nrison. He took no part in the CONVEX
sation.
Wants "Truth Told"
"There have been so many untruths
circulated concerning Peter ana my
self. said Thornton Hams, that
must ask the Associated Press to set US
right in the eyes of the world. am
not desperate and neither is Peter.
"On the day of the shooting I'M
agineds Annis to be in Mount vernon.
Neither Peter nor 1 had any idea that
we would run across him at Bayslde.
Ever since the terrible night when my
brothers wife admitted her wrong
doings with Annis L had been Peter
constant companion. ~,
Gen. Hdins feared Peter would XIII
himself and so he gave him over INTO
my keeping. l took him with me 70 70
live and in order to take his mind OH
his troubles l took him out with me
days at a time, cruising in httie
motor boat that l had.
"They have made much of the fact
that we went armed" he continued
"As far as Peter is concerned did NOT
know he had gun.
Realized a Bit Too Late
at was not until after he had used
If ON Annis that l realized the situa-
tion. AS for me, the gun l had was
the same | carried for fourteen years.
Most of my life has been spent at sea-
where primitive passions rule and men
in their cups need more than Words 10
subdue them. -.
.'They have also said that when we
arrived at the yacht club our first move
was to ask where Annis was. There
was never anything said further from
the truth We had not been on the
ground long, however. before the name
of Annis came to our ears. lmihe-
dfately began to urge Peter TO come
away. He could not be persuaded
and after while L gave up trying.
Did Not Like Him
'Jt was so unexpected, and it all
happened so quickly that l was power
less to interfere. AS soon as Annls
came up to the float, Peter opened
fire. It was over in a second. A doz-
en- men rushed for him and l saw the
big boatman grab him by the throat
and swing his fist to strike him. 1t
wassthen l pulled my gum
II certainly had no feelings of af-
fection or regard for Annis, but | had
saved him from being shot by Peter
once before, and l would nave done
so again, if 1 had a chance.
1.-THE night that Peters wife made
the written acknowledgment of her
misconduct with Annis, she urged that
1 get word to Annis of what had hap
pened. Annis was expected at the
fort the next day and she wished to
warn him to stay away. She wrote the
letter and gave it to me to mail
"Peter had seen her give me the
letter. however, and guessed to whom
it was addressed. Before I could re-
monstrate with him he had torn 1t
open and read it's contents. 1t said:
AN is over between Peter and me;
he knows everything. Don't come to-
morrow
"Peter put the letter in his pocket
and said: L want him to come.
have something to say to him.
Tone Told Intention
"From his tone, knew that he
meant to shoot Annis on sight. 1 de-
termined that the only way to pre-
vent a meeting between the two was
to drug Peter. 1 went to DIR. Wilson,
the post surgeon, and got him to give
me double dose of choral.
"When we got back to the house
persuaded Peter to take it. keeping
him in ignorance of what it was. When
Annis came the next day Peter was
still under the influence of the opiate.
Annis saw Peters wife and left again
for New York. Twenty minutes after
he had gone Peter awoke."
PLUNGES TO DEATH WHILE
....-- aA~ Ann - IhIA~nII