Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-24
PERJURYCHARGEMADE
Hams Witness Accused by
Lawyer for Defense.
SENSATION IN COURTROOM
Cabman Declares Statements to Law
yers False.
MOTION TO ARREST DENIED
Boy Who Drove Hams Brothers to
Yacht Club Tells of CONVEX
sation Overheard.
MOTION TO ARREST DENIED

FLUSHING, n. Y. December pa
sensational incident punctuated the
trial of Thornton J. Hams today when
Lawyer John F. Mcintyre for the de-
tense asked the court to commit for
perjury Martin Skura, a cabman, who
had taken the stand as the first wit
ness of the day. After Skura had given
his direct testimony and he said that
Thornton Hams had asked him to drive
behind the stage carrying Mrs. Annis
and that one of the brothers had said
We've got him now he was subject
ed to a severe examination by Hams
counsel.
Mr.. Mcintyre asked the witness if he
had not signed a statement prepared
by Joseph Shay and Eugene Young of
counsel for the defense, in which he
stated that there was no conversations
in the cab and Mr.. Annis name was
never mentioned. Skura, frightened and
confused, declared he had made the
Mr. Mcintyre moved that the eighteen
year-old cabman be committed for per-
jury. Justice Crane said that he would
take no action pending a further ex-
animation of the witness.
District Attorney Darrin then drew
statement believing the lawyers to be re-
pOrters and that III he had told the truth
it would have been printed in the news
papers and he would have gotten into
difficulties with Mr.. Darrin.
Witness Allowed to Go Free.
When recess was taken Justice Crane
declined a motion to have Shura placed
in the custody of an officer. and sent the
boy out for his lunch unattended. Skura
viii be examined further.
Skura, who drove the Hams brothers
to the yacht club the day of the shoot
ing. was asked:
Did the defendant speak to you August
1872
YES He asked me if l had "A public
hack. He spoke to the other man and
left the depot while l was talking to the
man. / drove on and passed the stage.
The man told me to pull down and let
the stage go by. l did So
Did YOU hear the defendant say some
thing when the stage went by?''
Yes. some one said, We've got him
now"
Did the defendant or any one have
any conversation with you while driving
to the club?'
THE defendant asked me if 1 knew
Annis. l kept on behind the stage"
I.
The cabnan said he saw Mrs. Annis
alight from the stage at the club. The
witness said the defendant and the other
man left the cab at the club and the two
men entered the clubhouse. Skura said
that about ten minutes after the two
men entered the clubhouse they came out
and went down to the dock.
Did the defendant tell you how far you
were to drive behind the STAGE"
The defendant said, Keep behind the
stage about 100 feet Near the clubhouse
grounds he told me to get as close to the
stage as l could, which / did
On cross-examination Skura admitted
that in statement made before the trial
he had said there was no conversation on
the trip and the name of Annis was never
mentioned. He declared that the testimony
he had given in the trial was true
Recess was taken with Skura on the
stand.
Yesterdays Testimony.
The chief witness against jenkins
Hams yesterday was Eugene A. Falion.
! a plain-clothes man of the Flushing DO
| lice station, who testified that when the
coroner's jury went out to consider a YER
| dict, fixing the blame for the death OF
| Annis, he took a seat in the courtroom
near the defendant and said to him
| They don't seem to have anything on
| YOU"
Hams, he declared, launched a volley
of abuse against the members Of the Bay
| side Yacht Club According to the wit
ness Hams was in a rage of hate at the
| time.
IF / were in his place. jenkins Hains
] said, referring to his brother, Capt.
| Hams who sat beside him, I'D like to
go into h and drag him (Annis) out and
| kill him again."
Mr.. Mcintyre said that he and his asso-