The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1908-12-22
Defendant Urged His Brother
on to Shoot Annis Says
Mrs. Annis
THIS BODY BLOW TO DEFENSE
SETS LAWYERS TO TALKING
Claim Woman Was Coached to Give
This Testimony So As to Get the
Crime Of the Defendant Technically
Within the Statute.

Flushing, N. Y, Dec. 22.-Lawyers
for Thornton Jenkins Hains assert
today that every effort will be put
forth to shatter that part of Mrs.
Annis' testimony that the defendant
beckoned his brother and the two men
who went to the float where Capt.
Hams shot and killed William E. An
mis- as he was making a landing with
his boat. This evidence, Hams coun-
sci declare, was suggested to Mrs. An
mis- In order that her testimony might
bring the defendant within the mean
ing of the statute that there must be
some overt act to show that he in
duced or procured his brother to COM
NIT the crime. Mrs. Annis must have
been coached In this part of her tes-
timony." said Joseph Shay, associate
counsel in the Hains case today. We
intend to subpoena District Attorney
Daring and Special Prosecutor White
as witnesses. 1t is, strange that she
did not recall this beckoning episode
or speak Of 1t to any oone until last
week. The telling OF this episode
would have been given to another
witness to relate, but 1t is known that
Mrs. Annis would be subjected to as
rigorous a cross examination as an
other witness would be.
The trial reached a climax of dra-
matte intensity late yesterday when
Mrs. Helene e. Annis, widow of the
dead man, in deliberate recital last
ing for nearly three hours pictured
the killing of her husband as he sat
at the tiller Of his boat, by Capt. Peter
G. Hams, Jr. Mrs. Annis nearly faint
ed few minutes before her examina-
ton was concluded. She swayed in
her chair, but quickly recovered after
drinking q glass of water and SMELL
ingea vial of saltss - -
It was a hard day for the defense
and counsel for Hams was exhausted
from the arduous cross examination
which was directed toward the states
witnesses in an effort to shake their
testimony. Thornton Hams lost much
of the easy nonchalance that has
characterized his manner in previous
sessions. When led from the court
room last evening by two deputy
sheriffs, the prisoner appeared defect
ed and careworn.
CARRIED in black cloth suit and
wearing wide flaring hat that cast
"a shadow over the upper part of her
face, Mrs. Annts made an impressive
figure on the witness stand as she
told in quiet tone her story of August
15, at the Bayside Yacht club. Several
new points of evidence added dramatic
interest to the trial. When Annis'
boat came alongside the float, the
widow testified, Thornton Hains beck
oned to his brother and lead the way
down the runway. The shooting fol-
lowed within a few moments.
Lawyer Mcintyre sought to discredit
the ''beckoning episode" by which the
state seeks top rove that the author
induced the army officer to the crime,
and kept Mrs. Annis on this point un-
der cross examination for nearly half
an hour. Hams counsel developed
that Mrs. Annis had not told District
Attorney Darrin that the defendant
had beckoned to his brother until last
week.
II ran down the runway and Thorn
ton Hains pointed his revolver at me.
I turned to go back and he pressed
the weapon against my back, saying,
you get out of here or you will get
the same ran up the runway, and
looking back, saw my husband fall
into the water" So said Mrs. Annis
in relating her story and this new
evidence the lawyers for Hams strug-
gled vainly to discredit.