The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-12-17
SHOOTING OF CAPT
ANNIS AS TOLD
IN COURT
Vivid Pen Picture by Prescott
ing Attorney
MANY SHOTS WERE FIRED
Part Taken by T. Jenkins Hams in
Yacht Club Tragedy
Described
MANY SHOTS WERE FIRED

New York, Dec 1.-THE story of
ahe killing of William f. Annis, calm
ly and coldly arranged and carried out
BY two brothers, to avenge what they
considered an irreparable injury to
their honor and that of their family,
was put forth yesterday by the pros
ecution in the old Court House at
Flushing, when the trial Of T. jenkins
Hams for completely in Annis' murder
on Aug. IS, at the Bayside Yacht Club
was begun.
At the cold statement Of the case Of
the prosecution terming him, in es-
sence, fellow-murderer with his broth
err Capt. Peter c.. Hams, he turned
not hair With the evidence OF the
first and most important Of the wit
Resses for the prosecution, Edward
Andrews, who testified that he en-
deavored to go to the rescue of Annis
when the latter, in his bathing suit
and without a righting hope to save
his life, was being shot to death, and
that he had been held off by the de-
PENDANT with a pistol, Jenkins Hams
seemed somewhat amused. He APP
peared to have discovered discrep-
sncies in the witness testimony, and
turned and posted his lawyer
With the prisoner sat his father,
Gen. Hams. and his brother, Major
Hams. His mother was not there,
though It was limited by the court that
the aged woman might be expected to
be present as a witness, but that it
had been thought undesirable for her
to sit beside her son during the trial.
Special Prosecutor White, some
what corpulent, darkcomplected, clean
shaver man, began his story Of the
killing as the People see it.
In January" he said, seven
months before the killing, letters ex-
pressing deepseated animosity toward
Annis were received by the editor Of
Recreation from this defendant. Two
months before the killing this same
snimus was shown in another letter
10 the editor of the same magazine
Mr.. White then reached the day Of
the tragedy and described how Annis
had gone to the Bayside Yacht club
had his lunch. put on his bathing suit,
and gone to his boat to prepare 1t for
a sailing race. He was with friend
and boating companion, a Mr.. Har-
way.
While the two were in the boat pre-
pairing It for the race. T. jenkins
Hams arrived in hack with his
brother, Capt Hams. The hackman
saw that one OF the brothers carried
a revolver jenkins Hams directed
the cabman to wait at a distance
They then went to the club house and
asked for a real estate dealer OF the
neighborhood and talked about real
estate with member OF the club.
incidentally they had Annis pointed
cut to them.
1--WE have got him now" the de-
PENDANT is said to have remarked to
his brother.
Mrs Annis was at the club with
ether wives OF members. Annis was
tuning up his boat for the race, and
the crowd on the pier cheered as he
sailed near the float. AS Annis
brought his craft to the float the two
Hams brothers walked down the gang
way from the pier Annis was aboard
without possible show to defend
himself. the speaker said, being naked
hut for the bathing suit he wore.
T. jenkins Hams stood few yards
behind his brother and faced the
crowd on the float and above on the
pier as Capt. Hams drew from a hol-
ster Colt automatic receiver leaned
down to get aim under the boom OF
the cat rugged yacht and pumped the
lead IN n stream into the man he had
chosen to KILL
AT this instant, said Mr.. White
Jenkins Hams whipped out his own
revolver and stood back the crowd
threatening with death the first man
who dared interfere.
Keep backl Keep back" cried
Jenkins Hams to Charles Birchheld
according to Mr.. White; ne knows
what he Is doing"
The prosecution promised to prove
.hat Jenkins Hams called TO another
70 stand back. as he was running the