The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-08-19
Accused Army Captain of In
describable Offenses and
Wanted Open Trial.
SLAYER BELIEVED HIS
VICTIM INSPIRED HER
Prosecutor to Ask Governor for
Special Justice to Try
Case.
rsnecial to the Evening star.l


,or the killing Of William e. Annis by
Captain Peter e, Iains. U. S. A.. at the
Bayside Yacht Club, was furnished to-
day by attorneys for young Mrs. Hams,
who said that six days before the trag-
edy Hains had been served with papers
in a suit begun by his wife in which the
most sensa tional charges were made
and which Hams believed had been in
stigated by Annis.
In her suit against Hains, the young
wife charged that from the time OF
their honeymoon he had been guilty of
indescribable offenses, and, what
seemed to be the startling part, she In
sisted that the trial be held In open
court, and promised a scandal In the
United States army similar to that
which embroiled Kaiser Wilhelms
Knights of the Roupc Table.
4. Jenkins Hams. ~ brother Of Cap
tain Hains, and III Is held equally
guilty for the pt. - look, Is said to
have informed Car IN Hams that
Annis had inspired Mrs. Hains's sensa-
tional suit against him.
Asks for Special Judge.
District Attorney Darrin, Of Queens
county, said that today he would ask
Governor Hughes to designate special
Supreme Court justice to sit at the
trial of Captain Peter G. Hams, 1r., ana
Thornton Jenkins Hams, who are
Jointly charged with the murder or
william e. Annis.
,,,tlI &xaf bo
that the district attorneys office at the
opening of the regular court term in
October will be clogged with trials of
various sorts and that he desires to
have the Hains case disposed of before
that time.
Mr.. Darrin is confident that his re-
quest will be granted. Immediately
after the Supreme Court Justice is des-
ignated, Mr.. Darrin will apply to him
for an order for special grand jury,
before which the evidence that is being
accumulated against the Hainses will
be presented. The district attorney will
ask for indictments for murder in the
first degree against both prisoners, with
the idea of sending them to the electric
chair. AS soon as the indictments have
Jren handed down, a date for the trial
will be fixed.
Mrs Hains and her mother, Mrs.
Charles H. Libbey, of Winthrop High
lands. Mass, came to New York i'm
,nediately on hearing of the killing OF
Annis and will make an effort, through
the courts, to get Mrs. Hains's three
little children, who are being held by
Captain Hans's parents at Fort Han
cock, Sandy Hook.
Mentions Enlisted Men.
In Hains's complaint In the divorce
suit, II is alleged that his wife was
friendly not only with other officers at
the post, but even with enlisted men.
There are other charges in which 1t Is
alleged Mrs. Hams had many men ac-
quaintances.
The lawyer for Captain Hains Is one
Bennett, who has an office in Brook
Iyn and who resides near Fort Hamil-
ton After the papers had been ex-
amined by the Libbys, they were
turned over to Lawyer Norton. of Bos-
ton, an old friend of the family, who
is now in New York looking after Mrs.
Hains's interest. 1t was suggested that
there should be no public trial, that
the case be referred to a referee and
testimony taken in secret. In ordr to
bring about this 1t was suggested that
o. conference be held and Mr. Norton
went to New York and met Lawyer
Bennett. Nothing came Of the confer
enoe.
It was then decided to bring a hbel
action against Captain Hams. in which
the charge of depravity was made. 1t
was insisted that the hearing must be
in open court, so that Mrs. Hains could
go on the witness stand and tell of her
husbands offenses and be corroborated
by other witnesses. That II was at
first the intention OF Captain Hams to
kill Annis is doubted by those who
know him. They say the disclosures In
his wife's action no doubt prompted
him to kill Anns.
After Annis was shot, and while he
had the eight .45-calibre bullets in him.
he said to Hams in the hearing of John
Tonning, who pulled him out of the
water: "Captain, you made mistake;
you shot the wrong man." To this
Hains replied: IT don't think so, but
maybe I did"
To Dr. Harris Houghton, who was
the first physician to reach Annis, the
dying man said: ct knew this thing
was coming for some time, and know
why he shot me. He has made ter.
ribie mistake and has shot the wrong
man."