Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1908-08-28
CONFESSION
OF INF|DELITY TO
FIGURE IN TRIAL,
Attorney for Hams Admits Her
Child's Paternity Is
Revealed.

tsAhN -
with her husbands intimate friend, the
late William f. Annis, will be a most
important element In the defense of
Captain Peter c.. Hams when he shall
be tried for the murder of Annis.
The document now is carefully
guarded. II lies locked up in the safe
in the office Of John +. Mcintyre, for
mer assistant district attorney. who has
been retained as chief counsel for the
Hams brothers.
Annis the Father.
1t is stated positively by Mr.. McIn-
tyre that Mrs. Hams 19-months-old
child, which is now with the army offi-
GERS mother at Fort Hancock. is He
Ultimate, and that Annis was its father.
Lawyers say they can prove conclusive
ly this this fact is true. To strengthen
their statements, Mr.. Mcintyre an
nounced that Mrs. Hams can lave the
child: that the captains family, as
well as himself, would be only too will
ing to part with it.
This alleged fact alone. Mr.. Mcintyre
contends, was enough TO drive Captain
Hams mad. When Captain Hams re-
turned from the Pacific last May he
found his wife, Mr.. Mcintyre says. i'll
from the effects of an operation which
had been performed upon her.
While Mr.. Mcintyre would not go
into details as to what Mrs. Hams con-
fession contains, it became known that
in the document Mrs. Hains acknowl-
edges Annis as the father Of her child.
Not Dragged.
''In answer to the statement made
by Mrs. Hams that she was made to-
sign the confession while she was un-i
der the influence Of drugs, i wish to
say that my clients and their distin-,
ptrichaH father hnun told mo that thavn
were four witnesses present when the
confession was made, n of them be-.
ing a prominent New York lawyer.
These witnesses will testify at the trial.
/ am told also hat Mrs. Hams talked
to several persons regarding the Incl
dents related in the confession some
time before she a 1t, and these
persons will be witnesses.
When Captain Hams was called
back from the Philippines he questioned
his wife regarding rumors he had
heard about her, and he became con-
vince that his suspicious were wrong.
Later, he said. facts developed which
made him demand a confession from
his wife and she made it.
Captain Hams denies that he sent
letters to Annis challenging him to a
duel. Stories to this effect are absurd,
What unbalanced Captain Hams
mind was the counter charges made
by Mrs. Hams in a suit she filed in
to his suit for divorce. Captain
Hams believed the statements made
by Mrs. Hams in the counter suit were
dictated by Annis."
Coroner's Inquest.
After being out % minutes. a coron-
er's jury last night brought in a YER
dict that Annis came TO his death as a
result OF pistol shot wound inflicted
by Captain Peter c. Hams, jr.. u. S. A,
aided and abetted by Thornton jenkins
Hams. his brother.
When the jurymen filed into the room
and the foreman the ver-
dict there was a demonstration. A
crowd gathered around Thornton Jen-
kins Hams and began TO question him
as to the tragedy in which he played
such an important part. He was asked
il he felt justified in holding a crowd
at bay with a revolver while his
brother shot down Annis. Before Hams
could reply John f. Mcintyre. chief
counsel for the brothers. rushed to his
side and shouted: mo, no; don't an
swer that question"
Might Have Prevented 1t.
Only two witnesses were called. They
were Chas. L. Roberts, of Flushing,
who testified that he was standing by
the club house float when he heard
the report of a pistol shot and saw
Captain Hams in a kneeling position
clinging to the dropping body Of Annis
as he emptied the contents Of his re-
volver into it. and Coroner's physician
Frey, who testified that Annis came to
his death from the bullet wounds.
Mr.. Roberts said that he would have
had time to interfere had not Thorn
ton Hams prevented him.
Brother Justified.
rTasN~ vah,, lDar,all IIasnS also xoaI1
a statement to the newspaper men be-
fore the inquist. He was asked If he
thought his brother vas justified in
shooting Annis without giving him a
chance TO protect himself.
Il can best answer that question by
recalling an incident that happened TO
me at Fort Riley he said. Il was
o TO put on my boot n morning
when / found a snake IN 1t. l quickly
drew my revolver and shot the snake.
1t is the same with my brother; / do
not believe he should have given Annis
q chance"
knowing what you dc Of the case,
would you do the same thing?" he was
asked. :
Il most certainly would he an
swered emphatically.
rs it true. as the district attorney
said, that your brother. Thornton
jenkins, i~nstigated the shooting?" he
was asked.
mot at all. For a long time Thorn
ton and myself have tried TO dissuade
our brother from killing Annis for the
sake OF u gray haired father and
mother. Out of consideration for them
our brother restrained himself. but
finally the strain became too great and
he acted. Peter would have killed An
mis- before had 1t not been for this"
Guard for Children.
A special guard has been placed
over the quarters at Fort Hancock on
Sandy Hook, occupied by General p. G.
Hams and the children OF Captain
Hams, who are with their grandfather.
The guard was ordered because dur
ing General Hams absence the family
has been greatly annoyed by unwel-
come visitors, including photographers.
who have been trying to get snapshots
of the children.
The body of the murdered Annis was
inferred yesterday in st. Michaels
cemetery, Astoria. l.. l.. :
W0RRY OVER RACE Riot