The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-11-08
STATEMENT BY HANS
BROTHER OF ARMY MAN MAR
 RATES TROUBLES.
Declares His Attitude Toward William E. Annis Has Been 1IisrepPe- sented--Gsoes Over The Trag-
 edy At Bayslde.

New York, Nov, 7--Thornton Jen- kins Hains. In his cell in the Queens county jail today made a statement in which he gave additional details of the circumstances immediately pre- ceding and leading up to the killing of William ,E. Annis by his brother, Captain Peter C. Hains. Jr.. at Bay side L. L
 Thornton Hains was present at the time of the shooting and is charged with having assisted his brother in the commission of the crime by hola< ing off at the point of revolver, members of the Bayside Yacht Club. who had attempted to go to the as- sistance of Annis Both brothers are under indictment for murder in the first degree.
 While Thornton Hains unshaven. collarless and with a strand of rope about his waist doing duty for belt. was relating his grim story. the Cap tain. gaunt and unkempt, stood less than ten feet away, his long Monkish bathrobe trailing the floor. his eyes staring fixedly at the white walls of his prison. He took no part in the conversation.
 There have been so many untruths circulated concerning Peter and my self" said Thornton Hains. that must ask the Associated Press to set us right in the eyes of the world. am not a desperado and neither is Peter.
 "on the day of the shooting I imag- ined Annis to be in Mount Vernon. Neither Peter nor I had any idea that we would run across him at Bay- side. Ever since the terrible night when my brothers wife admitted her wrong doing with Annis I had been Peters constant companion. General Hains feared that Peter would kill my keeping. took him with mo to live, and in order to take his mind off his troubles I took him out with me whole days at time, cruising in a little motor boat had"
 Thornton Hains then told of hissplan to buy site along the water some where and this led him to Baysida
 They have made much of the fact that we went armed!' he continued AS far as Peter Is concerned did not know he had a gun with him. It was not until after he had used it on An- his, that I realized the situation. As for me, the gun had with me is the same I carried for. fourteen years. Most of my life has been spent at sea, where primitive passions rule aud where men in their anger need more than words to subdue them.
 They have also said that when we arrived at the yacht club our first move was to ask. where Annis was. There was never anything said fur ther from the truth. We had not been on the ground long. however, before the name of Annis came to our ears. I immediately began to urge Peter to come away. He could not be persuad- ed. however, and after a while gave up trying. It was so unexpected and 1t all. happened so quickly that was powerless to interfere. As soon as Annis came up to the float Peter opened fire. It was over in a second. A dozen men made rush for him and I saw the big Swede boatman grab him by the throat and swing his fist to strike him. It was then I pulled my gun.
 'I certainly had no feeling of af- lection or regard for Annis. but had saved him from being shot by Peter once before and would have done so again if I had had the chance.
 'The night that Peters wife made the written acknowledgment of her misconduct with Annis she asked that get word to Annfs of what had hap pened. Annis was expected at the fort the next day and she wished to