The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-08-19
MRS. HAMS IN
INTERVIEW SAYS
CHARGE IS FALSE
Continued from First Page.)

Continues from Flrst HaSe-J
see, I had better go back to New
York now.
Il have a perfect right to see my
children l am their mother and love
them, and they should be with me-
When Captain Hams and his brother
and father brought this terrible and
untrue charge against me l did not
know what ] was doing
Il was deadly afraid of the Captain
He has beaten me in his wild rage
At times his eyes were ike those of
a mad man and his voice would choke
until he could scarcely speak
1T is hard now TO tell the full
story in a connected way, and I don't
see why | should, but such terrible
reports have been circulated that l
feel justified in branding them as
false"
Mrs. Hams then told Of her early
married life and her meeting with Mr..
and Mrs Annis-
Mr. Annis was a fine man and his
wife and I were close friends con
tinued Mrs. Hams. Mrs. AnniS
knows the truth. She knows that the
terrible stories circulated by Thorn
ton Hams were lies That is some
comfort to me, but it does not make
up for her loss and suffering
Il cannot explain why | ever signed
the papers Captain Hams brought to
me which puTpOTted to be a confess
ion from me. unless l was frightened
into doing IL. Yes, l remember now
how frightened l was, | came 10 New
York believing | could comfort Mrs.
Annis-
Il decided to take my children home
with me. It is not right that the
babies should remain in the care of
such a father or of his parents. I want
to take them away, and raise them IN
ignorance of the foul murder their
father has committed
While the young wife and mother
was talking the three children were
under close guard in General Hams
home at the fort. The childTen's grand
mother is in constant fear that they
will be kidnapped.
From one of the officers stationed at
Fort Hamilton It was learned that the
killing of Annis was in a way little
dreamed of by the outside world, for
the reason that other scandals exist
there which may have a like tragic ter
mination.
The omcer who communicated this
information also made the amazing
accusation that Thornton Jenkins
Hams, brother of Captain Peter c.
Hams, Jr-, had made improper ad-
vances to his brothers wife and when
repulsed by her had determined to be
revenged. This officer made no effort
to shield young Mrs. Hams, his criti-
CiSms of her were most bitter. He
was actUated in making the dis
closures. he said, by a desire to help
the decency-loving officers and their
wives, believing that publicity would
do much toward bringing about an
elimination of almost intOleTabie con-
ditiOns
There are two other scandals
here" said the officer, which are
bound to end very much as this one
did. There is an officer who is so
full of whisky and dope all the time
that he is seldom seen about the
grounds and he actually did not know
that a certain officer from another fort
had been transferred here until four
months after that officers arrival
This is a comparatively small post
so you can imagine what the mans
frame of mind must be His wife Is
an inveterate drinkeT and cigarette
smoker Though Fort Hamilton TO
the casual observer is almost as quiet
as grave yard it is in reality a hot
bed of scandal and the sooner the fact
becomes known, in other words, that
our skeletons are trotted out of the
closet, the better it will be for those
officers and their wives who are de-
cent and self-respeCting.