The Topeka state journal., 1908-12-14
HAMS ON TRIAL.
Brother of the Slayer of Editor
w. e. Annis
LIS Arraigned ON a Charge of
Being an Accessory.
HAS BEEN MANY YEARS
Since Flushing Has Had a First
Glass Murder Case
And Lively Interest Is Taken
by TOWnSpeOple.

| F1ush1ng, L. l.. Dec. 14.-The trial
of Thornton Jenkins Hains, author
and seafarer, charged with being an
accessory to the murder of William
E. Annis, an editor, who was shot and
killed at the Bayside Yacht club, last
summer by Captain Peter c. Hains,
jr., commenced before Justice Crane
in the supreme court
The old town of Flushing has not
had murder trial of major interest
for many years and long before the
! hour of trial there was quite a gath
ering of people in front of the town
hall where the case will be tried. The
small hotels were filed to overf1owing
with 500 talesmen from whom jury
will be selected. General Peter c.
Hams, q. S. A, retired, father of the
brothers now confined in Long Island
! 1a1l Tor the Annfs murder, and his son,
Major Hams. came up from New
York city today to attend the trial.
| Justice Crane has Indicated to
counsel that a week should be suffi-
| cient time to try the case and it is
not unlikely that night sessions of
court viii be held to expedite it.
Early court room reports had it to-
day that the defendant would take the
| witness stand and tell the story of
those occurrences at FIT. Hamilton,
which counsel for the defense alleged
I
away and take the life Of Annis. In
/ this way a foundation for Captain
Hains's defense would be laid
| William E. Annis, an editor of an
while stepping from his boat to the
float of the Bayside Yacht club on
August Is, by Captain Hains. The
army captain had named his victim as
brought against his wife, Claudia
Hams, and counsel al1ege that brood
| ing over his wrongs brought on tenn
porary insanity. While Captain Hams
was in the Philippines a year ago. his
brother, Thornton, wrote him that his
wife was receiving too much attention.
| from Annis, The absent captain re-
turned to Fort Hamilton and his wife
denied the charges. Later. Mrs. Hams
asserts that General Hains and her
husband and Thornton Jenkins Hains
forced a false confession from her
The couple separated and Captain
, Hams brought divorce suit. Hear
/ ing that Annis was still visiting his
wife, Captain Hams is said to have be-
come enraged and his counsel declare
that from that time became tempor-
arily insane.
In company with his brother Thorn
ton, he went to tho Bayside Yacht
! club last August and inquired for An
mis-. When Annfs stepped from the
| boat Captain Hains shot him five
| times while Thornton waved the club
members away with a drawn revol-
YER
ManacIed to a deputy sheriff and
| guarded by two Jail officers, Hams was
| brought from Long Island City Jail
| on trolley car and taken Immediately
| into court to await the opening of the
I proceedings. Hafns was all smiles and
| told the newspaper men that he had
| every reason to believe that he would
| be acquitted. Hains showed none of
the effects of his four mouths incar-
ceration. His rounded face flushed
h. Il
with his lawyers. Occasionally he
whirled in his chair to observe the as
sembling talesnen, but displayed no
signs of nervousness.
John r. Mcintyre, chief counsel for
the defense, said that he would oppose
long day sessions of court.
"The length of the trial and the Sc
lection of a jury will depend upon the
formed by reading of the newspapers,
said Mr.. Mcintyre
An interesting figure in court was
DIR. Austin Flint the aIienist, who will
make observations of Thornton Hains
while the proceedings are in progress.
DR.. Hirsch, an associate counsel for
the defense, made a formal motion to
set aside the indictm ent against Hams,
on the ground that he was denied the
right to challenge the individual mem
bers of the grand jury. Mr.. Hirsch
submitted a long argument in support
of his motion.
When court convened the talesmen
drawn on the first panel, which has
been protested by the defense on the
ground that it was Improperly drawn,
were sent to a room below the court
chambers while the roll of 100 tales
men drawn on two subsequent panels
were called The roll call of talesmen
disclosed that Charles W. Roberts,
who saw the shooting and is a witness
for the defense had been subpoenaed
as a talesman. He ives quickly ex-
cused After the roll call the court
adjourned until 1 o'clock.
Campaign for Cleaner Press.
New York. Dec. 14.-With the start
of the Hams trial at Flushing, L. l.,
, today a campaign for a "c1eaner
press" has been inaugurated in New
York with the hope of inducing news
papers to eliminate from their COL
umns anything that might be sugges-
tive or offensive. The move has been
started by an open letter of three prom
inent men who declare that they have
the support of Archbishop Farley,
Bishop Greer, Jacob H. Schiff. the
banker and financier: Robert w. De-
forest and others. The cooperation
of the public is invited and while
there is no desire, it is said to 'tcen-
sor'' the news, it is believed that a
| campaign along proper lines will be
effective
The letter is signed by Mornay Will
liams, a lawyer Identified with church
and charitable work and manager of
the Evangelical Alliance of the United
States; Edward r. Finch, writer,
lecturer and club man, and Charles
R. McKenna.
The letter. after deploring the pub
lication of 'libidinous details of Grim
inality,'' with special reference to the
Thaw case, says:
"It is believed by good authorities
that a respectful protest early enough
g. - hxr ~