The Washington times., 1908-12-03
CAPT. HAMS TELLS
STORY OF TRAGEDY
Describes Awakening to
knowledge of His Wife's
UnfaithfulneSS.
LOVE FOR "CLAUDIA'
NO LONGER EXISTS
Account of Domestic Troubles
Leading Up to Killing Made
Without Reserve.

NEW YORK. Dec. 3,-Capt. Peter e.
Hams, ir,, the slayer Of William +, An
mis-, tells today fCr The first time since
his arrest and incarceration In the
Queens county Jail. the story or awak-
ened suspicion and anguished certainty
in the gradual revelation OF his wife's
dupliclty and unfaithfuIness. The story
is told at last in detail. and without re-
serve
This remarkable recital Of domestic
tragedy, promoting the killing of the be-
Jrayer. was told by Captains H;-ins,
who, in his cell in the Queens co-nty
JAIL appeared the wreck OF his former
self, with despair in every gesture. The
story follows:
Captains Story.
81 want you to say one thing for me
I want you TO contradict the assertion
that has been made that l still love
Claudia It is monstTous- grotesque-
that I should have one particle OF lin
gering affection for her after the ways
she betrayed me ana disgraced my little
children.
1t is the first time / have been able
to rest since got those terrible letters
OF Claudia in san Francisco, and II has
done wonders for me. L hope 10 be
well soon uow--if / can only sleep
Those Ietters-those terrible, terrible
letters" he went on. his hand huttering
over the table. You know 1 had been
gone for three months TO the Philip
pines and back with a transport and
had not heard one word from Claudia
OF my babies
When / reached san Francisco i
was already wild with anxiety about
them. for she had never failed TO write
before, and so when l saw the great
package OF letters with her dear hand
writing on them. I fell on them Ike
fsmished dos on d bone But 1 could
not understand them.
Every one was filled with accounts
or her smoking and drinking and going
about with Aunis and doing things that
she never did before that knew Of and
then 7 read on where she mentioned
that gossip was busy with her name
Then l knew something was wrong at
home and IL made me crazy.
Threatens to Resign.
Fl rushed like q mailman to my Sill
pcrior officer and told him I must go
home; that something dreadful had hap
pened. 1 did not know what, but I
must go, even If ! had to resig., my
command 70 do So lie saw that 1 was
awfully upset and so he stretched a
point and let me go.
II can't tell you anything about that
"trip. I only know that ] was insane,
that never ate nor slept between San
Francisco and New York ali 1 thought
OF was that Claudia. my poor Claudia,
was in trouble and i was going To help
her, That way l came 10 Fort lIamil-
ton, and / suppose / looked like a crazy
person when ] burst ia upon her"
lie stopped. face bowed OH breast, the
sorrow OF sorrow upon him Coming 20
The time when as alleged. Mrs. EainS
confessed 10 him her WrOngdOug with
Annis. Captain Hams said.
After that j remember things only in
part ] went 70 Tony, my brother, and
we went together I couldn't sleep nor
eat. ] walked the moor at night
Il do not know what happened.
Everything IS a blank 10 me until 7
found myself here and something told
me I had killed the man who had brOk-
en- up my home and ruined my life
But of what happened at Bayside I
have absolutely no memory whatever"
His voice trailed of into silence again.
his broQding eyes bent upon the table,
where his hands were drawing, drawing
drawing meaningless pictures, while his
thoughts in a treadmilI went their
drearyr hopeless rounds Of a sorrow
for which there Is no cure.