Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-05-04
TELL OF SCENES
IN HAMS HOME
SERVANTS ACCUSE WIFE OF
SHAMEFUL CONDUCT
Contends Slayer Has Dis
carded Glasses to Give His Eyes
an "lnsane Staren-Mother
to Testify


FLUSHING, May S.-With Major
John P. Hams, the defendants brother,
on the stand, the third week of the trial
Of Capt. P. c. Hams, jr. for the kill
ing of William E. Annis opened here
today.
According to present plans, the de-
tense will call Mrs. Virginia Hams.
mother of the defendant. as its last
witness.
She is expected to tell of the eocen-
tricities of Capt. Hams as child.
District Attorney Dewitt began his
cross-examination by asking when his
brother had stopped wearing glasses.
Il don't know that he stopped wear
ing them" the major replied.
1t is contended by the prosecution
that Capt. Hams has stopped wearing
glasses since the shooting, and be-
cause of his near sightedness this
would account in a manner for the pc
culiar stare in the defendants eyes
which has been referred to repeatedly
by the witnesses for the defense.
Major Hams was excused and Emma
LaVelle, a colored domestic employed
in Capt. Hams home during 1907 and
1908, was called by the defense.
She had met Capt. Hams with his
brother Thornton at Fort Hamilton in
June, 1908, the witness said.
Told Husband of II
''I told Thornton Hams that I saw
Mr.. Annis in Capt, Hams home with
his arms around Mrs. Hams and kiss
ing her. said the witness, and when
Mrs. Hams saw me she said, Emma
this is my affinity
The witness testified that Annis made
frequent visits to the captains home
while the captain was in the Philip
pines. She continued:
1.-THE way they carried on was some-
thing dreadful. They would stay up
all night and act ridiculous"
The witness told of a quarrel be-
tween Mrs. Hams and Annis during
which Mrs. Hams said;
ITO with your wife. Am not
more to YOU than she is2' To which
Annis replied, Yes, in way.
The witness said after she was re-
lating these things to Capt. Hams the
muscles of his face were drawn and
he glared and said:
''My God! What am I coming to?
This is enough to drive man mad. l
can't stand it."
referring to the trip which Mrs.
Hams took ito the mountains" during
her husbands absence in the Philip
pines, the witness said:
''If one of her children had died, We
would not have known where to find
the mother"
In eross-examination the witness
said "although the captain frothed at
the mouth and cried out when she
was telling him and Thornton about
Annis and Mrs. Hams, she did not STOP
talking about It, She said the captain
kept asking her to go on,
Important Witness
with thirteen of the defense's wit
nesses disposed of, the Hams trial
started on it's third week. Perhaps the
most important testimony on behalf or
the defendant came just before adj
journment, when Lee Buggs real
estate dealer and a member of the Bay
side Yacht club, testified he had dis
cussed the merits Of certain property
adjoining the yacht club with Thornton
Hams, the defendants brother and at
one time made an appointment with
Thornton Hams to meet him at the
yacht club.
Bugg's testimony tends to show lack
of generalization on the part of the de-
! PENDANT and to corroborate that of
Thornton Hams, who testified that he
and the CAPTAIN went to the club the
day Annis was killed to find Bugg or
his partner, Jesperson, to inspect the
Bayside property.
Emma Lavello the Hams cook, and
Minnie Bohme and Lille Sawyer, negro
maids employed by Mrs. Claudia Hams,
caused much amusement by the charac-
teristic manner of telling their stories
! of the alleged "antics" of Billy Annis
and Claudia Hams at the Hams home
during the captains absence.
lille Sawyer the colored servant In
the Hams household at Fort Hamilton
| testified in substance that she had told
Capt. Hams all about the "goinss on
of Mrs. Hams and Annis while the cap
! tain was away. She said she told the
CAPTAIN that Mrs. Hams was often out
all night and that she and Annis would
come to the house intoxicated.
The witness showed belligerenl
spirit under cross examination ane
rufhed the dignity of the court by the
manner in which she snapped out hei
answers.