The sun., 1909-01-01
HAINSPARENTSON THESTAND
FiTHER INTRODUCES CONFES-
SION or CAPTAINS WIFE.
tie Tells ~ the Circumstances In which
u Was Written and Signed-Prison-
crs' Mother Testlnes TO Much That's
irrelevant -Darrin TO stay In Ease.

u Was Written and Signed-Prison
crs' Mother Testines 10 Much That
irrelevant -Darrin to stay IN Case
Brig ten Peter c. Hains and his wife
Virginia p. Hams, yesterday took tn,
stand in the defence Of their son r. Jenkin,
Hains, on trial for aiding and abettinl
his brother, Capt. Peter G. Hains, Jr,
~ the killing of William Z. Annis.
Gen. Hams told OF the revelations which
were made to his son, the Captain. OF hi,
wife's alleged nfidelity, and brought
before the jury the now famous confession
Of Mrs. Hams. He ale. told Of the effects
of these things upon the Captains mind.
The mother of the defendant perhaps
could not do much in the way of lega
testimony. but the appearance of the little
somewhat old fashioned woman on the
witness stand. entirely oblivious of lega
procedure and intent only upon her son q
cause, could not fail TO impress one with
it's unconscious pathos. She broke down
once or twice, but there was nothing theat-
rical about it. She appeared to he trying
every minute to live up TO the military
traditions of her own and her husband 8
families, and without hesitation to do
what seemed TO her the duty Of mother.
Once when Justice Crane kindly told
the mother that she must not tell to the
jury what she was starting to say she
turned TO him innocently and said. Il am
not telling this TO the jury. your Honor /:
this is just between you and me-" Half
dozen times she wanted to argue out
with the Court ruling on point OF law
not because she had the least conception
of what the law was. but because the Jus
tees rulings did not fit in with her own
ideas Of what was right and just under
the circumstances.
Mr.. Darrin did not crcss-examine
Mrs Hains. but went at the General
hammer and tongs. producing the Gen
erals testimony before the October Grand
Jury which indicted the Hams brothers
and striving with this record before him
TO cast doubt on Gen. Hains's evidence.
For the most part the old fighter stood
his ground, but he was forced to admit
that letter from T. Jenkins Hains was
one of several that the Captain had pointed
out TO him as being the cause of his sudden
return from the Philippines 10 s.e TO the
honor Of his house. That Thornton Hains
chief cause for the Captains return
has been one Of the strong contentious
of the pros acution.
Major John p. Hains, brother of the
accused. who had been on the stand at
the close of the session Wednesday after
noon, continued his testimony when
court opened yesterday morning. He
said his brother the Captain had told
him that on his arrival from the Phil
ppines at San Francisco in May he had
received letters which caused him imme-
diately TO start for home. The witness
repeated what Capt. Hains had told him
about his returning, about his telling
his wife that he had come back ITO pro-
tect her good name" about her saying
that the stories about her and Annis
we're not true. that she had done nothing !
wrong. The Major repeated the Captains !
account of the dinner which he and Mrs |
Hams and Annis had attended and of |
the automobile trip that followed and
then went on with the Captains story
of his report TO his father Of his suspi-
cions.. the fathers statement Of his own
suspicious and Mrs. Hans's confe ssion
following her husbands threat TO in l
vestigate her story.
Major Hams told of the Captains
actions and appearance while relating
these things WAS his conduct, in your
opinion. rational or irrational?" Mr..
Mcintyre asked. Most decidedly IRA
tional.'
Mr.. Darrin's cross-examination did not
change the Majors testimony materially.
and Mrs. Hams. mother Of the prisoner,
followed him in the witness chair.
The woman, aged and broken. trembled
as she took her seat. She said that she :
was the mother Of Thornton, yonder," ,
and Of Capt. Hains, that she was ~ years
old and that she was born in Baltimore {
Her father, she said with considerable
pride, was Admiral Jenkins--he was with {
at Mobile Bay Peter Hams. I
-he said, was very delicate as child and !
nervous as a man.
We didn't think we'd ever raise him.
she explained Mr. Darrin's objection a
was sustained,
Cant tell about my boy being sickly?"
Mrs. Hains asked of Justice Crane. She n
sobbed when told that that part OF her
story was not relevant and could not 8
90 on the record. Justice Crane was very q
patient with the defendants mother c
and often explained why certain things Z
which to her seemed so important we're :
not legal testimony. Mrs. Hains bowed d
her acceptance OF the rulings, but did not n
pretend 10 understand. q
The witness continued that her son =
Peter had running at the ears" and 4,
that between the ages Of !? and he had
many nightmares. Then his sight was il
bad and until he was 10 years old he did 4
not talk distinctly for suffering. The I
District Attorney objected to many OF q
hese details and Mrs Hains turned on 8
him with a sharp Why The reason n
vas explained to her. :,
She told OF Comics being brought to 4
her after his fall down the hatchway Of a h
lighthouse tender when he was or s
years old After the alleged confession &
she said he came to her very -haggard .
md worn He said to me- oh, isn't u
I terrible mother? This man Annis has V
wrecked my home and stolen my wife g.
Wy God! How can stand il? "
Then he went upstairs 10 see his chill o
iren. We wept over them and he said: "
How could my poor Claudia have done ="
his: How could she have disgraced me C
md the babies 40? will go mad' After v
,e got quctar he talked about getting a =