Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-05-05

trial. She broke down and sobbed
| convulsively throughout her direct ex-
animation, and when District Attorney
Dweitt started his cross examination,
the strain proved too much for her
mothers heart. She sank into the
witness chair, covered her face with
her handkerchief. and sobbed bitterly.
At this point Mr.. Dewitt promptly
announced that he had concluded the
REORGANIZATION and the old lady
was taken from the cour room.
Both the defence and the prosecu
ton were as gentle as possible with
Mrs. Hams. but the strong feeling she
exhibited while telling of scenes be-
tween herself and her accused son
after his material troubles she fire.
quentbroke into hysterical weeping
when Justice Garretson was compelled
to admonish her with instructions to
refrain from interfering her own I'M
preston into the testimony and con-
fined herself strictly to answering ques-
tions 1t was then that she pleaded
with the court to let her tell every
thing For the sake of her boy" and II
required all the persuasive power OF
Justice Garrctson and Mr. Mcintyre to
quiet her
The hypothetical question in regard
to Capt. Hams sanity, which will be
submitted to the alienists, contains TO-
600 words and will require an hour and
a half in reading. 1t covers the chief
incidents of the defendants life as
brought out by the testimony, up to
the time of the shooting Of Annis.
A number of witnesses were called
today before Mrs. Hams took the
stand.
The substance of their testimony
was to show the alleged irrationality of
the defendant as they saw it. during
the summer of 1908 and previous to the
time he shot and killed Annis.
Flushing, n Y, May AIRS. Virgin
ia Hane, the aged mother of Captain
Peter c. Hams, Jr.. came to Flushing
today to be at hand if called to testify
in her sons behalf at Captain Hams
trial before Judge Garretson in the su-
preme court here for the killing of Will
liam z. AGnis. It was originally the
intention of the defence to summon
Mrs Hams as their last witness, but
her feeble health led to change In
the plans and it was expected that she
would be called today to preclude any
possibility of her not being able to give
her testimony.
Effort to show that Captain Hams
had ut various times prior to the shoot
ing of Annis acted irrationally was
continued by the defence at the open
ing Of todays session. DIR. Hugh A.
Rodden formerly connected with the
observation ward of the Queens
County hospital, the first witness call
ed. said that while attending the
daughter of Thornton Hams. the de-
PENDANTS brother. he observed the con-
duct of Captain Hams at his brothers
home on July a. 1908. and considered
the captains manner and speech at
that time irrational
Thomas w. West. a colored employe
Of the government engineering depart
ment at Washington, d. c., testified
that in 1882 he was steward on the
! lighthouse tender "PharOs.' He said
| Cantain Hams when nine years old
| was on the "Pharos" with his parents
| and one day he saw him fall down a
hatchwav IS feet to the deck below and
| strike en- his head. The boy was rem
| dereG unconscious for a long time by
| the fall, the witness said.
When the old colored man took the
witness stand he stood up and asked
/ Lawyer Mcintyre where Captain Hams
was. Mr.. Mcintyre pointed the defend
ant out in court and the witness said
You don't mean to tell me that man
| is Captain Hams"
| Justice Garretson quietly asked the
| aged man to sit down.
DR.. Lawrence N. Plat, attending
physician at the Queens county Jail,
/ testified that he examined the defend
ant shortly after his arrest and found
his nervous system greatly unbalanced.
He could get no satisfactory response