The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1909-01-04
THORNTON HAMS
TO CO ON STAND
DEFENDANT WILL TESTIFY IN
HIS OWN BEHALF IN TRIAL
TO-DAY.
MRS. HAMS LETTERS
May Be Introduced BY Defense
State viii Make a Hard Fight to
Exclude Them--Were Full of
Army Post Talk,

New York Jan. when the Annis
murder trial is resumed tomorrow
morning Thornton Jenkins Hams VIII
take the witness stand in his own be
half His story will start just pre-
yious to his brothers return frcm the
Philippines. He will tell the jury
that he knew nothing Of any scandal
between his sister-in-law and AIMS
and he will deny positively that he
wrote any letters to the Captain
which prompted his return The stat"
has been trying ever since the defense
entered to prove such letter
The second chapter of Thornton
Hams testimony will be his recital
of what his brother told him Of the
scandal, and his account Of the scene
in the parlor of the Captains quar-
ters at Fl Hamilton during which
Mrs. Claudia Hams signed an alleged
confession
Then Will come his description Of
the Captains appearance and behavior
after thee onfession All this will
have most direct bearing on the ill.,
sanity plea, which will be entered di.
rect when Captain Hams goes on
trial in the next few weeks, and which
is entered now by proxy for Thornton
The prisoner will tell how he was
forced to restrain the Captain when
they met Annis in New York face to
face before the tragic visit in PAY
Side
But before Thornton Hams taken
the stand the defense has one difficult
task to perform. The letters which
Mrs Claudia Hams wrote to her hus-
band, and which he found, to the mum
Der of several dozen at San Francisco
when he arrived on the United States
transport Crok from the Philippines.
have been marked for identification.
but they have not yet been admitted
as evidence.
There is no question OF the I'M
pOrtance of these letters and it will be
a sad blow to the defense II they are
not offered in evidence. Nearly all
the witnesses for the defense who
know the Captain, including the three
mebers of his immediate family who
have been on the stand, declared that
II was Claudia Hams own letters tina
brought the Captain post haste from
San Francisco, letting the important
matter of securing his official leave
from army service TO his brother Off, !
GERS. They are rcplete with army
post gossip Of a sort that would GER
tainly trouble many persons who have |
not even an indirect connection with |
the trial.
Here are some quotations from the
letters;
Thursday, Sd (month not given)-I
have been up with the c cumming |
We went to supper and went in the
Fifth Avenue for a drink and mel
Billy Anuis in there with a bunch OF |
men. We kidnapped him and took him
along with US. Mrs c is crack about
lim. | am afraid she has cut me out.
She is very attractive T.. o.. o.. e.. bu'
she can punish the booze Y. &"
Wednesday, ith-I have been to
'hurch this evening with my affinity
u. P. Amt it awful for your wife to
90 10 church twice a week?
X. X. X"
Thursday, 5th-I went over to H
md stayed until 3 O'Clock. ! did no,
rink any booze, so am simply tired
'aptain G had been uptown to SEE
MAJOR A off, and had a fine edge; in
act, he was pinled g.. O.. o.. Mrs II
vas drinking nothing but gin" u
Nearly all Of the letters began win
My dearest husband" and closed with
Your loving wife. Claudia"
The state will make a hard fight TO
eep out the letters. II is difficult to
ee just how they can be connected
vim the defense of Thornton Hams. =
mt his attorneys declare that they
ave found a way that cannot fail.