Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-28
THORNTON ]. HAMS,
STORY WRITER, FORCE
TO "BEACH- -COMBING"
Gathers Driftwood and
Catches Fish for Living.
Magazines Reject His
Work.

NEW YORK, Sept. 2S.-Thornton
jenkins Ha!rs, writer of stories of ad-
venture that gave him considerable cele-
brity before he was thrown into the, lime
light by the famous trial for the shoot
ing of William II. Annis, which sent his
brother, Captain Peter Hains, U. S. A., to
jail, but resulted in his own acquittal as
an accessory, is now making living by
beachcombing and fishing at Fort Hamll-
ton Brooklyn. He complains that he has
been made the, victim of persecution by
persons who wrote threatening letters TO
him shortly after the trial ended and
also sent protests to the Nmagazines
against the printing of any more stories
from his pen. He tried writing under
nom de plume, he says, but that was
soon detected and more letters of pro-
test we're sent to the magazines
This has led, he says, to all of them
refusing to buy any more of his writings
and his being reduced to the gathering
of driftwood and fishing for living.
Haines shows one of the letters writ
ten TO the editor of magazine in TINS
city 1t was signed Thomas Duffy,
came from Philadelphia and was as fol-
lows.
Gentlemen-I see that you have pub
lished another story of that near-mur-
derer, T. Jenkins Hams. His brother
committed the crime, but this man Is
surely the instigator, and should nave
got 20 years at hard labor.
If you accept and publish any more
stories written by this dirty coward,
will discontinue reading your publica-
tions, although / have done so for sew
eral years; also, will use all my inf1u-
enco to prevent others doing so.
He didn't have the nerve to face the
crowd without Il revolver, and would
not dare to fight
/ am no rela tion to the Annis fam
ily, and never saw them, but | am
very sorry that [ wasn't on the jury.
'I am not going to retreat under hre,
Hains said to a visitor VINO round MN
fishing from a catboat in the pay, but
wish they would leave me alone. | am
nearly SO years old now, and ! think l
should be permitted to make living for
myself and my children. The gang OF
beachCombers who frequent the shofe
have been trying to prevent this. l am
down to hardpan now. l caught tour
dozen crabs yesterday, and that is all we
ing my writings, and this war has tied
up the English magazines so that L can
not sell them anything. So l have to
make what | can catching fish
Hams said he had been forced to apply
to a magistrate for permission to carry
a gun on account of attacks that had
been made upon him by other beach,
combers while he was gathering drift
wood and on one occasion a gang came
to his house and assaulted him II
have had them in court" he added, "and
one of them was placed under suspended
sentence, but they are waiting for
chance to frame me up, and If they can
frame me up under the sullivan law be-
cause | have this rifle they will do IT.
Hains made a dive into the locker and
fshed out an old-fashioned rifle. He
held 1t up.
"It isn't much to shoot with" he said,
"and l don't want to shoot at anybody,
but If they know l have it maybe they
will leave me alone. But If it isn't right
for me to have the gun, I'll get rid of it."