Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1915-01-07
THINKS OF
ELECTRIC CHAIR
Ham Talks of the Murder
of Girl.
MEANT NO CRIME
ManumuSkin Man Talks Freely
of the Crime While in
the County Jail.

George Ham, the 29 year old back.
woodsman, who recently shot and
killed little Beatrice Bailey at Manu-.
muskln, is strange character, and
In Jail is model prisoner.
Big, tall, raw boned, Ham appear,
wholly inoffensive and is most retir.
ing in disposition. He talks little
asks for nothing and seems grateful
for any attention shown him.
A little nervous when he first came
into the jail, Ham has since recov-
cred his composure, realizes that his
position is a serious one and feels
that whatever is to be his fate cannot
be avoided.
Yesterday Ham discussed the trag-
edy which results in his being charged
with murder with great frankness.
He realizes that what he says may be
doubted, and he declares he does not
hope to escape punishment. The cleo
trio chair he knows may be his fate
and at this time feels that he would
rather end his troubles in this way
than be compelled to stay a life time
in prison. Never has he been away
from his mother before and patheti-
cally he says while he is behind
the bars tendenq't see his mother for
she is tendenq led that she cannot
come i Roosey
lext year
Teit also D story of the tragedy
Harfn cdaceals nothing and admits
that part. of the story seems i'm
probable. ~
Ham says he loved Alice Petit, a
seventeen year old girl who had
promised to marry him when she was
lS years old. He had warned her that
he would not permit his affections to
be trifled with and had said to her
that if she ran around with any other
fellows it would be the last. He ex-
plains that he did not mean this as a
threat of injury, but rather that he
would not have anything more to do
with her.
Ham says he secured the pistol
from Millville expecting to shoot hogs
with it for his employer. He had
never before owned a weapon of the
kind
Upon the night of the tragedy Ham
says he went over to the Bailey
house and had no thought of injuring
or harming anyone. He had the re-
volver with him. AS he approached
the Bailey house it occurred to his
mind that he might frighten the fam
lily. The curtains at the windows
were pulled down and he could not
see inside. He drew his revolver and
held it carefully in his left hand. Sud-
denly something suggested to his
mind to shoot the weapon at the
house and cause some excitement
He fired the revolver, he says, with
his left hand, not attempting to point
it at the window. Immediately fol-
lowing the shot he heard the crash of
glass, heard screams within and real
lied that he had hurt someone. For
the moment he stood paralyzed with
fear. The smoking revolver hung by
its trigger guard from his finger.
With cold sweat breaking all over
him, Ham hurried from the house,
buried himself in the darkness, and
threw his revolver over in the Maur-
ice River
What had he done? Almost crazed
with curiosity, Ham retraced his
steps and went directly back to the
house. He went in the house finding
the family terrified while on the
couch. He was Mortified to see little
Beatrice with blood streaming from
an eye.
Mrs. Bailey said to Ham, "See if
he is dead" Ham said he put his
ear to the breast of the little girl and
he found that the little heart was
still.
Ham is eating his meals regularly
and after the first few nights in the
strange Jail has been sleeping we'll