Thornton Jenkins Hains
Encyclopedia
Thornton Jenkins Hains was a popular American sea novelist best known today for his role in the murder of William Annis. Hains later used the penname Mayn Clew Garnett.
Hains' father was General Peter Conover Hains
, was a prestigious engineering officer who participated in the draining of the Washington Tidal Basin
, and the construction of the Panama Canal
. Hains' maternal grandfather, Admiral Thornton A. Jenkins
, served in the War of 1812
. The Admiral's logbooks served as the inspiration for Hains' novel, The Cruise of the Petrel (1901).
The Hains-Annis Case or the "Regatta Murder", concerned the killing of William Annis by Hains' brother, Peter C. Hains
, in Bayside, Queens
on August 15, 1909. Peter Hains was a friend of Annis, who was advertising manager for The Burr McIntosh Monthly T.J. Hains informed Peter that Peter's wife was having an affair with Annis, and he later accompanied Peter to the victim's yacht club on the afternoon of the ladies' regatta. As Annis finished a race he had won, Peter emptied a pistol magazine of eight shots into Annis' body, in front of Annis' wife and two sons, while T.J. stood guard, his own pistol drawn. The defense of the Hains brothers was funded by their father. T.J. was tried as an accomplice (December 1908 to January 1909), pleaded temporary insanity, and acquitted of manslaughter, but the case tarnished his reputation. (Peter was tried in April-May 1909 and convicted of manslaughter. He was pardoned by the governor of New York in 1911.)
The crime played an important role in the development of criminal and matrimonial law.. The case became front page news across the nation at the time and ranks with the trials of Josephine Terranova
, Harry Kendall Thaw, and Richard Bruno Hauptmann as among the most widely watched and reported American criminal trials of the first half of the twentieth century.
Hains published twelve books under his own name from 1894-1908. "The White Ghost of Disaster" was published in a collection under the name Captain Mayn Clew Garnett in 1912. Hains was a frequent contributor to the 1920's pulp magazine
Sea Stories, primarily under his real name, but also under Garnett. His writing career seems to end about 1930.
After the trials, Hains' work no longer appeared in the higher-class magazines, and he wrote under the penname "Mayn Clew Garnett". He achieved pseudonymous fame when his short story, "The White Ghost of Disaster" (The Popular Magazine
, May 1, 1912), about an ocean liner that strikes an iceberg in the Atlantic and sinks, was on the newsstands when the RMS Titanic sunk. Many people attributed to him the gift of foresight, while being unaware of his true identity.
Thornton Jenkins Hains died August 19, 1953.
Hains' father was General Peter Conover Hains
Peter Conover Hains
Peter Conover Hains was a major general in the United States Army, and a veteran of the American Civil War, Spanish-American War, and the First World War...
, was a prestigious engineering officer who participated in the draining of the Washington Tidal Basin
Tidal Basin
-External links:*-References:...
, and the construction of the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
. Hains' maternal grandfather, Admiral Thornton A. Jenkins
Thornton A. Jenkins
Thornton A. Jenkins was an officer in the United States Navy, who served during the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War. He later served as Chief of the Bureau of Navigation and as President of the United States Naval Institute...
, served in the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. The Admiral's logbooks served as the inspiration for Hains' novel, The Cruise of the Petrel (1901).
The Hains-Annis Case or the "Regatta Murder", concerned the killing of William Annis by Hains' brother, Peter C. Hains
Peter Hains
Peter Hains was an Army Captain convicted of killing his wife's lover. The case became a sensational murder trial in New York City in 1909....
, in Bayside, Queens
Bayside, Queens
Bayside is a suburban neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York, New York in the United States. Bayside is known as one of the most expensive areas to live in Queens, with well kept homes and landscaping...
on August 15, 1909. Peter Hains was a friend of Annis, who was advertising manager for The Burr McIntosh Monthly T.J. Hains informed Peter that Peter's wife was having an affair with Annis, and he later accompanied Peter to the victim's yacht club on the afternoon of the ladies' regatta. As Annis finished a race he had won, Peter emptied a pistol magazine of eight shots into Annis' body, in front of Annis' wife and two sons, while T.J. stood guard, his own pistol drawn. The defense of the Hains brothers was funded by their father. T.J. was tried as an accomplice (December 1908 to January 1909), pleaded temporary insanity, and acquitted of manslaughter, but the case tarnished his reputation. (Peter was tried in April-May 1909 and convicted of manslaughter. He was pardoned by the governor of New York in 1911.)
The crime played an important role in the development of criminal and matrimonial law.. The case became front page news across the nation at the time and ranks with the trials of Josephine Terranova
Josephine Terranova
Josephine Pullare Terranova was the defendant in a sensational murder trial in New York City in 1906. After years of alleged sexual abuse at the hands of her aunt and uncle, the 17 year old Terranova stabbed the pair to death...
, Harry Kendall Thaw, and Richard Bruno Hauptmann as among the most widely watched and reported American criminal trials of the first half of the twentieth century.
Hains published twelve books under his own name from 1894-1908. "The White Ghost of Disaster" was published in a collection under the name Captain Mayn Clew Garnett in 1912. Hains was a frequent contributor to the 1920's pulp magazine
Pulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
Sea Stories, primarily under his real name, but also under Garnett. His writing career seems to end about 1930.
After the trials, Hains' work no longer appeared in the higher-class magazines, and he wrote under the penname "Mayn Clew Garnett". He achieved pseudonymous fame when his short story, "The White Ghost of Disaster" (The Popular Magazine
The Popular Magazine
The Popular Magazine was an early American literary magazine that ran for 612 issues from November 1903 to October 1931. It featured short fiction, novellas, serialized larger works, and even entire short novels...
, May 1, 1912), about an ocean liner that strikes an iceberg in the Atlantic and sinks, was on the newsstands when the RMS Titanic sunk. Many people attributed to him the gift of foresight, while being unaware of his true identity.
Thornton Jenkins Hains died August 19, 1953.