The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-03-11

While Clara Smith Hamon droopHd
between her mother and sister in an
upper chamber of the courthouse,
suddenly become the most spectac-
ular building in Oklahoma. the be
einnings OF a jury which Will ma
her innocent or guilty OF murder
were installed.
Accepted hit or miss by her coun-
sci. almost any one whose name was
called, the prosecutor spent the
hours yesterday in one challenge AZ
ter another.
Thus passed the day, with plenty
OF irking action. Yet to hundreds,
shoehorned into the court room ana
corridors outside, delay was what
dimmed light and muted song ale
TO a matinee audience.
1t was touch of the master stage
manager. fate.
PRISONER Is NERVOUS.
Spring IL whispering to the South
west. Green are the long. level
stretches of country roundabout;
plum trees are fragrant with dos
SONS and a golden haze hangs IN
the willows.
1t is the time of promise. of .o;-
ward-looking days and purple sur
sets and night drops set with Dig
SHINY stdTs.
Only deep in two women's hearts
does winter, the desolate, hang on
One OF the women is the slender
figure before the bar of justice. CAD
in blue serge, with a blue straw sailor
drawn to her brows, and eyes down.
cast, the one-time chsttel OF Jake
Hamon, millionaire oil man and dicta-
tor OF Republicanism out this way,
looks fer short of her twenty-seven
years.
Gone is aplomb; gone the shure'
suave bearing of one who feels the
backing OF money and place; the as
surance OF one who joys in breaking
the law She clings to a bit OF hand
kerchief, dabbing lips and eyes.
Last November. when fields were
sere, she wrote this:
What is success? What Is fall
ure? / am unhappy: the future holds
nothing. What can make up for these
two facts? Nothing. / am i'll, and
my illness is beyond physicians. They
can neither iron out souls nor patch
up hearts. Poor medicos. Poor me-"
The last entry in her diary. since
famous as a human emotion, was
written two days before Jake Ramon
was slain. The dreariness of it. the
air Of dead leaves and frost-locked
life clinRs to her as she sits in the
courtroom.
VAIL OF HAMON's WIDOW.
The other woman is the wife who
shared hardships, only to see the
work of heart and hand accomplish
good for one less worthy. She has
made only brief public appearances
as yet. heavily yelled. But she has
set forth her stand:
II was beginning to see sunrise.
After nine terrible years I had won
my fight and had him for myself
alone. But it was too late. He was
dying-dyfng"
And SO in her heart is bitterness,
too. Perhaps it is because of her
sudden swerving toward vengeance
that public feeling here is less kindly
toward Clara Hamon. In December.
when she retraced her flight to Mex
leo, few felt for her anything but deep
pity. Now opinion most often eX-
pressed is that she must take her
medicine"
II she were sincere in what was
said to be her first request, that
Judgment be passed by a jury of
women, she surely reckoned without
prediction of women in this part of
the country for clinging to the path
that Is narrow and straight as they
cling to natures first law. Despite
the fact that part Of the funds for her
defense were raised by a group of
women, I have talked to none here
who indicate sympathy.
David Graham Phillips said that
lack Of charity for her erring sister
on the part of the woman the world
Is pleased to call good" is caused by
innate envy Of outlaw adventure de-
MED the virtuous way.
do not know IL II was envy that
set young woman from Wilson,
okla, neighbor OF Mrs. V. d. yelling,
sister OF the accused, gritting her
teeth as she looked across the Pull
man aisle toward her own husband.
She said:
III she had been married I might