The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1921-03-20
WITH THE EYES OF A WOMAN
Edith johnson, in Daily Oklahoman>

Clara Smiths acquittal was the expected
Freezing, attorney general, assigned by Gov
ernor Robertson to lead and direct the prose-
cution, had no hope of obtaining verdict OF
guilty or of Furnishing Jake lannon's Slayer,
accidental or otherwise, and laconic "of
course" was his only reply when informed OF
the jury's decision, we are told.
Clara Smith, ostensbly tried for the MUIR
der of Jake Hamon, was not tried for murder,
at ALL
The trial of Clara Smith was based on
the relative virtue or lack of virtue in the de-
fendant and the slain man. The real task OF
the jury was not to determine from the evil
dence whether Jake Hamon came to his death
by shot accidentally discharged from re-
volver held in the hand of Clara Smith, but
which of the two participants in the tragedy
had the worse moral character. And the ver-
dict of the jury must be construed more as a
condemnation of the life and character of the
deceased oil magnate and national committee
man than as condonation of the career OF
Clara Smith and the part she played in the
closing hours of Jake lannon's life.
IT, instead of twelve men, selected from
the ordinary walks of life, the jury box had
been occupied by twelve lawyers or logicians
we could have expected very different yer.
dict. The acquitta of Clara Smith is human
1t is not logical. Very few persons believe
that the shooting of Jake Hamon was acci.
dental However, the majority of people
have been willing to believe Clara Smiths
story of the accidental discharge of the re.
volver, because they also believe that Clara
Smith suffered much, that as a young girl
with very little training and no experience
and slight knowledge of the world and men
she fell under the power of man who was
able, not only to subjugate young woman
but who succeeded in the course of his career
in subjugating to his will many strong and
sophisticated men.
The verdict of mot guilty" in the Clara
Smith case is the resultant of our jury system
which reflects the humanites, rather than
the letter of the law. The jury was consti.
tuted in order to temper justice with mercy
in order to breathe some life into the dry
bones of the law. The jury stands for the
emotions, the feelings, the impulses Of the
great common people, who nearly always are
right. The jury, however, can render YER
dict without establishing a precedent, and il
can do that because of its fluid or changing
character. 1t is here today, gone tomorrow
There is nothing stable or cohesive about it
Twelve men of Carter county served on thu
Clara Smith trial jury. Not one Of them
perhaps, will again serve on jury in a Grim
inal action in the course of his life.
The Smith-Hamon case has not been
nine days, but four months wonder, th'
notoriety of which has reached to the yer!
end of the United States. ! am one who be
lieves that out of evil there may come mucl
that is good. The Smith-Hamon case shoulG
be warning, not only to girls but to men
j likewise. 1t should be lesson to everybod.
that the way of the transgressor is hard, tina
money cannot secure anything and everything
and that when a man misuses or abuses hi
power, whether it be money power, politca
power or industrial power, there is bound t
be an hour of reckoning for him-that is in
evtabie. Jake Hamon died as he lived-tha
is, by the sword. You cannot escape tn
, inexorable law Of compensation, try as yo
may. Justice is meted out in one form o
another, not always, of course, as it was mete
out to Jake Hamon, for justice takes thou
, sand forms.
Jake Hamon and Clara Smith, believin
themselves to be superman and superwomar
{ defed the laws of God and man. To ther
, the seventh commandment was "a scrap Q
J paper" superstition, perhaps. They bt
lieved that they could well afford to defy i
!, and with what result? The scarlet letter
forever emblazoned on the breast of Clar
' Smith and Jake Hamon, empire builder
: lies, mouldering in his grave
| In this terrible tragedy, the most teribl
that has come to Oklahoma, there is lesso
: for each one of us. Jake Hamon and Car
: Smith have not been unique figures. There
e something of the Jake Hamon and Clar
. Smith spirit in every one of US, and we ca
very we'll contemplate their debacle wit
{ wholesome results to ourselves.