The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-03-12
Clara Smiths Victim Made
Dying Statements.
Accused Her, But Asked She
Be Protected.
THE NET GRADUALLY TIGHTENS
No Evidence of Attack on Her,
Says Witness.
She Prepared for Flight the
Day Before.

i Day Before.
I Ardmore, March IA dying
statement by Jake L. Hamon, reputed
millionaire oil and railroad man and
Republican matte al committeeman
from Oklahoma, in which he said
Clara Smith Hamon shot him he
lay on the bed in his own room of the
suite they occup- i at a hotel here.
was given the jury today in the trial
of the woman on murder charge.
r Court opened at 9:15, fifteen min
utes late, and few minutes more
were lost with the usual clearing out
of crowding spectators and the courts
usual order to children of less than
l6 years.
Says She Prepared For Flight.
Harry Foster. garage employe, the
first state witness. testified that a
!, number of times he had seen Clara
Hamon with a pistol. The day before
Hamon was shot he said Clara came
to the garage and ordered the two
spare rims taken off the back of her
automobile and two extra castings
placed on as she said she was going
to take a long trip.
He said the morning following
!, the shooting she came to the garage
and asked that the tire change be
made quickly. as she had far to go.
He said he saw no bruises on Clara's
face or hands.
w. B. Nichols. former chief of po-
lice of Oklahoma City and business
associate of Hamon, told the jury that
Jake Hamon, after telling him he
would die from the bullet wound. told
: him Clara Hamon had fired the bullet
with pistol in her right hand as she
stood at his bedside stroking his head
. with her left hand.
Mr.. Nichols, assailed by defense
, counsel for not having assisted Russell
: B. Brown, former county attorney, in
! his investigation of the shooting, said
:, Jake Hamon. in making the alleged
i dying statement, had exacted a prom
Use it would not be revealed until abb
solutely necessary.
+ Hamon Knew Death Near: -
Mr.. Nichols reference to having
been told to interest himself for GER
tain friends of Hamon with President
= Harding. was the first touch on poll
tics so far in the trial. Mr.. Nichols
isaid Hamon discussed politics and
business affairs nationally at the same
time, saying he knew he would die
and remarked: ooh, what's the use p
Mr.. Nichols said he was also pres
ent in lannon's offices on the day fol-
lowing the shooting1 when Frank
Ketch, former business manager for
Hamon, and now administrator of his
/ estate, told Clara Hamon she had to
= leave; that he, Ketch, never had
butted into her affairs before, but she
had to go now, as Mrs. Jake Hamon
was coming from Chicago. and the
further disgrace.
you talk as if 1 did it, he quoted
Clara as Saying.
: Ordered Clara Out of Town.
! Ketch replied he did not care to dis
nd Sai ino O
v to Nichols, he will tell you he did ii
! himself
! Clara then said Jake Hamon had
2 told her she could have $1,000 to SO
' away and Ketch agreed to get it for
v her.
r Everett w. Sails, a Dallas, Tex
e chauffeur, detailed the trip from there
: west to Cisco, Tex, with Clara Ha-
mon passenger, saying the young
= woman had told hem she had shot q
o man, hoped he would die and wanted
e to know the best pistol, old or new
n with which to kill a man. He said
she Travelled with two pistols on her
t lap and was afraid when she saw
: officers.
= Sails admitted his first statement
! regarding the affair was made TO q
i Newspaper for $50.
. Mrs. Jake Hafnon, the widow, was
q not in the court room today, her son
Jake, jr., being the only member OF
- the FAMILY present.
Court adjourned at noon until a
: m. Monday.
7 Her Age Important.
The age of Clara Smith Hamon i:
to play an important part in the trial
The state, according to Special Prose
cutor Prince Freezing is to attempt tC
prove today that the defendant is nov
N % years old. The defense holds she Il
now 81 Establishment of the age. i.
iypn nrfa r1f ma
e mine the exact age when she frs
= met Hamon ten years ago.
It Around this hinges the question
: whether or not she was seduced from
= the little country store at Lawton, OF
:. whether she left with Hamon full,
=. realizing what she was doing.
= The parting kiss of Jake Hamor
and the defendant is to play big roll
O as the trial progresses. This becam
:. evident late yesterday when the de
!. fense in an attempt to prove Hamoi
> bore Clara no i'll will after he was shot
\ asked DR.. Hardy, state witness, /
- Hamon did not kiss Clara when sh
called on him the day after he wa
l. shot.
Deny Parting Kiss.
a, Hardy vigorously denied tha
's Hamon kissed her and accused tn
q defendant of forcing a kiss on Hamou
n The defense is to introduce the testi
e mony of Rose Cannon. nurse, to tr
l. to establish its SIDE OF the kissan
!e story.
Ie, Prince Freezing expected to finisl
n up with all his witnesses today.
he is successful in cleaning his slate
testimony for the defense will b
started Monday.
l. For the first time today. the cour
8, room was filled long before Judg
= Ben Champion called the district cour
ID to order.
Ie Sensational DEVELOPMENTS YESTERDAY