The Washington times., 1921-03-10

Indications indicate many things
in this world, but nothing more clear
ly than that when Mrs. Clara Smith
Hamon, charged with firing the pistol
shot which killed Jake l. Hamon,
Republuican national committeeman
for Oklahoma is placed on trial in
the district court in this city today.
the maddest. mobbiest crowd that
ever tried to witness a murder trial In
America will be on hand.
DEPUTIES ARE PICTURESQUE.
The seven deputies OF the regular
stan of Sheriff Buck Garrett that
picturesque Carter county official who
In said to have been the county boss
for ten years, will be REINFORCED by
sub deputies too numerous to men
| tion.
The REGULAR force Of Chief Of Po-
lice Uncle Jimmy" Chancsllor, Buck
Garrett's fatber-in-law. will be aug
mented by temporary additions. Not
even big Bud BaIlew, tbs Bat Master
son Of Carter county, the sherifrs
side partner in many An exciting and
not ungory battle with bold. bad nen.
will be able to awe the multitude Of
men and wonderland don't forget the
women-that will fight for admit
tance to District Julge Thomas w.
Champions courtroom on the third
|
Ardmore. Bud Ballew won't be abls
to stem the tide even II he takes OF
his high top. wide brim southern
Oklahoma hat to the ladies and
shows them the fanny shock Of hir-
suite glory which Is his.
This same "red badge Of courage"
that waves above Bud Bailew has
awed many an obsteperous male per-
son into strict obedience, but just
| ha IA n
late Steve Crane should come back
to earth, and to Ardmore, and write
another RED Badge" book; for every
indication indicates that unless
Sheriff Buck and Deputy Bud can hnd
some innocent means OF putting the
mob of morbid sensation seekers into
a state Of innocuous desuetude or of
coma, there will be many umortu-
| mates who must retire to the rear
with red badges, or red bandages-
and not from self-infiicted wounds.
| either.
DEFENDED :61 PERSONS.
Joe Ben Champion. twin brother to
the presiding judge, Of counsel for the
defense, tells me that since he came
from Marion. KY, to Ardmore and
stuck up his law shingle he has de-
Tended no less than 261 persons
charged with homicide, and friends Of
Joe Ben state that ne has brought
about the acquitta1 of most of them.
Mr.. Champion being by no means an
old man, this record of a compare
lively few years in the career OF
single criminal lawyer should serve as
an Indication indicating that Ardmore
must have had q most considerable
number OF murder cases to settle in
court. Mr.. Champion declares that
never in all his time has he known Of
a case that has attracted so much at
tention as the one about to go on trial
Judge Champion gives similar testi-
mony to that of his twin.
There Is one thing fortunate about
these twin Champions-you won't
| mistake the counsel for the defense
| for the court since the latter claims
| to be several years younger than the
former because Joe Ben wears spec
tacles and the judge doesn't. Judge
Champion has received hundreds of
letters and kilograms from various
sections OF the United States sent by
persons who stated that they will be
| so good as to attend the trial IL the
judge will be SO good as to find them
seats close up to the bar.
| FRIEND OF SENATOR REED,
Perhaps the most unfortunate off,
| cial to be connected with the forth
| coming trial is II. II. Brown. whom
the court has appointed to prosecute
the accused. Mr.. Brown Is an elder
brother of Ex-County Attorney Rus
sell B. Brown, who succeeded in find
ing Clara Smith and bringing her
back to Ardmore for arraignment be-
fore he retired from once in favor Of
James Mathers, his successor. dis
qualified as prosecutor because he
n N ha nf ao1 hA
tense, the firm of Mathers & Coakley
having been engaged by the young
woman's friends last December. H
III. Brown went as q delegate to the
Democratic national convention last
summer, where he helped to keep
Senator Reed Of Missouri from TAX
ing a seat He is going to be unpap-
ular in this trial. it is surmised. be-
| cause he is on the unpopular side.
From all that I am able to gather
nearly everybody in this section 10
"for Clara"
The district court room win seat
hardly 200 persons. Press reporters
will occupy a considerable space, for
the press OF the country 10 taking q
keen interest in the proceedings
Telegraph instruments have been
installed in the court room, near the
witness stand, by several news asso-
Citations. Somebody actually had the
nerve to petition Judge Champion to
hold the trial In Convention hall, seat
| ing about 1000 persons, the same hall
where Jake l. lannon's body lay in
state and was viewed by a throng of
visiting politicians, and where on the
night of the first OF October, 1919,
United States Senator James A. Reed
was fresh-egged (along with the pres
ent reporter and other innocent by
standers) by certain old-line Demo-
Gratis who refused to permit him to
crate against the League OF Nations.
| HUNDREDS WIRE FOR SPACE.
Sheriff Garrett aleo has received, he
says. hundreds of messages through
the mails and over the wires, request
ing seats in the court room. Some Of
the applicants have asked the sheriff
how much will be charged for re-
served seats. 1t Is apparent that the
solemnity OF the occasion is lost to