Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1921-03-25
JURY FINDS CLARA
|. HAM0N NOT GUILTY
Crowd Cheers Decision as the
Woman Defendant Weeps.
VERDICT IS A POPULAR ONE
Realized by the Prosecution From the
Beginning OF the Trial That the
Outcome Could Be Nothing
but AcqIittal.

Ardmore, Okla, March 18.-Clara
Smith Hamon Is free. After 80 min
utes of merely formal deli5eratiOn, the
jury which for one week has been try
ing her for murder returned verdict
of 'Not guilty"
The prosecution side of the case
realized from the beginning Of the
trial that the outcome could be moth
ing but acquittal. AS a result Mrs.
Jake L. Hamop. widow of the man
slain by the defendant, was not In
court when the verdict was read.
In spite Of warnings issued by Judge
Thomas w. Champion against DEM
onstrati0ns, courtroom spectators ex-
ploded in applause. like the firing of
pack of firecrackers, when the clerk
of court read the words "Not guilty.
Verdict Brings Tears.
Clara, waiting tensely as the clerk
began the reading of the jury fore
mans report, convulsed her arms yio-
lently about her mother when the hap
PLY fateful words were pronounced.
And the little, weakened mother cut
loose her long pent up emotional In
tensity by releasing a cOpious flow of
tears
Whatever histrionic posture the de-
PENDANT had maintained during the
course of the trial fell away in the I'M
conscious relief which the final COM
ing OF the verdict brought. The tears
that welled into her eyes required no
mental cOmpulsion.
AS women spectators paused In their
applause to Chamber over chairs and
railing and fall upon her to gush out
congratulations. the embraces which
she gave them all were genuine and
sincere.
Jurors Are Happy.
OF course, she shook hands with all
the Jurors.
Thank you. 1 knew you would.
never doubted you once" she told
them.
And the jurors, every one, grinned
pleased grins which seemed 60 re-
spond:
"Oh, that's all right. We only did
our duty"
S. Prince Freezing, attorney general
of the state, who directed the prose-
cution, had no hope of obtaining any
form of a guilty verdict.
'Of course" he said. when Informed
of the jury's decision.
"Of course" was the comment also
of Charles A. Coakley. J. w. Champ
ion, James w. Mathers and William
Mclean, leading counsel for the de-
tense. "That is verdict those jurors
always will be proud Of"
Brown Draws Moral.
There was one. however, who did
not content himself with a casual
shrug of the shoulders. This vas FL.
I'll. Brown, appointed special prosecu-
tor to assist Mr.. Freezing. and the at
torney who won admiration, even from
the defense, for the fearless fashion in
which he attacked the accused girl
and demanded her punishment.
knowing the sentiment and char
acter of Carter county as l do" he
said, and tensed the muscles Of his jaw
as he spoke, 81 could expect nothing
else. This community had known of
Jake lannon's and Clara Smiths rela-
tionship here for years. The COM
munity did nothing to correct this dis
play of immortality while HamOn was
alive. So why should the jury be
supposed to draw moral from his
death and teach the county lesson
through guilty verdict"
Mrs. Hamon, the widow. her son.
Jake. Jr., and her daughter. Olive
Belle, retired to the seclusion of their
home Just before the jury left It's box.
"I'm forty-two years old and Clara
Ia not Twenty-Five" she said just be-
fore she left the courtroom. "Clara
has been able TO appeal TO the jury
through her more youthful and more
beautiful appearance. The only posi-
bility for justice that I can see is a
disagreement among the jurors"