The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1921-03-15
.HAM0N GIRL0N
WITNESS STAND
T0TELLST0RY
Claims That She, Didn't Inten-
ti0nally Shoot Jake
HamOn
SOBS DURING RECITAL
Breaks Down When She Comes
to Point of Actual Shoot.
ing
SOBS DURING RECITAL

A"AAolOp onAduOIAop Wal. 1O.-
Clara Smith Hamon, charged with the
murder of Jake l.. Hamon took the
witness stand in her trial here today
and told her story Of the incident Of
the day and night of Nov. 81 when Col.
Hamon was shot. 49,
She spoke dramatically in COOL,
low.pitched voice, hesitating only
when she told that the Colonel had
cursed her. She answered a few pre-.
lfminary questions and then launched
into her story Of their last day to.
gether. ....a .-..
When she reached the point in her
story Of the actual shooting she left
the witness stand, and taking the
pistol with which Hamon was shot,
she illustrated how the shot was fired.
Accident She Claims
II didn't 60 to do il" she said.
"The pistol went off when he struck
it, or l pulled the trigger or some
thing; I know not what"
After few preliminary questions In
which she said she was % years old,
knew Col. Hamon was married and
that he had educated her so she might
work for him she was asked to tell
the jury how the shooting happened.
In the morning. she asked, and
was told to begin that morning."
1--WE had breakfast about II o'clock
she said. after breakfast Mr.. Ham
on left me. presume he went to
his office. He usually did on Sun
day mornings. went back to my
room and in the afternoon about 2:3O
or o'clock, / don't just remember
he came back to the room and we had
a very pleasant conver rsation.
when the defendant tried to tell
how Col. Hamon after he was shot
said" Il am hit" and had showed her
the bloodspots forming on his shirt
,he broke down and sobbed.
Describes Struggle.
She said she went for ride in her
?ar in the afternoon, and returned to
ind Hamon drunk-"crazier and
lrunker than he had been in all the
ears I had known him" She had
one to her room she said with Bill,
ne porter, who brought ice water.
1.-THE minute Bill. went out and the
,oor was hardly closed Mr.. Hamon
,aid with an epithet. Where have you
cen" and grabbed me at the same
ime and choked me and kicked me
until l was blind and couldn't seem
20 think.
HE choked me and hit me and
omehow he threw me ION the bed and
lfter he got me on the bed he beat me
nd slapped me, and beat me and hit
nc two or three times and took me by
me foot and jerked me off the bed on
~ back and l had been operated on
the back and it hurt me extremely
nd he took pains to kick me in the
ack and kicked me and choked me-"
Hamon tried to cut her throat the
witness said, but couldn't lay his hands
IN knife and she finally obtained
OssessiOn of her pistol. IS
The shooting followed a few mo-
aents later, she said.
Ardmore, Okla, Mar 15.-The court
DOM was ordered cleared after ap-
>lause greeted statement by w. P.
Mclean, counsel for the defense, at
acking a remark made by H. H.
Brown, state counsel, when he refer
ed to the defendants mother as IAN
I'D woman"
Clara and her mother and sister
,roke into tears and Clara was lead
rom the court room with tears stream
ng from her eyse.
In the furor created an attempt
vas made to clear the court room but
several minutes after the order not a
score of persons had departed. Some
effort was made to exclude the press,
)ut the bench ruled the press might re-
main. ".
Court adjourned for an hour, from
10 to II A. NJ, and the attorneys had
made explanation Of their remarks
which had created tho furOre