Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-03-17
country girl for shooting a million

0AAVs
Clara lannon's eyes filled with tears
at this reference and she sat In her
seat with downcast face.
"When Jake Hamon met her."
Champion said, referring to Clara"
she was a brown eyed girl: when he
lured. coaxed. wooed and won, he was
Ia powerful lawyer Of forty years. Il
master mind.
He took her. an innocent country
girl. educated her. sem her to college,
not that she might serve him as
stenographer. but that finally in the
end she might yield to his brutal pas
sions."
Would Question judgment.
The people may not question his
right to send the attorney general
here" Mr.. Champion said. referring
to Governor J. B. A. Robertson, but
they will question his judgment"
Mr.. Champion said "he was i'm
posed on by those who wanted to
keep their clutches in the Hamon
millions"
Champion called Mr.. Mathers be-
fore the jury, laid him on a table, and
used a law book for q pillow.
Jim, .you.are Jake and I'm Clara"
he said to Mathers. you've been
drunk all day."
He took the pistol and illustrated
his idea of the shooting as gained
from state testimony. and which he
mother cried when Mr.. Champion
paid a tribute to his associate. Mr..
Mclean, for having rebuked an attor-
ney for the prosecution who referred
to the mother as IAN old woman"
III the grave could open up and
the dead man have a reproach Of con-
science. he would tell you that he is
the one most to blame.'' Champion
shouted to the Jury.
"Girls like this have ever been ac-
quilted: girls like this will ever be ac-
quilted so long as the spirit of God
lasts" Champion said in closing. aft
er having asked If 'breathed there a
man who would say this little girl
should pay with her life."
Mr.. Champion spoke an hour and
twenty minutes.
Mathers Speaks.
Mr.. Mathers started speaking at
1o:40 a m. with the intention of
! speaking until noon.
He charged the Hamon millions, al
lied with the millions of dollars of
business associates were conferred on
Clara Hamon and 1t is an unequal
fight"
: "They are wondering if the Hamon
gold has lined the pocket of a Juror"
Mathers said regarding the state. my
good friend Browns forty-five minute
plea yesterday was for a hanged jury;
they know they do not deserve a de-
cision."
In the order of their appearance
Mathers ridiculed the witnesses Of the
state, picking flaws in all their ,tes-
timony and attempting to show the
jurors a senablance Of conflicting evil
dence.
The testimony of T. j. Irwin Of
Lawton. who delivered lannon's fu-
neral Grafton, was declared by the at
torney to be either n "untruth" or
his grafton was not inspired by an
accredited envoy of God"
There was never a Bible in Jake
lannon's ROOM" Mathers charged.
because he died as he lived, cursing,
swearing and in debauchery."
The defendant at frequent intervals
wept silently during the attorneys
charges.
81 tell you the bullet which caused
Jake lannon's death was the Just ex.
ecution of the sentences of God"
Mathers cried to the jury.
Mr.. Mathers pleading brought tears
to many spectators. many women on
his appeal to mothers crying softly
and wiping their eyes with their
ha~ndkerchiefs. Precipitation stream
ed from the face OF the attorney as
he pleaded.
Reference to Attorney General
Freezing as the next possible COVER
nor Of Oklahoma, was made by Math-
ers when. he said he did not believe
Mr.. Freezing could go into the gov
lernor's chair through the tears OF this
little girl" ~ j w., 40,
Murder was not in the heart Of
this defendant. 1t was her defense
against a brutal attack" an account
against a man she loved, Mathers
said. ~