The Washington times., 1921-03-10

One of these. IL . 1t ock holder in the
Daily Ardmofeite and was q business
associate of Jake Hamon. The other
says he used to know Hamon at Law
ton. when both Of them were as poor
n church rats. and he and Jake were
wont to throw in two-bits apiece and
buy a pint Of Iiauor when they had
the change and the chance.
Every other person whom I have
interviewed expresses sympathy for
Clara Smith and the belief that she
should be acquitted. There are tales
anoat around town to the effect that
more than ono citizen In shaky in hfs
boots because Of being in circum-
stances somewhat akin to that of
HSxnon and the sccuSod young woman
before tho tragedy OF the bullet.
L N. 4. REP0RH1BR WORRIED.
Mtss Mildred Norris. Of New York,
News Service. VINO has been here
camping on the case for two mooxhs,
was called recently into q certain
office and confronted By committee
OF substantial citiaena. They do
nanded Of her the promise that she
refrain from making a news story
of alleged relations between q rich.
and consequently prominent, citizen
and q woman. Aliss Morris replied
that she had not heard Of that par
ticclar case. but that II It turned out
to be a piece of legitimate news she
would do her duty and report 1t. and
she WAS not afraid of any commit
tee of warning.
Thus again tn Ardmore attitude
for the suppression of news shows
Its front. For some time past Mrs.
Jennie Sharples. OF Chicago. field
secretary for the Worlds Purity
Federation Of La Crosse, Wis. has
been in Ardmorc investigating local
She has spoken in sew
eral Of the churches here and in the
OIL field towns out on the Ringing
railroad which Jake Hamon pro-
NOTED. The local daily has not re-
ported her meetings, and the Sunday
before last the paper carried a long
editorial which. without naming Mrs.
Sharples. argued eloquently against
'the power of suggestion" as ap-
piled to young and uniformed minds
Morality" was the title.
SHOOT HER FOR VICE DRIVE.
The other day." Mira Sharplee told
me, Il was accosted on a street In
Ardmore by a man who. / was sure,
was wearing a false mustache to dis
gufse himself. He told me that II
made report of my Investigations
as to vice in this town and went too
lar i would be filled full of bullet
holes
Captain Maggie Nobbs. in charge of
the local Salvation Army work, who
has been here sixteen months. says
she has been stationed in various
parts of the United States and that
Ardmore's general conditions as to
vice are worse than those of any
other place she has known,
The church people are doing more
or less toward combating immortality
and gambling. their efforts having
been heightened because of the
Hamon-Smith affair There is indica-
tion OF revival of interest in old
fashioned morality in this community.
This Is shown by the increased at
tendance at church, by the rapid
growth Of Bible classes, and by the
general talk around town against
such affairs as that OF Jake Hamon
and Clara Smith.
MEN TURNING MORALISTs.
Since left Ardmore a year ago the
Ardmore attitude with regard to such
things appears to have underxope a
great change Many who were COM
placent then are condemnatory now.
Those who accepted things as they
were, saying whats the user" now
seek things as, according to oId-time
social standards, they ought to he
The Hamon tragedy has brought
about this change Of front. You will
hear men moralizing on the streets.
In hotel Hobbies, in their offices They
discuss the Hamon affair with serious
voices and faces. Little of the old
time rivalry with regard to the liaison
10 heard nowadays. I heard one old
fashioned believer remark:
This Is . lesson the Lord has
taught us, for the salvation Of our
souls"
Another serious minded citizen ex.
pressed the belief that the bullet
which struck down Ardmore,s fnan-
cial and political idol will be the
means of saving the souls as wei, as
the bodies of many girls in future.
here and elsewhere.
we are all of us sinners in the
sight of God and men," he added.
but most of us keep most of our
SHINING from mems sight. When a
bullet uncovers it. as In this instance.
the naked truth looks ugly
16S CONVERSIONS IN CITY.
And this from an Ardmore resident
who has known for several years. 80
he says, that Jake Hamon was living
with a woman other than his wife!
Indications of a trend back toward
the oid-fashioned religion are appar-
ent Mrs- Captain Nobbs of the Sal
walton army says that last year she
had 168 conversions in this city. and
that for the first two months Of this
year the number of converts here ex-
ceeded the number in any city in the
southwestern division of Salvation
army territory. She tells about one
bad Indian, full-blood Chickasaw,
whom she brought around to see the
error OF his ways.
He was very dangerous man.
says she. always causing trouble.
He wore a gun as part of his regular
gear and used IT when he had the
slightest provocation. I found him
on the street one night, drunk and
dangerous. I induced him to come TO
the army service, and that very night
hn