The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1921-03-10
Work Of Empenellno Jury starts;
Complete Jury on First Day
Is Expectation Of Court
4. a officials
DEFENDANT NERVOUS
AS BIG CASE STARTS
Court Room Crowded, Mrs. Hamor
Not There; VIII Stay Away
Until Jury is Completed,
Her Counsel States
BY United Press.

BY United Press.
Ardmore. Mar. 10.-The trial o
Clara Smith. former stcnographer o
Jake L. Hamon, late millionaire ol
king and political boss. and who 4
charged with his murder, has started
The defendant twitoied nervousl,
as the preliminary steps in the tria
were taken.
y. II. Cole. jury balliff. pulled oul
the names OF IL men from the list Of
i5O venIremon and they took theII
places In the jury box. II. III. Brown
special prosecutor started to examine
the tentative jurors.
The defendant listened attentively
to the questioning by Prosecutor
Brown. She studied the twelve men
qulzzically.
Four hundred persons jammed all
available space In the court room
when the trial opened. while 200
others waited outside for an oppor.
tunity to get into the room.
Mrs. Jake l.. Hamon. wife OF the
late oil man was not in the court
room when the trial opened. Jimmie
O'Brien, her attorney. said that Mrs.
Hamon would not come until after
the jury was chosen.
Clara blushed and cast ler eyes
down as Attorney General Freezing
asked J. p. Appoloe, one of the ten
tative jurors-"Dld you know either
Jake L. Hamon or Clara Hamon by
reputation
81 had heard talk about them"
Appellee said.
AS the questioning of the venire
men continued by the attorneys. 1t
appeared certain that the jury would
be selected today. The twelve ten
tative jurors were in the box when
the noon recess of the court was
taken.
judge Thomas Champion, who Is
trying the case, Is considered a
stern but just judge. He is AZ years
old.
When Judge Champion called the
case to trial, facing him was his
twin brother, J. B. Champion, Ard
more attorney, who has been en-
gagged by the defense. The defense al.
so includes Attorneys James Math
ers and A. l.. Coakley of Fort Worth,
Tex. Mathers is regarded as one of
the best criminal lawyers in the
Southwest. He has been practicing
for more than thirty years.
Attorney General Prince Freezing
of Oklahoma and II. H. Brown, Ard
more represent the State. Brown IS
a cousin of Russell Brown, former
county attorney, who filed the orgi-
nal informatin against Miss Smith.
The attorney general is probably the
best known through his connection
with the Red River land litigation
involving the claims of Texas and
Oklahoma to this territory in the
southern part of the State in which
he represented the State.
The alleged shooting occurred the
evening of November 21--Sunday.
'Hamon walked into the lobby Of the
hotel and announced that he had ac-
cidently shot himself while cleaning
a pistol he had intended to take with
him on a hunting trip to West Texas
and Montana. He walked unaided to
Hardy Sanitarium and afterwards
Frank Ketch, his business manager
and chief lieutenant, issued formal
statement saying the wound was ac-
cidentally self-inflicted. ae4
Late the next day Russell Brown.
county attorney of Carter county, is
sued a warrant charging Clara
Smith Hamon with assault with in
tent to kill Hamon and the woman
fled. She was traced to chihuahua
City, Old Mexico.
From there she conducted negotia-
tions with relatives. who on the ad
vice of. attorneys, arranged for heI
surrender She surrendered tc
Sheriff Buck Garrett of Carter
County, Oklahoma, few days before
Christmas. She was released on bail
Her attorneys announced soon at