Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1921-03-15
SLAYER OFRICH
6. 0. P.LEADER
TEL.LI.SHEE.RIl / STORY
Court Adjourned Hour
For States Remark
About Her Mother

AhDAlChE, Oklas, March Ia
Clara Hamon today went ON the wit
ness stand here to defend herself
against the charge Of the murder OF
Jake L. Hamon after a few other
witnesses had been heard Her
counsel said her story to the jury
would be the summing of of the
case for the defense.
She spoke in a wel-controlled
voice, but broke down and sobbed
into her handkerchief when she tried
to tell what Hamon said when shot.
A demonstration of approval by
spectators when w. P. McLean, Of
counsel FOR the defense, rooK excep-
ton TO a remark by S. S. Brown,
state counsel, in which Brown refer
red to the mother Of the defendant
as IAN old woman" caused Judge
Champion to order courS adjourned
for an hour this morning. fhe de-
fendant and her mother left thu
court room in tears.
Clara Hamon told the jury she
shot and killed the oil multimillion4
aire and Republican national COM
mitteeman in self-defense. This is
a synopsis Of her story
81 was 17-an unsophisticated
clerk in store Jake Harnon came
into the store time and again, I'M
der the pretext of making purchases
at my counter.
Finally he lured me to his of.
flee, by promise of better posi-.
ton.
How | hated him after that
Dominated by Him.
For 10 years / was dominated
by him. But | came to love him
And | did everything possible to
contribute to his success. Il was !
who made many of the suggestions
that men attributed to his business
sagacity.
"But when he reached the apex
Of power in. riches and pnlitfra, he
told me / must 90. | agreed, | had
my railroad tickets, | was going far
away
"On that last evening together
HamOn was drunk He created
scene on the hotel balcony about s
O'Clock. l left him and locked my
self in my room. Then / sent for
food. He pushed in behind the
waiter
"He was enraged He called me
a terrible name Then he grabbed
me by the throat with one hand and
by the fingers with the other. He
twisted my fingers to torture me
Finally | broke loose
"hamon reached. for his knife and
made threat TO cut my throat. He
started to lunge toward me, with
his fingers cIutching the air gro
tesquely. He grabbed a chair and
struck at me.
cat that moment | had my re-
volVer in my hand, pointing at him,
and | was calling to him to stop.
The chair struck the revolver and
discharged it. l did not pull the
trigger, though the weapon was in
my hand" Mrs. Jake Hamon, the
widow, took the stand as q witness
for prosecution yesterday She told
how Jake Hamon deserted herself
and their two little children 10 years
ago, when he became infatuated
with the girl clerk who doIni-
mated his life until---in tie hour OF
their final parting-she shot him.
Helped Him Rise
She told how she took Jake. Ham.
on ''f0r better or for worse; how
she made no objection when he asked
her to live in a tent with him in the
oil fields; how she let him sleep
while she sat up nights with . the
sick children; how on the eve of his
great prosperity he deserted her.
Taking care of children and liv
ing in tent and trying to assist my
husband made me old--and it would
have made her old, too,' was her
only reference to Clara Hamon.
after ! had grown old-old be-
fore my time-she came along with
her beauty and insulted me by pa
rading with my husband.
Il had always been kind to Mr.
Hamon. | had never but once ask
ed him to get up at night and care
for the children, and that was when
Olive was i'll with diptheria"
During the time Hamon. and the
girl for whom ne had given up his
family lived at the Randol Hotel
here, Mrs. Hamon and her son, Jake,
Jr., now 10, and her daughter, Olive
Belle, now IL, lived in Chicago.