Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1921-03-17
FINISH TESTIMONY
IN MURDER TRIAL
OF CLARA HAM0N
Court Adiourns Until Three
O'clock to Permit Judge to
Prepare Charge to Jury
Each Side Will Be Given
Five Hours For Argument.

ArdmOre. Okla, March 1G.-IntrO-
duction of testimony in the trial Of
Clara Smith Ilamon for the alleged
murder of Colonel Jake l.. Hamon.
republican national committeeman
from Oklahoma, millionaire oil and
railroad man, ended at 1923 this
morning and court was recessed until
" p. m. to permit Judge Thomas w.
II. Champion to prepare his instruc-
tons to the jury. f
Each side was allowed five hours
for arguments and it was stated that
il the court had prepared his charge
by the time court reconvened, they
will be gotten under way immediate
ly. -'~t
The court will charge the jury on
three points: murder which upon
conviction would carry sentence of
life Imprisonment or death; first de-
gree manslaughter, the sentence for
which would be from four years to
life imprisonment; and second degree
mnnslaughter with a minimum fine OF
81. ar-.
S. P Freezing, states attorney gen.
eral in charge of the prosecution.
said that II. II. Brown, special prose-
cutor would make the opening argu-
ment and Shat he would close for tho
state.
w. p. Mclean of Fort Worth,
Texas, leading counsel for the de-
fense, announced three of the defense
corps OF six attorneys would speak.
Mr.. Mclean said that the defense
had proposed to the state counsel to
permit the case to go 10 the jury i'm
mediately after the judge read his
charge and without argument, but
that the state had declined.
Letters Ruled Out.
Ardmore, Okla, March l5.-The
court in the trial of Clara Smith Ha-
mon, on trial charged with the muir
der of Colonel Jake l.. Hamon, today
ruled inadmissible as evidence Il
number, OF, letters Colonel Hamon had
written to the defendant. The de-.
fense had its exception noted and
formally rested.
The state began presentation Of Its
rebuttal testimony by introducing
Sam Blair, a newspaper man, who
obtained an interview with Clara
Smith Hamon at Chihuahua City,
Mexico.
He said he saw Clara Smith Ha-
mon first on the night Of December
18. 1920, and saw her twice later
Asked regarding any statement the
defendant may have made regarding
Il will left by Hamon, Blair said he
brought up the subject and that Clara
said she believed there was will
and that it was being kept hidden un-
til after she might be tried.
Erwin G.. Daniels. Denison, Tex
as. service car driver, said he had
driven Clara Hamon from Denison to
Dallas and that on the trip he had
seen pistol in the defendants hand
bag.
!. Taxi Driver Draws Laugh.
The spectators laughed when DAN
iels replied, "Did you ever see taxi
driver who wasn't?" when Mr.. Nc
Lean on cross-examination asked him
if he were not always in receptive
mood when passenger offered a
larger fare than the regular amount.
He brought another laugh when
in describing the man who had him
come here to testify he referred to a
as "he had them little
things under his nose'
Estate of $1,2OO,OOO
Oklahoma City, Okla, March 16.
Jake L. Hamon had a net estate
III Oklahoma of approximately ST.
100000, debts and inheritance tax