The Washington herald., 1921-03-18
ACQUIT
SMITH IN
lHAMON KILLING
Explosive Cheers Greet
Verdict Reached in
40 Minutes.
CLIMB OVER RAILS
TO EMBRACE GIRL
Slain Politician Denoun-
ced by Attorney as.
Moral Leper.

ARDMoRE. Okla. March 1.-THE
expected happened this evening
when the jury hearing the evidences
in the case of the state against
Clara Smith Hamon, for the alleged
killing Of Jake l. <Hamon, million
aire oil speculatar, politician and
Republican national committeeman,
rendered a verdict Of not guilty.
The jury was out but forty minutes
fand only one ballot was taken.
People who have been following
| the case from its inception and who
are familiar with the history Of Ha-
mon, never believed there would be
any other verdict. Had 1t not been
for the work of Northern newspa-
pers in digging into the case and
literally forcing action, 1t Is doubt
ful II the girl would ever have been
brought to trial.
The closing arguments by attor-
neys for the defense were bitter In
the extreme, especially that by J. Ia
Champion, who branded Hamon as
a man who stole girls out OF the
cradle, as a moral leper, a million
aire debaucher of womankind who
eventually received exactly what
was coming to him"
Spectators Applaud Verdict
Mrs. Jake L. Hamon. widow of the
slain man, was not in court when
the verdict was read.
The courtroom spectators ex-
ploded in applause like the firing OF
a pack of firecrackers when the
clerk of court got to the words
mot guilty" Warnings of Judge
Champion against demonstrations
were forgotten
Clara, waiting tensely as the
clerk began the reading of the jury
. foreman's report. convulsed her
: arms violently about her mother
when the happily fateful words
were pronounced. And the little
emotional Intensity, By releasing q
glorious flow of tears z
Whatever histrionic posture the
defendant had maintained during
the course Of the trial fell away in
the. unconscious relief which the
final coming of the verdict brought.
The tears that welled into her eyes
required no mental compulsion. As
the women spectators paused in
their applause 10 Chamber over
chairs and railings and fell upon
Sher to gush out congratulations, the
which she gave them all
seemed genuine and sincere. She
shook hands with all the jurors.
Clara Thanks Jury.
Thank you. 1 knew you would
I'll never doubted you once" she
told them.
= And the purors, every one, grinned
heased grins which seemed to re-
pond.
-oh. that is all right. We only
|iid our duty"
s. Prince Freeling, attorney gen.
raj of the State who directed the
Prosecution, had no hope of obtain
Il any form of a guilty verdict.
"Of course" he said, when in
brmed of the jury's decision.
"Of course" was the comment also
4 Charles II. Coakley, J. W. Cham
bion, James W. Msthers and WILL
Jam Mclean, leading counsel for the
defense. That is a verdict those
5urors will be proud Of"
There was one, however. who did
not content h1mself with a caSual
shrug of the shoulders.
This was H. II. Brown. appointed
special prosecutor to assist Freei-
ing. and the attorney who won ad-
nfiration. even from the defense,
for the fearless fashion in which
he attacked the accused girl and
demanded her punishment.
widow Cites Girls Youth.
Knowing the sentiment and
character Of Carter County as I
do" he said. Il could expect moth
ing else. This community had
known of the relations of Jake
Hamon and Clara Smith for years.
The community did nothing to cor
rect this display Of immortality
while Hamon was alive, so why
should the jury be supposed to
draw q moral from his death and
teach the county q lesson through
a guilty verdict?"
Mrs Hamon, the widow: her SON,
Jake, jr.. and her daughter, Olive
Belle, retired to the seclusion of
their home just before the jury
left its box.
Il am ~ years old and Clara is
only g." she said, just before she
left the courtroom. Clara has been
able to appeal to the jury through
her more youthful and more beau
tiful appearance. The only possf-
bility for justice that can see is
a disagreement among the jurors"