The Washington times., 1921-03-07
WON AS
HAMON DIED
Widow Tells How Oil King Turn
ed to Her for Comfort on
Death Bed.
By SAMUEL BLAIR,
Copyright. 1881. By Univsrssi Prsa)~

CHICAGO March 7.-Thursday
win ses the opening at Ardmore.
Okla, Of the trial Of Clara Smith
Hanon. charged with the murder Of
Jake L. Hsmon, Republican national
committeeman from Oklahoms and
millionaire oil operator.
BOTH WOMEN TO TESTIFY.
Across the courtroom the two wom-
en- in all the world who loved Jake
Hamon will look into each others
eyes. Each woman will tell from tho
witness stand her story. The tesu-
mony OF these two-one q witness for
for herself-wili summarize the slo-
ments upon which the jury can be
expected to reach Its verdict
The story upon which Clara Smith
Hamon will base her Plea for acqult-
tai was told to me oae night last De-
cember while she. her brother. James.
two Mexican friends. and I stroiled
through the public park In Chihushua
City, Mexico.
The story from the other side was
told to me one day recently As Mrs
Jake l.. Hamon. the widow. sat across
from me at . table In q dining room
VI = notcl. ~ - u thA&
never has been told before.
.FoR CHILDREN's SAKE
att was for the children's sake" she
said. that I agreed not to counter
the fabrication that Mr.. Hamon acci-
dentally shot himself. His friends In
Ardmore-and mine-already had this
story in circulation when ! arrived
at the hospital there in reply to q
al -
had been wounded and was in q seri-
Gus condition.
"The telegram did not say that
Clara Smith had shot him. But i
knew It was she who did II. For
years I had realized that she was
bound to kill him, IL they continued
long enough to live together"
She bent her head and cried softly.
Before went into his room-there
in the hospital corridor-Dr. T. J. Ir-
win. the minister from Lawton, told
me what 1 already knew. He told
me that Jake had explained to him
how Clara fired the shot But the
minister suggested that 1t was Jake's
wish that I should not mention
Clara's name"
Jake Hamon was shot November 81
last. He and Clara Smith Hamon
~cIC 6IouS III tnclT TOOUu ~ tHC 1tAu-
dol Hotel in Ardmore.
1t was Mr.. Ketch. Hamon's business
manager, who issued the information
that Hamon had accidentally shot
himself while cleaning a ..2-caliber
pistol This deception was persisted
in after the death by way R giving
some protection to the Hamon name.
CLARA TELLS STORY.
Positive information that Mr.. Ha-
mon did not wound himself was not
obtained until Clara Hamon told me
the story of the shooting after i
found her in Chihuahua.
"It was hard, desperately hard"
the widow said, "to sit beside his bed
in the hospital and not get from his
own lips the facts as I knew them
really to be. But I have been used
to hard things. For nine years I had
struggled and waited.
"It was my last service OF love for
him / did not mention Clara's name
nor let him know that had been told
everything.
"I sat beside him and stroked his
forehead. We didn't believe he was
going to die. He kept begging me
for ice water. But the doctors told
me we didn't dare allow him any
thing cold. 1t hurt SO to have to re-
fuse mis- plea0inRA
"And then Thursday afternoon came
and we began to understand he would
not live
WON HIM ON DEATH BED.
3CIara hsd gone out Of his life for
xsed. After nine terrible year. ! had
won ny nght and had him for myself
sIsne. And he was dying. He was
dyiner'
There was no bitterness showing
through the tears that dimmed the
widows eyes-just the utter tragedy
of loss
There he lay dying that Thursday
afternoon. And. oh! he didn't want
to die. He cried out that he could
not die. There was one little thing
I could do for him. I told the doctors,
now there was no hope, he must be
given all tho ice water he craved.
carried the glass to him and held him
in my arms as he gulped II down. 1t
was a drink of death, but II WAS good
70 see that IL soothed away something
of his burning suffering.
up to almost daylight Friday I sat
him-smoothed mis-
him ice water, the last
little comfort he was to have In life.
"And just before he lapsed con-
scfouspess, he looked into my eyes
and tried to smile. He-he thanked
me for the last drink l gave him.
He never spoke again"
POOR AND HAPPY.
Not easily was Mrs. Hamon able to
clear from her mental vision the
scene of that Friday morning. It re-
puired the creation of another mind
picture to let down tho pressure of
memory.
This picture had it's coloring OF ro-
nance and of happiness. 1t was q
glimpse of the town of Lawton, Okla,
in the period of it's birth, about
twenty years ago. A city of tents
was stretched across a sun-baked.
treeless prairie, and at the edge of
the canvas town was tho Hamon
home. Mrs. Hamon said:
I'VE went to Jawton In 1901, Jake
and !. That was the time of the FIRST
land opening there. We werc young
then and oh! so poor and ohl so
happy.
"Then he began practicing in Ard
more.
enA A.orI -otAt-- - T-r.--