M i 0 if - ' 0
-
Clara Smith Hamon-
NOBODY was better known through
out the length and breadth ot the
State of Oklahoma than Jake Lb
Hamon. ' He -was a multi-millionaire, he
had his finger in the great oil developments
ot the" State, he -was the local political em
peror ot the State, and he was tbe repre
sentative of Oklahoma on the Republican
National Committee. i
Hamon had Involved himself In a love
affair with Clara Smith Hamon and; had
separated from his wife and child. Hamon
had' been to the National Convention in the
early Summer, had worked hard as politi
cal boss at the November national election,
nd had seen his candidate. Senator Har
ding, elected to the Presidency. : j
At once there loomed for Hamon vistas
of political Importance as a national figure.
With his candidate in the executive man
sion and his party in power Hamon began
to build air castles of his own future great-
r.ess la Washington. Securely entrenched
In political power in his own State of Okla
homa, Hamon felt that he had outgrown
the limitations of locaj boss, and might find
it convenient to spend a good deal ot time
at the national capital and sit In the coun
cils of his party in Washington j
But Mr. Harding and Mrs. Harming are
rather old fashioned In their ideas of clean
family morality. It would never do for
Hamon to take his sweetheart end his 111-
emelllng scandal to Washington with him.
It, therefore, became expedient and con
venlent to make overtures to his outraged
wife, who was living apart with their child !
' In Chicago, to return to him and wear the
mask of domestic felicity. ' j r
In this arrangement there wasno place;
for Clara Hamon. : L t f
It appears that Hamon thought out this
situation, and perhaps with rather brutal
frankness told bis sweetheart that the time
bad come to throw her over. Hamon was
accustomed to make and unmake little pol
iticians and office holders at his will and
convenience. If Clara Hamon stood in the
way of his ambitions, why should she not'
be dropped as he would have dropped a
political associate who interfered with his
plans? ' --f' ; i
So the time came in the latter part of
November when they fixed upon the final
ay the day of parting. According to the
assertions of Mr. Sam Blair, a very efficient
and very reliable staff correspondent of
the Universal Service and the Chicago
Herald-Examiner, -Clara- Hamon told ot
r
x
Sf
Did She or Didn't She Shoot Mr.
Hamon's arranging a marriage for her with
his nephew so that she might use the name
Clara Hamon on her travels with him.
Then In these words she gave the story ot
the last day:
! "Listen. I want to tell you first of that
day and night of the night he was shot.
"For ten years you know we had been
he had dominated me. I hated him and
yet I loved him. That day of November 21
we were to part for good.
, "It was my decision and his. His wife
was returning to him from Chicago. lie
had grown to be a power In money and pol
itics. I had made him what he was, but I
had no desire to remain with, him and
Share in the glory.
"As for him. he was about to step out of
the rough character, become a home-abiding
husband, something of a power in his
church, and, consequently, better able to
grasp the higher political opportunities
that both he and I knew lay just ahead.
"And I for ten years, I had been fight
ing that soul-racking battle to free myself
from him to be just good, as other girls
are as every girl wishes to be for the sake
of my father and mother1 and for the sake
of JImmle. here."
! She reached out an arm suddenly and
drew to her the brother typically a col
lege boy of clean-cut features and eyes.
"Oh, it was for Jimmy's sake that I
wanted to leave Jake Harmon forever,! she
eald. "I wanted 1 him to be able to go
through college with head up never know
ing nor suspecting that his sister was not
was not- . . ?
"And so, you see, that day was to have
been our last together. We had made up
our minds. - '
' "We had promised each other that not a
thing should happen to mar the sanctity
of the time. It was sacred for me, because
he was the only man in all my life. ;
"It had been sacred for him. too, for he
loved me. He was a man who sought after
every woman he encountered, but he loved
just me. Often, he had told me it had
become a pet expression with him 'Clara,
I love you better than all the world; I love
you better than my children.
"And so, that morning, we were sad, but
each was trying to conceal the sadness so
as to give the other one, last happy memory,
i: "There were politicians in Ardmore
whom he had to meet. That angered him
et the start, for he wished the day alone
, with me. - - r
"He saw these men. I know he met
; them in the sort of mood which made him
an easy victim for the madness which later
came.
Why the
W
'HO fired the shot into the
ber ax, which ended
King and Republican
Oklahoma?
The approaching trial of Clara Smith Hamon, his sweetheart, on
Thursday, March 10, will clear up a mystery which has set the State
of Oklahoma by its ears. : .
As Hamon lay dying he declared that he had shot himself acci
dentally while cleaning his automatic pistol. But Clara Hamon is de
clared to have said that she fired the shot that mortally wounded her
lover. "
This is the first important and vital fact which must be established
beyond any doubt at the approaching trial. Very few people who
have studied the case think that the jury will have any difficulty in
deciding whether the Oil King's dying statement was made to hide
the true facts and escape scandal.
J f, then, the jury believes' that Clara Hamon's hand held the pistol
J
Hamon?
"The day passed. Instead
f of; our being together as we .
had desired, he was forced to
' run constantly to bis office.
Each time he came back to
; me he had more drink than
before.
X
i "Alwavs in the oast, he had .
been able to achieve what
. you call 'carrying his liquor.
: But as this day wore on and
, I got fitful glimpses of him I
became convinced that he
was crazy. . . '.-
"Crazy Is the word. The
way his eyes were glowing,
J his lips twitching, his fingers
I clenching. .
"Until that day he tnvaria-
bly masked himself in publio
; .as a gracious man. There
I were : those who " always
I ")
The
thought ot him as a 'good
! sport. But toward evening .
he forgot to pretend in publio
. what he was not behind the deor ox our
; room. f
"I met him on the veranda of the Haldol
Hotel at close to 6 o'clock. He screamed
at me jerked me down into my chair. I
: begged him to take me to the room, if he
was bent on a quarrel.
"I wanted to save him and me from the
Ignominy of a publio fight. He made me
keep my seat until he left his ownT and
lurched across the street once more to his
. Office. -Vv-1:'" !'- '
"After he had gone back again to his
office I felt strangely worn and old. So
t this, I thought, was to be the ending of our
last day. I would to God, now, that it had
r ended as I believed at the moment it was
, finishing. : ,- - ' -.
"My automobile was waiting out In front,
t X decided to drive alone and seek what re
i freshment the evening air would give. S
"In possibly half an hour I returned. I
was heart-sick. I felt no better.
"The last day, the last day, kept ringing
In my ears.
"But how I hated him for the scene he
had made on the hotel porch. "
"How I hated myself because I had yield
; ed to his dominance for so long. -
"I went to my room No. 28. His room
- was No. 29. I locked the communicating
, door between. I locked my own door. I
could hear him beyond the partition. He
evidently was more angry even than be
fore. -: (C lKVlBtHoattttul IWtu SrfcIafe :
Sentimmt:iiM OklaMoma Buddenlyi
Ardmore, Okla., March 5.
body of Jake L. Hamon on Novem
the life of the multi-millionaire Oil
National Committeeman at Ardmore,
54
113
Clara Hamon and Memorandum She
the Photograph.
"I telephoned for some food. . The negro
porter Bill came with food. At his heels
rushed Mr. Hamon. I could not put him.
; OUt.
"I sot rid of the porter. I knew another
: terrible scene was coming.
"Mr. Hamon flung himself down on my
bed. He was disgustingly Intoxicated. He
called me he called me a terrible name.
He wanted to know whom X had been rid
, ing with.. .;;
"He knew he knew, oh, so well, that
never in ten years since I was seventeen
had I even so much as raised my eyes s.
another man. And yet, on that last day,
: he chose to pretend he was doubting me.
"His knife Mr. Hamon's knife fell out
' of his pocket as he lay on the bed. I don't
r know why It must have been Providence
'r I picked it up and concealed it on the
table under a newspaper.
; "He got up from tne tea. He grabbed
me. His fingers went deep into my throat.
I couldn't scream.
"He laughed, that harsh, snarly laugh of
; his which he was careful not to give In pub
licbut it was a' laugh I know welL It
came the time he struck me on the head.
"He grabbed my hands. He laughed and
laughed, and tried to break my fingers. He
crushed them backward on the knuckles.
"Has anyone ever tried to bend your fln-
gers back until they broke? it la pain;
U is pain.
Great Britain nights Tli wred, ,
that fired the bullet that killed Hamon, many questions at once arise
' which will influence the decision of the jury whether Hamon's, sweet
heart was a deliberate murderess and should go to the electric chair--
or whether the girl is guiltless and should be set free.
Either one or the other of these verdicts must be brought in by
the jury to satisfy the public feeling in Oklahoma. No compromise
verdict will do. " :
The many phases of the case,, the various motives which may be
urged by the Attorney-General who is conducting the prpsecution,
and the explanations and answers which will be put forward by the
lawyers for the accused woman are discussed elsewhere on these pages.
Extracts from the remarkable and rather hysterical diary of Clara
Hamon have already been printed, as well as a very circumstantial state
ment alleged to have been made by the woman, explaining how she
came to shoot Hamon. and the facts and circumstances leading. up to
the alleged murder. , ;.. ; . '
, On the last page of the woman's diary, written on the very eve of
the shooting, was pinned a letter from woman who signed herself
Frances. , This was at first thought to be a love letter from some
woman to Hamon which Clara Hamon had intercepted and which had
worked her up to a jealous rage which culminated in the shooting. But
investigation shows that this very remarkable love letter from the
woman Frances was addressed to Clara herself, and that Frances is a
very intimate personal acquaintance of the Hamon woman and not of
Hamon. It is a curious letter. I . '
f : v
The Curious Love Letter That Was
Pinned to Clara Hamon's Diary
(tjt 7TT DEAREST PAL:
"Jul rtceirid your letter of Friday eve asd wa more tLta tied to leer from yea, sal
I appreciate ad yoa said about me, and kope'yoa serer csanfe, for It's lots of coasolatioa to
ame. Toa are sure thaa SrosderfoL and tune wtU mot ckaage sty tkoagkta sad everytkinf I TtaTe for yoa.
... ."Willi I coald 1m tkere to kelp yea pack, for I know yoa kare year jkaads faTL It weald gWe mo
atold pleasare to ko witk yoa aad do all 1 coald for yoa. Kaow yea aaatt ke fired after all yoa kare
doae aad kare to do. Wk2e yoa are packing sad working along, please remea&er tkere U a kelper
wko woald love to relieve yoa of eoaae of year worries aad work. ,
"Asa sare your Tisit at your sister's was pleasant in a way, kat was a sad parting for aS especially
for tke ckildrea. . ' ' ' ""'
"Asa glad yoa enjoyed wkat yoa found tkere oa yoar arriraL aad wiik I coald repeat all I ml,
aad I coald do k erery day, kat since I cannot, tkere wiU ke soatetking for yoa wkererer yoa stay go,
so yoa will ke tart to kaow 1 aat 'witk yoa' in every one of your aad 'oar days.
"I auxsed tke 'kenied good-kye, aad looked for it, sat was sore yea were trying. Tkere Is a
baraiag in tke last good-kye,. aad 1 will never forget year last words; tkoagk tkey were sad to ate, tkey
ckeered ate wonderfully, aad kope it may ke 'some el tkeso days..
Tke moon kas keen very 'pretty past few aigkts, aad it kas carried mack aad kroagkt more to me.
"Have started me a flituV look, vikk yoa wiD see, aad 1 kopo it krings mora to yoa tkaa I pal
ia it, for 1 will try and keep oa trying, kecaose .t am pretty sare ft wiD please yoa. t
It's migkty lonesome aad Hue around kere, and tkere are so many tkings t miss, kat ia all tke
'muting' tkere is a 'something' tkat is whk me, tkat 1 cannot lose, aad ,w21 never lose it, kelieve me. .
"It is, my only treasure aad tke only one, I can keep, if I lose everytking else. Tke cord Is stUJ
golden, dear fal of Mine, and kopo tkere wifl not ke one tkinf to ever make it .tarnish. Disappoint
ments are hitter ; that's wky 1 don't want any to kappen. At far as myself is concerned tkere won't be,
aad am sare yea feel tke same. ' -
4 I
"But I won Id
not cry out.' i I
was too proud, i
"Then he had
another thought.
Instead of break
, lng my fingers he
would test his
strength by twist
ing the flesh of
my hands In a cir
cular fashion un
til the flesh should
'break. He pro
ceeded to atrip
my hands of skin.
- "We talk about
physical agony.
We read about
Inquisition. I have
Vrote Under
the tortures of the
known them as only
a fiend could con-
ceive them a fiend of his strength, work
ing on one of my weakness and of my pride
and love.
- "How, I don't know, but there came an
instant when I succeeded in jerking loose
my tortured hands. They were bleeding
from every pore. They were torn. A
"He watched me auletly for an instant.
that beastly sneer on his lips. He lighted
a cigar and this is what he said to me:
" 'I would as easy slit your throat as
draw cn this cigar.'
"He felt for his knife the knife I had.
picked up and hidden under the paper.
Then he reached for -his watch chain. Last
Christmas I had given him a gold chain
with a small knife attached. -
' "This knife was gone. He leered at me
foolishly for a moment. Then his face set
In a way that's horrible to remember. He
) started to lunge toward me across the floorf-
His arms were outstretched and his fingers
clutching the air grotesquely. -
"Instinctively I reached behind me On
the window sill I felt my handbag. It was
open. Inside my hands searched for and
found my' gun.
"He had given me this gun himself not
so long ago and ordered me to carry it
always, especially to protect a - diamond
worth 110,000 which he had presented to
me.
"Good-kye, dearest PaL friend aad aJL aad 1 am going to be at mf
kest as long as there is kope, aad after that IH ke just 'tke same, so
tke memories will ke sweet as they are new.
. "Good-kye, good lack, aad may yoar keeltk come back anew, aaJ
if yoa ever need me, yoa can rest assared I'll ke 'waiting, also watching
for year commands, aad wiD do all I caa to fal0 the reqaest WHEN
EVER yoa may ash it.
"I am klaa to-day, kat GOOD, aad kope yoa are. speeding along coa
teatedly aad look kack to see oae wkom yea HAVE MADE, aad remem
ber 1 love yoa aad will always ke 'for yoa,' regardless of what might
kappea. ,W: - :. , .-, .':
"Coi bless yoa aad keep yoa safe give the encouragement, keeltk
and all tkat I prayed Him to give yoa. j
"Worlds of love to yoa from oae wko is thin lung deeply and caret
more tkaa yoa know. Tkese Eaes are from tke bottom of my keart to a
REAL PAL from oae wko kat always keen trae
"FRANCES."
"I levelled this gun at his head. I cried i
out for him to stop. Of course, I should
have asked him to throw up his hands.
But I didn't do that because I could noi
think.. I Just held the pistol toward him
tvnd motioned him to swing around from in
front of my door. ;
"He eyed me without a word and slowlj .1
followed my motions. I got close to tht .
door. I had him In the centre of the room
I was on the verge of escape. This wai
working' out the way it should have been
. "But Ugt his drunken mood he must havi
uiuukuv X tj a. a Kcvt,utKj iau r iw juu uiut
run from the . room, possibly locking the
"door behind met.
"There wag j a chair close to his let?
nana. ; we unea ms ngnt -one suaaeniy
and switched oft the light. - '
"The chair was swung over his head. I
.could see the movement faintly from the
light reflected from the street arc He
rushed at me with the chair up. He struck
down savagely at me.
"He struck me with the halr. As it
came down the gun went off. It's true, I
held it In my hand and had it pointed at
him. But I swear to God I didn't pull that
trigger. It may be that nobody in the
world will believe me, but I swear to God
the gun went off because of the blow he
eravA ma with thfl halr.
"He fell on the floor, he spoke. The shot
had sobered him Instantly.
"'Clara, you've hit me, you've hit me,'
he sort of half-way moaned.
"I stood there above his body In the dark
of the room. I became a crazy woman for
a moment. - - t
"I began screaming out,- 'Oh, I didn't,
you know r didn't; you know I never could
have done it.: I didn't do it. I didn't
do.it"
It has been intimated that this alleged
confession will be denied by Clara Hamon.
It is thought possible that she will claim
that Hamon spoke the truth in his dying
statement that he accidentally shot himself.
' Just what the defense will take as its posi
tion as to the shooting is not clear. It is
reported that the accused woman will ad-
Continued on Next Page.