Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1876-06-30
Mysterious Death,

n II iiuHlNhSh tsN VIZ 1''hSH es'N
Albany station on Kneeland street, last
Thursday evening, 22d inst, by which
a man lost his life, but whether by his
own hand or at the hands of another is
not at present clear. There are many
singular circumstances connected with
the case which bear out the theory of
murder, but there are others that point
to suicide, and the former facts were
thought sufficient TO warrant the arrest
of John A. Jordan, an employee about
the depot, to await investigation. The
first knowledge the police obtained of
the affair was very few minutes after
it happened, at about 81 o'clock, when
Officer Ledwith of Station W., who was
in the depot, was informed by road
official that man had committed suicide
in the urinal attached to the depot, and
situated in the brick building at the
corner of Albany and Kneeland streets.
The officer Immediately proceeded thith-
er, and upon opening the door discover
ed man lying close beside the door
and almost surrounded by pools of blood
which seemed to flow from wound in
his neck. The only other person in the
room was John A. Jordan, who had
charge of it, whose story Of the tragedy
was that the man came into the place
partially intoxicated and went into one
of the compartments from which he soon
after emerged looking very i'll that he
afterward staggered across the room as
if to vomit, but almost Immediately fell
backwards when he (Jordan) caught
him in his arms; that the man was
bleeding from the mouth and nose, and
that seeing that he was not getting any
better he laid him down and went for
assistance. Immediately upon the facts
being known at the depot, word was sent
to Coroner j. w. Foye, who came at
once. His first impression upon seeing
the man was that he had ruptured a
blood vessel, but upon tearing open his
shirt punctured wound was found in
his left breast, just above the nipple,
which had severed one of the pulmonary
arteries, causing almost instant DEATH
The manner of the mans death not be-
ing clear to the authorities, together with
the fact that certain suspicious circum-
stances pointed to Jordan as knowing
more of the matter than he had divulg-
ed, he was arrested by officer Ledwith
and committed to await investigation.
The deceased, whose name is unknown,
was about thirty years of age, five feet
nine inches in height and would weigh
100 pounds.
The cut was clean one, about an
inch wide and quite deep, and from its
situation and appearance, Coroner Foye
was inclined to believe that it was such
wound as to preclude the possibility of
its being case of suicide. John A.
Jordan, the man under arrest, was for
merly soldier in the First Massachu-
sets Volunteers, and afterward mem
Der Of the Soldiers Messenger Corps,
stationed at the Albany depot, from
which position it is said he was removed
for some misdemeanor, and out of chart
ty given the charge of the urinal attach
ed to the station-house. He is about
forty-seven years of age, paralyzed in
his left side from wounds received in the
service, and is said to possess violent
temper. Among the many suspicious
circumstances surrounding the affair is
the fact that no weapon was found in
the place of the murder, which has a
strange look, if the man murdered him.
self; and, moreover, no blood is to be
seen in the compartment where Jordan
says the man stabbed himself. Upon
searching Jordan after the arrest knife
was found upon him, which was clean,
without the least stain of blood upon it
1t was common pocket knife, with a
spring blade about four inches long and
apparently sufficiently large to have pro.
duced such a wound. Upon the lappel
of Jordan's coat were found several
blood stains. Jordan denies emphati
cally that he struck the man, but reiter
ates his first story of suicide. So far
as at present known there were no wit
nesses to the affair. 1t is also asserted
that deceased had previously had trou
BILE with Jordan and had BACKED hi.
eye. Jordan upon being arrested was
very cool and collected, betraying MOI
the slightest sign of fear or guilt
- Forty-seven million pius mads