New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-12-08
A CHICAGO MURDER MYSTERY
THE MANGLED BODY OF A JANITOR
FOUND IN A BOX.
THREE MEN AND THREE WOMEN SUSPECTED OF
COMPLETELY IN THE MURDER ARE UNDER
ARREST - BUTCdERY SOMETHING

LIKE THE tRONlN CASE.
Chicago. Dec. IA d. Barnes who was
ployed as janitor OF the Hiawatha Flats. an apart
ment building. No 25s East Thrty-seventh-st.
was murdered last night in the basement of the
building. and an elaborate effort made by his
slayer and accessories after the fact conceal
the crime by hiding the hacked and mutilated
corpse I'm hole under the sidewalk South
Park-ave.. just south OF the elevated railroad
tracks on Slxty-thrd-st The packlng-case in
which the bloody corpse hidden was discovered
this morning. and tonight every person. except
perhaps. woman. who is suspected by the police
to have had any knowledge OF the crime is under
The circumstantal evidence far Sc
cured against Edmund Jordan. the assistant jani-
tor at the Hawatha Flats. Is OF the strongest
character. and only his confession IL lacking 10
establish beyond any doubt the fact that he hacked
the life out OF his superior with axe. cut and
broke the limbs of the bleeding corpse. that 1t
could be slowed in the box which he had prepared
for It. and then, accompanied by and
woman took 1t in a stolen vehicle TO the lonely
hiding place at midnight
The persons who in the Woodlawn police
station tonight charged with the murder. or
completely In the disposal OF the body. are held
material Witnesses Edmund Jordan. as
sistant janitor Of the IIiawatha Flats the alleged
murderer. John Bcrson Jersey. alias "Ne~-Jer-
sey' boon companion OF Jordan. and the man
who is suspected Of being on the wagon seat with
Jordan. \. Il. NinSlade. engineer ana nreinan OF
a nat-buildng at No. S74i Rhoades-ave; Mrs. An
drew X. Wnsladc. his wife. who is said TO have
been crimlnally intimate with Earncs: Annie Ma
honey mistress Of Barnes. who loaned him Ny".
and did not get 1t back. Mrs. Edmund jordan wife
OF the alleged murderer who is also said to have
been unlawfully intimate with barnes.
The police trying to find another woman who
called the Hiawatha Flats last night early. and
anxious to see Barnes. who was out at the
time This woman is believed by the police 10
have accompanied the two men who drove the body
to It's place OF concealment and Mrs. Wnslade or
Mrs Jordan may have been that woman. the latter
more likely. 1t * known 10y several Witnesses
that two men. with woman seated between them.
drove wagon containing boz south on Cot
tage Grove-avc. from the Hiawatha Flats about
II o'clock last night. 1t IL believed the crime
committed just before that time 1t is also in evi-
dence against Jordan and Jersey that they met
shortly after the time the murder a supposed 10
have been committed. and that Jordan said TO
him that the Job done. and It did not take
an hour to do it," This meeting was in saloon
near the Of the murder.
As To the motive 81 the deed the police say that
Barnes received his months paw yesterday and no
money cnn found in his bloody clothes or In tho
basement where the man met his death. Robbery
on the part OF Jordan. who vas a gool-f nothing
fellow may have been OF the motives. Then
there was the relationship which IL SAID to have eX
isted between the murdered janitor and the wife
prompted Jordan TO strike the cowardly blows with
the But the police believe more than any
thing else that Jordan wanted 10 get id OF Barnes
FOR the sake of getting his job and that In this We"
OF the hts pal" Jersey MAS willlng 10 aid Ia
the hiding Of the body and n reward be Installed
by Jordan his ASSISTANT.
As for the circumsiantial evidence which The de-
tectivcs have around the neck Of jordan dur-
ing the brief time since the discovery ot the body
al late hour tonight II can be said that the
clothes which the murdered janitor wore last nsnt
all cut and covered with blood, were iouni IN the
basement. hidden. The bloody axe Win which
in the place. Red stains were detected on N"
floor OF the basement OF the flats In front or the
furnace. This indicates that Barnes d1 not di"
without "A struggle. Then the aching case ~
which the body was pressed. recognized n
having been used the basement for IN" r'c"iN
ing of rubbish. The finding OF portions of h'ir
and other articles which found IN the ooN Win
The corpse ani which at nrst w'r" r"shrI"l ~
suspicious circumstances pointing 10 woman ~ th'
O., and other theories goes 10 prov" mat IN" =
similar purposes by the jantor ~ the building Con,
nlctlng stories fo.I tonight hs Jnf -W aA'
Icrs.s a. % their movements ~ me night ~ thr
murder. and to the presence ol iftrfy IN th'
basement late last night Ih'i staten nt' 40 nm"' m
place either In an innocent light jordan Was me
ur-f person 20 Identify the body % MS supposed
victim after the polio. had removed II 10 IN" n"TSI'
and ne Immediately feil under IN" suspicious 81 tn'
pollce He had been employed In MS position ohy
ihree months. and there is little known about him
An effort was made TO hid" the blood stains on
the floor OF the basement and walls - SirinhIlhs
fine ashes over the spots. II * believed that barn"-
fracfnrlng his skull and his body doubled up IN the
box which was then carried from the basement out
into me backward and Nftcd the fence by Jor.
dan Jersey and probably another man as tnt iohl
first removed and the body wrapped In odd pieces
~ earI