The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-04-04
MYSTERY CLEARED
IN MURDER CASE
DEAD MAN WAS Identified.
SLAYER WENT TO POLICE HEAD
QUARTERS AND SURRENDERED.

william Jordan Was Killed by John
MObIey. Another NegrO-BOth Men
Fired Three Shots and the Dying
Man Was still Crasping His
Weapon when FOund-JOrdan's
Wife Arrested for Completely in
Crime-She and Two Men Had
Locked Husband Out of House.
The dying negro found on Waldburg
street early yesterday morning, who ex-
pired almost Immediately after the ar
rival of the police, has been identified
as William Jordan, and his slayer is
a prisoner at the police station.
He had been shot only few feet
from his own house, but his wife re-
fused to identify him when the police
arrived on the scene. John Mobley,
the negro who did the shooting, called
at police headquarters late yesterday
afternoon and surrendered to Patrol
man Clancy. Jordan and his wife had
quarreled, it was learned by the Off
GERS, and this probably led to the kill
ing.
Both MobIey and the man killed
fired three shots. Mobley was not hit
at all and Jordan only once. The bullet
pierced the right breast. He was I'M
conscious when Patrolman S. J. Ker-
ney, the first officer to arrive on the
scene. reached him and died within a
few minutes. The dying negro was
still grasping his revolver when Pa
Tho mic
toll shows that Jordan had fired three
shots and that the pistol had snapped
twice, as the other two shells in it are
indented.
The Officers Were MisIed.
The wife of the dead man not only
refused to aid but it is alleged gave
the officers misleading information,
and it was with difficulty that they
learned any of the circumstances of
the killing. Patrolman Kerney re-
ported the matter to headquarters as
soon as he found the dying negro and
all the detectives were hurried to the
scene. The full story was not learned
until several hours after the shooting.
Matilda Jordan, wife of the negro
killed; John Mobley, the man who did
the shooting, and Colby Coleman, an
other negro, were all in the house,
when Jordan went home. The door was
locked and he was refused admittance.
He left the house, but returned lit
tie later.
Both Negroes Fired.
Upon his demanding admittance,
Mobley got out of a back window and
went up an alley towards the front
of the house. The two men fired
| three shots each. Mobley says Jor
| dan shot first and that he had to
| shoot to protect himself. There is no
way of telling which Of the men fired
| first, though the police say the fact
| that Jordan was locked out of his
| own house would seem to Indicate
| that the other three We're plotting
against him.
The dying man was found about
| twenty feet west of the stoop. Detec-
| tive Murphy thinks he had already
left the stoop, where he had been try
| ing to get in the front door, before
the firing started. He probably fell
where he was shot.
AS soon as the officers learned the
| identity of the dead man they took
charge of his wife. She had refused
| to identify him although she had been
there during the entire affair. She
| also gave the wrong names OIL the
| men who were in the house with her,
when her husband came home. She
| was sent to the police station, and
held Goldby Coleman, the other man
| in the house, will be secured as a wit
ness. He has been seen by the Of
ficers since the killing, but it was not
known then that he had any connec-
| ton with the affair.
six shots Were Fired.
The officers early Sunday morning
| found the empty shells Mobley had
| taken from his pistol at the house of
| a friend There were only three. Mob
| ley says he shot three times, and that
| he does not know how often Jordan
fired. The pistol belonging to Jordan,
however, shows it was fired three
| times.
During the day Detective Murphy ar
rested Walker Thomson and Charles
| Seals, negroes, for aiding and abetting
! Mobley to escape. Seals had exchanged
hats with Jordan and Thomson had
harbored him in his house, it is al
legged. Several times Detective Muir
| ply was close upon Mobley, and wher-
ever any one was found who had aid
ed the fugitive an arrest was made.
These arrests, the police believe, had
something to do with Mobleys decid-
ing to give up.
Burnett's Vanilla Extract has out