The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-09-04
TELLS CHASTITY TALE
OF WIFE'S MURDER
Chester Jordan Calm as He
Tells Court of His
Crime.
MUTILATED BODY
PACKED IN TRUNK
Says He Killed Woman by Acct
dent-Will Make Plea of Insan-
ity in Defense.

accused Of the murder OF his wife and
/ the attempt to throw her dismembered
/ body into the ocean. today stoIcally
/ answered the questions or Judge Went
worth, in the somerville police station,
/ when be was arraigp,d for a prelirn-
/ mary Tearing.
/ Jordan was taken from the Boston
ipoliee headquarters TO somerville IN a
carriage. handcuned TO Policeman John
I Ray. Of Somerville. and accompanied by
/ Inspector Thomas Damery
A great crowd jammed the court
[ room. but the people apparently made
/ no impression on Jordan, for he was
/ as cool as though he had been sitting
alone with the judge. Before he was
taken TO the courtroom. the police took
about SO IN cash from his pockets He
made 80 objection 10 giving up the
mones
| Jordan pleaded not guilty to the
/ charge Of having murdered his wife.
/ The case waA continued until Friday,
/ September II. and Jordan was remand
cd to jail
/ The confession which Jordan made 10
the police was given out today.
Jordan's Confession.
1
I sion says. "and found my wife In the
kitchen. We we're married four years
ago IN September, in Somerville. She
has shown during the time a good deal
Of jealousy She was getting supper,
and had a knife IN he~ hand and was
going to the ice box 20 get some bacon.
'She had talked about another woman
and had made remark that I did not
like ] replied 20 IL and she made an
other remark that angered me She
was sitting al the mead Of the stairs.
and / struck her with my fist and she
went down through the side door.
Il don't remember auyt hing more. ex-
ccpt thai went TO bed / awoke in
the morning and thought about what
had happened. but had no recollection
of IT, / went into the kitchen and saw
my wife lying on the floor. naked Her
clothing. a butcher knife, and a razor
were beside he, and her neck was cut
clear round Ny shirt also was there.
DismembeTed the Body.
'I began to dismember the body, put
ting a part Of it into one OF the set
tubs and the limbs into another tub
Then I went out to conclude the busi-
ness Of starting news and stationery
store IN the Berkely building. in Boyl-
ston street I was going TO have WI
liam H. Maunix work for me-
Il attended 20 the details of this, and
then went home and finished dismem-
bering The body and dispOsinE Of f.
/ cut the hair from the head and then
put the head in q furnace and built a
fire and burned parts Of the body
81 then went to the street. and later
came home and went TO sleep, after
packing the pieces in a trunk. In the
morning / went TO Bowman's drug store
In MagoOn square and left an order
for Perham's Express to get the trunk
and 20 take il 20 the South Station. /
told the clerk 10 tell the man that IL
there was no one at home the door
would be open and he could ind the
trunk. / wanted to 80 on the Yale, but
as the Harvard was there I becgme
ratified and after that 1 decided 10 get
q room
Story Thought Weak
The police today are going over the
whole case with the utmost care. Jor-
dams statement that he killed his wife
with a blow is, they say, the weakest
part of the confession. Medical exami-
nation has failed to find traces of the
blow, while death may have resulted
from a cash across the tlroat which
Jordan says he saw when he discovered
the body the morning after the quarrel.
The police are seeking q motive for
the crime other than the one set forth
in JoTdan's confession.
JoTdan's brotheT-in-law, Jesse l. LiV-
ermore. has secured counsel for hin,
William S. Scharton has been retained
for the defense 1t Is said that Schar-
ton has already begun his case and
has evidence Of mental arrangement
that showed itself in JOrdau's conduct
weeks ago. It is understood that in
sanity VIII be the plea advanced.
OF Good Family.
Jordan, who is thirty years old, is .
wife of the New York speculator. who
recently has been credited with Iaaking
millions out OF cotton, and is believed
TO have lost large part of his fortune
His parents. Mr.. and Mrs Phsneas c.
Jordan. and a sister, Mrs. Kendall. are
prominent in society circles in Somer-
vile.
Either Jordan is the coolest self-con-
fessed murderer the police OF Boston
ever have had in their clutches, or else
he is a better actor than he ever ap-
peared to be on the stage. Jordan has
not attempted to conceal any details
of the murder. or II bis attempt to hide
the crime, but this fact has not un-
nerVed him IN the least. The murdered
woman was known on the vaudeville
twenty-Lhree years OLD and a handsome
woman. though of late she had heen
dissipatinS, according to Jordan.
His Plan Failed.
Jordan was arrested BY the Boston
police last night after he had brought
the trunk with the lnutilated torso from
his home, 500 Medford street. Some--
Vile He came here, hoping to san for
New York with his gruesone trunk
load He believed he could drop the
trunk and its contents from the steamer
Harvard and that his crime never
would De discovered He probably
would nave succeeded had not the
steamer Harvard met with an accident
which prevented her making the trip
Yesterday morning.
On his arrival here from Souervilie,
Jordan engaged George W Collins, a
hackman, to take his trunk to the South
station, where he intended boarding the
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