New-York tribune., 1908-07-15
MP 1nRnAN.S CAREER.

MIR. JORDAN'S CAREER
Thomas D. Jordan an employe of the Equitable
Life Assurance Society from early boyhooo' came
into the insurance disclosures as co-trustee win
President Alexander of the mysterious $6So'ooo
yellow dog" fund which was carried on the
books Of the Mercantile Trust Company as loan
70 the Equitable. Summoned to testify BEFORE the
Armstrong insurance Investigating committee, he
fed from the state. and officially was not known
TO be alive or dead until nearly two years later
when the grand jury found nineteen indictments
sg,nst him for perjury and forgery in connection
with the Equitabe's affairs
These indictments were in connection with GER
tain loans which not reported in the annual
statement OF the company, and were Jugged in
the bookkeeping by transfers through the Mer-
camille Trust Company. Only recently MT Jor-
dan appeared before Justice Gon In the Crlhliiai
Branch Of the Supreme Court and entered a plea
-, NOT guiltv TO these indictments. Trial was set
down for the fall term Of the criminal branch
Mr. Jordan sixty-six years old. lie was
horn in New York City, and when lie was ABOUT
seventeen years old went to work for the hqu-
table Life Assurance Society, then an infant lie
continued with 1t all through the days of Henry
b HYDE and his successors, advancing from one
place to another by reason of industry ana cloSe
application to business until hnally ne peNailo
controller of the society, with an annual salary
of $4,000 This was in the heyday OF the Alex
Observation-Disclosures control of the AFFAIRS OF the
company. Jordan had full charge OF 'he coh-
pany's bookkeeping and accounting ana the IN
invest CATION, when II came dlohs' ieA' H'
doubt In the minds OF the committee that the yell
Low, dog" funds could not have been manipulated
and payments made for political CONTRIBUTORS
lobbying and the like without his connivance
Investigation by the state Insurance Department
In 1906 brought to light the D. w. "A. account
and others of similar import investigators from
the State Banking Department. stirred up py the
revelations which grew out of the factional fight
within the society, began TO scrulhize 'he aHa'is
of the Mercantile Trust company faui Mol'oh'
Who had succeeded Mr.. Alexander as head OF the
E,nutabIe tried to get information from Jordan
Jordan left his office for several days, ana iater
refused point blank to give Mr. Morton the de-
sired information. AS result on July ~ ls'S' MT
Mortor. dismissed him as controller
Later the insurance investigating coihiiiltee
deemed his presence very desirable and informa-
ton from him essential Subppnas were issued
for him. but, like Andy Hamilton ANDY
Fields and William II. Mcintyre one OF the vice
presidents of the society, he could not beNfound
On October 49, 1906, Frank B. Jordan his son. testi-
fed before the committee that ne had no Khowi-
edge whatever where his father and mother
were at the time. The last he had seen or thein
was on Labor Day at their home in Englewood.
The next day they disappeared Recalled on No
ve4nber IT, he said he didn't know where his father
was hut recently had received a letter from his
mother from Canada. Finally, hard pushed by
Mr. Hughes, he said he really didn't KNOW whether
his parents at that moment were alive or dead
On February e. 1905. two months after the In
suranee investigating committee had ended It's
work Jordan was discovered at Little Rock
Ark with Mrs Jordan, and month-later was
in Atlanta. From then on until the time or MS
indictment II was understood that he spent his
time between his home In Englswood and Atlantic
City occasionally coming into New York under
cover"
Mr. JordAns only business interest in the last