Bridgeton pioneer., 1908-09-10
CUT WIFE'S BODY
TO PIECES
Chester Jordan Then Forced
Torso Into Trunk.
C0NFESSES HORRIBLE CRIME

After Killing His Wife, Actor Dismem-
bered Her Body With a Butcher
Knife, Razor and shears-Attempte
to Burn Head and Bones In Furnace
and Other Grewsome Remains In
the Kitchen Range - Had Planned
to Throw Other Parts of Body Into
the Ocean.
Boston, Sept. 4.-The most brutal
crime committed in Greater Boston
since the death of Susan Geary
chorus girl, four years ago, and one
much resembling it in it's details, was
disclosed by the discovery of the torso
OF Mrs. Honorah Jordan, an actress,
aged tventy-three years, Of Somer-
vile, in trunk in clearinghouse at
Z Hancock street. Later the head and
bones OF the limbs were found in the
furnace of the Jordan home at Somer-
vile, and the scalp, hair and other
grewsome remains were taken from
the kitchen range of the house.
Chester Jordan, aged twenty-nine
years. an actor, of Somerville, is held
by the police, charged with the muir
der, and according to the officers he
made a complete confession of the
| crime.
According to Jordan's confession, he
accidentally killed his wife Tuesday
night in quarrel at their home, and,
becoming desperate over what he had
done, he went out and bought a butch
er's knife, razor and shears, cut up
the body and placed the torso in a
trunk. He then planned to take the
| steamer Harvard for New York and
| throw the parts Of the body over
board. The fact that the Harvard was
| laid off owing to an accident disar
ranged his plans, and he was obliged
to hire hackman to take the trunk
| to Boston clearinghouse to await
more favorable opportunity.
The discovery of the crime was due
| to the suspicious of the hackman,
| James Collins, who had in mind the
numerous robberies which have taken
| place about Boston recently and, sur
| missing from its weight that the trunk
contained silverware, he notified the
| police.
| Collins reported that he left Jordan
and the trunk at Hancock street.
| Sergeant Michael Crowley was de-
tailed to GO to the house and investi-
gate. Jordan was commanded to open
the trunk. Turning his head, Jordan
| threw up the cover of the trunk and
then sank back on his knees, burying
his face in his hands and sobbing.
| Sergeant Crowley staggered back
| aghast at the disclosure, for in the
| open trunk before him lay sickening
mass of hacked flesh, woman's torso
| filling the greater part of the trunk,
| while pieces of flesh from other parts
of the body were stuffed into the
corners. The entire interior of the
trunk was bespattered with blood
| There was no covering of any sort
over the remains.
Jordan said his wife was associating
with other men and he became jealous.
| 1t was in jealous quarrel that the
trouble started which ended in the
death of his wife.
Jordan declares that his wife struck
him first; that he then knocked his
wife downstairs, ara was terrified to
find that he had killed her. This hap
pened at 7.30 o'clock Tuesday night.
Fearing discovery, he conceived the
idea of cutting the body up, taking it
away on one of the steamers and
throwing the parts overheard and then
reporting to the police the fact that
his wife had left him.
Jordan, according to his confession,
went out and bought heavy butchers
cutting up knife. With this and razor
and shears he severed the head from
the body, and after putting the scalp
and hair in the kitchen range, placed
the skull In the furnace in the cellar.
The legs and arms were cut from the
body and the flesh sliced off in strips,
leaving the bones of the limbs practi-
cally bare. The bones were placed in
the furnace, and the chunks of flesh
piled into trunk with the torso. The
trunk was taken to the Somerville sta
ton and shipped to Boston some time
Wednesday.