The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-02-17
NEGRO DOCTOR IN
SWOPE MYSTERY
Swope Family Paid Thousands
to Negro for Treatment
rs WITNESS FOR HYDE
Pretended Doctor Says He Was Born
In south America and Reared In
Texas, Coming to Kansas
City to Practice

Kansas City. February 16.-How
Guessing Hatred Chase Jordan, negro OF
Kansas City, Kan, who advertised him
self as minister of medicines, medical
doctor and doctor of liver and sall
stones,' an administered of herb reme-
dies compounded by himself, obtained
from $4,000 to $4,000 in about eight years
for doctoring members of the Swope fam
lily was told by the doctor here today.
He was called to give a deposition In
the Islander suit brought by DIR. b. Z.
Hyde against John G. Paxton, executor
for the Swope estate.
The doctors name was first brought
into the Swope case when Mrs. Il. Z.
Hyde issued a statement expressing conn-
dence in her husbands innocence, and say
ing that Chrisman Swope used Jordan s
remedies. Jordan gave his deposition
after much protest, as he claimed his
ministering to the Swopes had nothing
to do with the case.
Jordan testified that his medicines were
harmless YARDS" as he described them.
He said they were compounded from
roc,s and herbs, some obtained in for
eign countries and some dug out OF the
ground in the woods of this vicinity.
But how could you tell whether the
herbs were poisonous or not?' Attorney
Walsh asked him.
why, that's easy" replied Jordan
I'D chew them. If they did not hurt
me, certainly they were not poisonous
and certainly they would not hurt my pa
tents. That's the theory l worked on"
The herb man claims to be South
American by birth. He was reared by
a negro named Eli Jordan in Texas.
There is no record of his having a physi-
clans license in Kansas.
Six witnesses testified at a short ses-
sion of the grand jury today They
were DR.. G. T. Twyman, the Swope
family physician; o. G. Gentry, a drug
gist of Independence. of whom Colonel
Swope purchased a compound containing
strychnne; Benjamin Smith and R. c.
Field, undertakers assistants, who aided
in the removal of Colonel Swope's body
from the vault: Sylvester Spangler, Colo
mel Swopes confidential agent, and John
G. Paxton.
AS previously announced, the prelimi-
nary hearing of DR.. B. c. Hyde, set for
tomorrow morning in Independence, will
be continued by Prosecutor Conkling.
The continuance probably will be for one
week
Word was received from DR.. Hektoen,
Victor Vaughan and Walter S. Hams to-
day that they would not arrive here I'M
til Saturday. Their testimony will prob
ably not begin before the grand jury
until Monday.
Miss Pearl Kellar, the Swope nurse,
who was the sole witness before the
grand jury yesterday, was recalled to-
day.
On holding that witness subponaed
for the grand jury is subject to the
grand jury summons until excused or
until that body adjourns, attorneys for
the Swope interests assert that the plan
of Attorney Walsh to subpoena all the
witnesses who appear before the grand
jury has been baked temporarily. 1t is
said that witnesses who testify at the
grand jury hearing will not be finally
excused until the hearing adjourns, prob
ably ten days hence.
Formal notice has been served upon DR..
Hyde that the subpoenas will be taken
by John G. Paxton's attorneys next Fri
day.