Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-09-24
Chester Jordan EIectrocu-
ted at II. IA. so. I tuesday.
QuarreIed With and Murdered
His wife, Sept. |, 1908.
A Brutal Case, but Friends Tried
Hard to Save Ms Life.

Boston, Sept Chichester s. Jordan,
sentenced to death for the murder.
four years ago, at Somerville of his
wife Henorah, whose body he cut up
and packed in a trunk, was executed
in the electric chair at the Charles
town state prison, this morning, at
12.14:30 o'clock.
Jordan went to his death calmly.
and met it without having made any
statement. He was seated in the. cleo
trio chair and had received the. first
contact of the fatal current, within a
minute and eight seconds of the time
he entered the death chamber The
current was turned on at 1209:l3 Jor-
dan was officially pronounced dead,
at 12.14:30. Nineteen hundred volts of
electricity We're used, and the amper-
age was from IL to 10 1-2.
After Jordan had been declared
dead, G. Leonard MacNeil, his spir-
itual adviser, folded his arms and laid
across them a bunch of asters. The
flowers were Il birthday present to
Jordan from his mother. last Thurs
day. The body will be given over. to-
morrow, to the family of the dead
man and will be buried at Crown Hill
cemetery. indianapolis. Ind, his old
home.
The official witnesses of the electro
cutien were; DIR. G. c. Foster, sur
geon- general; DR.. Joseph l. McLaugh-
ill., prison physician; DR.. George h.
McGrath, medical examiner of Suffolk
county: G. Leonard Mcneil. spiritual
adviser TO Jordan; Sheriff John r.
Fairbairn of Middlesex county: Rev.
II w. Stebbins. prison chaplain, and
John II. Coyne.
Jordan passed quiet day. Monday.
During the forenoon, he babe fare
we'll TO his relatives. These included
his father and mother. Mr.. and Mrs.
Phneas Jordan of Somerville; his sis
ters, Mrs. Fred C. Kendall and Mrs.
Jesse L. Livermore and Mrs. Ken
dalPs husband. C. L. Aldrich OF Som
erville. who was to have been a wit
ness. did not appear.
A suspicious cabman was respon-
sible for the discovery of the muir
der of Mrs. Chester s. Jordan, for
which Jordan was executed, this
morning. The murder was committed
at their apartments in Somerville, on
Sept. 1. 1908. During a quarrel with
his wife, who was an actress. Jor
dan struck her and knocked her
down stairway. The next day the
dismembered the body. placed the
head and some other parts in stow.
in an unsuccessful attempt to burn
them, and packed the remainder of
the body in a trunk.
Jordan's attempt to dispose of the
trunk brought about his detection. He
first sent the trunk to the South
station. where he later called for 1t
in a cab and was driven to the dock
of a New York steamship line. Jor-
dan explained later, that he intended
to board the New York boat and drop
the body overheard. while at sea.
But the boat had left before Jor-
dams arrival and he was discomfort
ed. His confusion aroused the sus-
picions of the cabman. which were
not allayed when Jordan asked to be
driven to a room In the West End.
where he took the trunk. The cab
man later reported to the police. that
he believed his passenger had stolen
the trunk, and they went to investi-
gate.
While the police were opening the
trunk Jordan attempted to jump from
the window of his room. When ques-
toned he startled the officers by de-
claring that the body of his wife,
whom he had killed. during quarrel
two days before. was in the trunk.
Jordan was native of Indianapolis,
and early became Interested In amateur
theatricals Later, he DEVELOPED skatch
for the vaudeville stage and In this work
he met Honorah O'Reilley, a native af
England. but of Irish extraction. who
was known on the vaudeville stage as
Irene Shannon. They were married In
1904. when Jordan was Is and his wife II
years of age. The two combined their
theatrical talents and went on the road.
They toured the West as far as Montana
and returning to Chicago remained a
year. In the summer OF 1906 the Jordans
came to Somerville. and began house
keeping,
who had married Jordans sister, was
successful in the New York cotton mar
ket. As a result Mrs. I4ivermore was
enabled to start her brother in business
and advanced him money with which he
opened stationery store. The married
life of the Jordans was soon broken by
quarrels, which, eventually led to the
murder
Jordan was brought to trial. April 20
1903, and found guilty of murder in the
first degree May L.. Four days later one
of the jury became insane and was COM
mitted to an asylum. Upon this face
was based an appeal TO the supreme
court questioning the constltntionality oil
the trial, and asking for a new trial
The trial was declared constitutional and
Jordan was sentenced jan. 4. 1911 TO die