Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-23
Police Study Theory Mrs.
DodSworth Aided Robbery
of Garden T Shoppe.
WOMAN AND TWO MEN
HELD FOR GRAND JURY
Inspector Burke Declares Trio Will
Be Subjected to Extensive
Grilling.

Testimony Of a waitress at the hear
ing yesterday for Mrs. Edith M. Dods-
worth and two Of her man friends
charged with conspiring to hold up the
Garden T Shoppe started police inyes-
tigation last night of a suspicion that
she might have participated in the
robbery on the night OF April 8, in
which Mrs. Elizabeth Jaynes, cashier
at the shop, was shot to death
Mrs. Dodsworth and the two men,
Thomas Jordan and Ralph Akin. were
held to the action Of the grand jury,
the first two under $4,000 bond and
Akin under 5000.
Tells Of Planned HoId-up.
Sergt. Dennis j. Murphy OF the homi-
eide squad testified both Mrs. Dods-
worth and Jordan admitted having
planned to hold up the tea room, the
woman insisting on 500 as her share
of the loot. The detective said the cou-
pie declared they set Easter Sunday as
the time for the robbery, however, and
some one else beat them to the punch"
by staging the hold-up two nights
earlier.
Prior to the hearing members Of the
homicide squad sought to prove Jordan
and another man robbed the tea room
at Mrs. Dodsworth's suggestion.
Ellen Yates, a middle-aged waitress
in the tea room, described one Of the
bandits as tall and slender, with a
boyish fgure and the other as short.
One OF them was completely masked,
while the others features were only
partly covered At the time of the
holo-up, 1t was recalled, witnesses said
the taller bandit wore what appeared
to be stocking over his head and
face.
Worked in Tea Room.
Mrs. Dodsworth, it was brought out
at the hearing, was employed as n
waitress in the tea room for about A
year. At the time Of the i1old-up.
however, she was working in one Of
three other eating places conducted un-
der the same ownership. Jordan, who
came here last February after serving
l9-month term in the Moundsville, w.
Va. penitentiary, was employed rs
dishWasher there
I'm tired of being broke" he told
Mrs. Dodsworth, according to MUIR
ply. I'm going to rob bank or
something"
1t was then, Murphy testified. that
Mrs. Dodsworth suggested that Jordan
hold up the tea room, pointing out the
receipts from the three other estab-
1ASALASEIS, eStludteQ AT ABOUT J,5UO,
probably would be there
CroSs-examtning the Yates woman,
Atkins attorney. Paul Sedgwick. con-
centrated on the appearance OF the
robbers.
Grilling Scheduled.
Before the case goes to the grand
jury, Inspector Frank Burke, chief of
the Detective Bureau, said last night.
Mrs. Dodsworth, Jordan and Akin will
be questioned extensively. This was
suggested by Assistant United States
Attorney Wilbert McInerney. who de-
clared he felt the theory Mrs. Dods-
worth helped Jordan stage the robbery
should be looked into very thor
oughly"
Mrs Dodsworth and Akin pleaded
not guilty to the conspiracy charge.
but Jordans first plea was one of
guilty. He had no lawyer at the time,
however, and Judge Mattingly APP
pointed Michael j. Colbert. After a
brief consultation with his client, the
attorney announced the guilty plea had
been made In error
JordanSis 80, while Akin, q former
choir singer, is year older.