Evening star., 1936-03-25
BOTH SIDES REST
IN JORDAN TRIAL.;
CASE NEARS Jury
Defendant Cr0SS.Examined
on His Reputation of
Confessions.
SOUGHT ONLY TO SHIELD
FIANCEE, HE DECLARES
Inspector Kelly, Asked Who Or.
dered Release, Says He Does Not
Know Cases Disposition.
nv w. H. SHIPPEN. JR.


Thomas Jordan, 29-year-old former
bus boy and convict, was cross-ex-
amined for more than an hour today
as his trial on first-degree murder
charges in the 1881 hold-up Staying
of a Garden T Shoppe cashier neared
a Jury in District Supreme Court.
Both sides rested shortly before
noon and final arguments were to be
taken up during the afternoon.
The defense rested after Jordan
had attempted to explain why ne
signed three written statements I'M
plicating himself in the shooting OF
Mrs. Lizzie S. Jaynes. 81. on the night
of Good Friday, April 3, 1881.
Jordan. a dark. dapper and conf
dent man, repudiated the confessions
almost in their entirety. He said he
made the first confession shortly
after the robbery after he had been
subjected to two days of third-degree
questioning.
Implicated Waitress Then.
Jordan at that time said he had
planned the robbery with Miss Edith
Dodsworth. waitress who had been
discharged from the Garden T Shoppe.
He was charged with conspiracy to
rob. but the case was later dismissed,
-Four years later. Jordan reopened
the case against himself by writing a
letter to United States Attorney Leslie
C. Garnett. Jordan was working in
Mount Vernon, N. Y. and expecting TO
be married. He said he wished to re-
assure himself that he had been freed
of suspicion in the case.
Under cross-examination. Jordan
told the jury he was arrested after he
had sent the letter, and that he made
a second confession in order to pro-
tect his fancee from police question
ing.
On his return to Washington, Jor-
dan admitted. he signed another
statement in which he said he shot
Mrs. Jaynes and confessed because his
conscience would not let him sleep
and he was haunted by the phantom
of his victim. Jordan told the jury to-
day he made this confession because
he thought 1t would bring about q
police lineup and that this would
prove he could not be identified ir
the crime. The hold-up was staged by
| men whose faces were covered with
cotton or rubber masks.
Miss Dodsworth Discussed.
Before she died. Mrs. Jaynes told
her husband she was shot by short
man. The defendant is small OF
stature. In his alleged confessions. he
! said Miss Dodsworth drove himsel.
and an unidentified man to the hold
up scene and drove them away again
You now say all this was bunch
Of lies?" Assistant United States At.
torney Roger Robb asked the defend.
ant. If your story now is true, ther
YOU were willing to lie about Mis-
Dodsworth and place an innocent gir
in danger of the electric chair. YOU
chivalry toward your flance did moi
extend toward Miss Dodsworth. die
it?"
ut most certainly did not" Jordan
said.
| Kelly On Stand.
Inspector Edward j. Kelly took the
stand after Jordan concluded his testi-
mony. The inspector said he recalled
Jordan's having admitted he planned
to rob the Garden T Shoppe with Miss
| Dodsworth, but added that Jordan
declared he was afraid to 60 through
with it. Kelly was asked who ordered
Jordan's release after his first arrest
The inspector replied that Jordan wa:
charged with conspiracy to rob, but
he did not know what disposition the
courts made of the case.
The defense closed after offering q
character witness for Jordan. She
was Mrs. Mary c. Myers, sister of q
Washington restaurant man, who tes.
titled Jordan worked in a cafe where
she was employed as cashier Jordan
had the reputation of being a mighty
fine boy and know he was honest
| and hard working" she said.