Evening star., 1937-05-18
Hearing Recessed Before
Making Decision as to
Probe of Conviction.

After receiving testimony from two
witnesses, the Palmisano subcommit-
tee, charged with determining whether
a congressional investigation of law
enforcement in the District is war
ranted, recessed until noon tomorrow.
The subcommittee was supposed to
make its recommendation to the whole
District Committee tomorrow, but an
other session was called when it be-
came apparent all witnesses could not
oe heard today.
The subcommittee was named to
make the inquiry after John NJ Holz-
worth, representing Thomas Jordon,
convicted slayer, told the committee
his client was "railroaded" to the death
house. Jordon has since dismissed
HolzWorth as his attorney.
The lawyer also made serious charges
against the Police Department and the
district attorneys Office. 1t was ex-
pected these charges would form the
principal basis of the subcommittee S
inquiry.
Court Rejects Plea.
While the subcommittee was sit
ting the United States Court of Ap-
peals turned down petition filed by
Holzworth asking for a review of new
evidence in the Jordon case. Action
Of the court was interpreted as ending
all proceedings before it concerning
Jordon.
Meeting in executive session, Chair
man Palmisano called Israel F. Good,
a member of the jury that convicted
Jordon, as the first witness.
When Good left the hearing room,
he refused to discuss his testimony,
explaining Palmisano had asked him
not to talk to newspaper reporters.
1t was known, however, that Good
opposed the conviction of Jordon for
flrst-degree murder, believing second
degree verdict would have been proper.
Good has said other members OF the
jury, apparently misunderstanding the
instructions of the trial judge. insisted
a second-degree verdict could not be
returned with the result that he
finally voted for the flrst-degree find
ing.
Good said the jury foreman, in an
effort to demonstrate that a second
degree verdict was not proper, sent
out for and obtained an obsolete Dis
trict code supporting his contention.
Good also declared he made deter
mined effort in the jury room to OBJ
tain additional instruction from the
wi hut ,,re,lNeocef1l
Holzworth to Go Back.
Holzworth was called before the
subcommittee after Good left and had
completed about half his testimony
when the subcommittee adjourned.
He will resume the stand tomorrow,
and may be followed by F. A. Schnei-
der, 1853 Iris street, an eye witness OF
the shooting of Mrs. Lizzie S. Jaynes
in the Garden-T Shoppe, for which
Jordon was convicted.
Although Schneider, who was in the
T-Shoppe with some friends at the
time, said he saw the unmasked slayer
from distance Of about 10 feet, he
was not called as witness in an ef-
fort to identify Jordon.
The Appeals Court rejected Holz-
worth's petition in a memorandum
clarifying its decision of week ago
on somewhat similar action in
stituted by Harry T. Whelan, still
Jordon's attorney.
The court said today that In its
ruling on Whelan's petition it did not
mention Holzworth's because Jordon
had filed with the clerk letter saying
he had discharged Holzworth.
THE serious nature Of the matters
involved, however" the court stated
today, 'impel us now to say that we
duly considered the April 80 petition
(Holzworth's petition) and the affi-
davits filed in support of it prior to
our former decision, and reached the
conclusion. to which we now adhere,
that we are without jurisdiction to
grant the relief asked"
The court also had entered on its
records Jordon's letter discharging
Holzworth.