Evening star., 1937-05-16
Jordon
Continued From First PaEe.)

(The ird-degree stuff" referred
to my work In the police brutality
investigation during the Fall of 1881.
My part of the job consisted OF OBJ
tanning statements from prisoners
who claimed to have been beaten by
policemen. Jordon, then held with
Edith Dodsworth, waitress, on q
charge OF conspiracy to rob the T
Shoppe, was one of the prisoners I
interviewed He denied having been
abused by officers. however)
told Jordon that didn't see how
anybody familiar with the case could
believe anything but that he was
guilty.
After all" said, you confessed,
didn't you?"
Explains Confession.
Eyes, but-well, I did that on ac-
count of my sweetheart-the girl
planned to marry-to keep her from
being dragged into the case. When l
was arretsed in Mount Vernon, N. Y,
in May. 1881, my first thought was to
get the cops away from there-away
from the girl. figured that if I con-
fessed I'd be brought back to Wash
ington. leaving the girl safe In Mount
Vernon. Once back here, I thought.
I could retract the confession and
the police would have to let me go
for lack of evidence. Then, Of course,
I could go back to my restaurant job
in Mount Vernon and get married" :"
"All right. let's assume for the
moment that you are innocent-that
your explanation for the confession
is true. What do you think I can do
about it?"
Jordon extracted a cigarette from
his shirt pocket, rolled it thoughtfully
between his fingers
Suggests Getting Copy of Record.
We'll, I thought you might get 4
copy Of the record-Whelan will give
you one-and look it over You'll see
I made several confessions more
or less different.
"Shucks, I'd made a confession
when they had me the first time, in
1881, and they called me . liar.
figured they'd do the same thing this
time-that they'd find my statements
didn't match the known facts in the
case and wind up by letting me go.
just as they did the first time.
Anyway, If you'll read the record,
you'll find some stuff about the Jury.
Read tread everything in the rec
ord, and see If you don't agree with
me that there are number Of things
that ought to be looked into"
I said would study transcript of
the court record Of the case. A lay
man, was left with considerab bic
doubt as to whether the first-degree
murder verdict was justified. in view
Of all the circumstances.
Aside from the confession
Jordon repudiated during the trial
there seemed to me to be little, II any,
tangible evidence against the &C.
cused man, and what little there was
tended to show that the Staying wss
accidental.
Statement Of Juror.
was particularly impressed by q
statement by Israel F. Goode, one OF
the jurors, that he had consented to
the first-degree decision only to breax
. 24-hour deadlock. He made the
statement during . hearing in Trial
Justice F. Dickinson Let's chamber.
three days after the trial, at the same
time expressing the opinion that sew
eral other members of the jury prob.
ably would not have voted for FIRST.
degree had they understood the Courts
outline of the District law.
As I had written The Stars frst
account Of the shooting I was familiar
with part OF the story. The shooting
occurred on the night Of April 3
1881. Mrs. Jaynes, 57-year -old cashier
Of the Garden T Shoppe, 1885 Oolum'
bia road, was shot by one Of two ban.
dts who held up the establishment
and robbed it Of $50. She did no
realize she had been wounded, how
ever, until about two hours later
when one Of her legs suddenly becam,
numb Is she was telling her husband
w. B. Jaynes, Of the robbery. Exam
ination by . physician in the neigh
borhood revealed she had been ssho