A Million-Dollar Land Grab and the Wife Left Behind

Mrs. Jordan, wife of Dr. J. E. Jordan of the Histogenetic Medicine Company and a member of its board of trustees, has begun suit in the superior court of this county to forever restrain the fraudulent transfer of his property. Mrs. Jordan is also prosecuting an action for divorce at Cooperstown, Pa., on the grounds of desertion and non-support, and her object in bringing the action here is to assure her right to the community estate, valued at about $650,000 to a million dollars. In letters to friends in this city she denounces her husband in no flattering terms.

The complaint filed in the superior court yesterday relates that in 1885 Jordan and his wife were married and living in Pennsylvania, and that with a view of improving his financial condition he came to this county and engaged in business. All the time, Mrs. Jordan says, she was willing and anxious to join him and repeatedly begged him to let her do so; but that he — in furtherance of his intended fraud and in order to deprive her of her interest in property to which she became entitled under the laws of the territory and state — forbade her to come and refused to furnish the means, knowing that she had no money of her own and was left with several children entirely dependent upon him for support. For two years, she says, he has failed to contribute anything to his family.

The Property Involved. While Jordan has lived in this county he is said to have acquired, during the real-estate boom, the following described lands: lots 6 and 7, block 1, Denny's addition; lot 3, block 50, Maynard's; lots 1 to 4, block 55, A. A. Denny's plat; lots in the heirs of Sarah A. Bell's; lot 5, block 23, and lot 3, block 28, Northern; lot 8, block 17, Eden; lot 5, block 37, D. S. Maynard's plat; lots 5 and 11, block 20, Law's; lot 2, block 1, Evans'; lot 9, block 14, Central Seattle; lot 7, block 4, Eastern; lots 1 and 11, block 29, heirs of Sarah A. Bell; lot 1, block 12, Bigelow's; lots 1 and 4, block 13, F. D. Boren's; lot 1, block 5; and lot 1, block 85 — together with several tracts in the surrounding country, among them the northwest quarter of section 7, township 21; the northeast quarter of township 24, range 7 east; the northwest quarter of section 20, township 23; lot 2 of section 8, township 26, range 5 east; the southeast quarter of section 10, township 21; the northeast quarter of section 26, township 22, range 5 east; and the Sarah B. Yesler donation claim.

Says the Transfers Were Fraudulent. Mrs. Jordan alleges that on October 6, in pursuance of his design to defraud her of her community interest, he secretly delivered a deed to J. M. Butler, by himself alone as grantor, for part of the donation claim, and on June 6, 1893, caused conveyances of the other lands to be recorded. Butler, it is said, paid no consideration whatever for the lands, but pretended to hold them for the use and benefit of Jordan, on the understanding that the latter should manage and dispose of them in the name of the former and receive the entire proceeds — in this way defrauding Mrs. Jordan and their daughter.

In furtherance of that design, Jordan procured Butler and wife to execute and deliver to him a power of attorney dated February 14, 1894, authorizing him to sell the lands and receive the proceeds. When this had been done, Jordan, pretending to act as attorney in fact for Butler and wife, began to deed the property to the Histogenetic Medicine Company. All three deeds were filed for record and, it is charged, were executed without consideration.

The complaint concludes with a prayer that the several conveyances to the Medicine Company be canceled; that title be decreed in the heirs of the community property for the benefit both of herself and Jordan himself; that the deeds be declared void; and that, pending the litigation, Jordan and the Histogenetic Medicine Company be restrained from disposing of or encumbering the property.

Story of Wealth and Poverty. "I have saved all the letters from Dr. Jordan in which he sings his song of poverty, and they are many and various. When here four years ago he said he was worth a great deal, and that his income in three weeks was $12,000, and that it was in crushing fashion that he had just had about $80,000 left him in Germany. I have an Imperial paper stating the whole episode, and many other proofs, too numerous to mention."

"How is it possible for human nature to be so debased?" she writes. "The one man whom I had idealized, the father of my children — the Dr. J. E. Jordan — married me, the mother of his children. His plan was to place me where I could never hear of them again. Oh, the infamy of that man's plotting!"

"How was I, a helpless woman, to cope with such a rascal? But a weak woman can go far. I do not wish to injure him needlessly, but my mind is made up to procure a divorce, and I will have what is due me if it is in human power. I have no money, as you understand, but I must win. There is no such word as fail."

"One thing I forgot to mention," she adds: "a rather small, dark-complexioned man followed and lurked around while Mr. France was talking to Mr. Butler. Mr. Butler at once informed the police, and my house was guarded constantly while those men were here. From that day Mr. Butler ceased to be a friend of Dr. Jordan, and said he considered him unworthy of any man's friendship."