Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1869-06-09

. For the Urbana Union.
Letter from NaJyJa1ad.
Fourth Letter.
An Extraordinary Murder Case.-Trial Of Mary E.
Rowland for the Murder Of her Husband Andrew
Observation-Disclosures Of the Parties and Testi-
mony Of tBc Case.-Thc Yerlict-Judge Pcarrc.
/ leading counsel, &c.
CUMBERLAND, Nd, May 10Th 1869.
THE day of my arrival here an extra
ordinary murder trial was ended in the
Circuit Court of Allegheny County. The
particulars of the murder, the appre-
hension Of the supposed murderers, their
appearance, &C., are so fully given in
1 the AIleghanian that I quote as follows
On the night of the 18th of October,
1858, Mr.. Andrew Rowland, a well-to-do
! farmer of Washington county, residing
near the Sharpsburg turnpike, about
three miles from HagerstOwn, was brU-
tally murdered in his sleeping apart
ment An alarm having been given by
/ members of the household, a number Of
/ the neighboTs repaired to the scene and
/ discovered the deceased lying in his bed,
where il is supposed he was striken
down, in a complete state of nudity, with
/ his skull crushed in by blow from some
/ heavy instrument, which twas evident
/ had OcCasiOned immediate death. The
usual COrOneT'S inquest was beld, post
mOrtem examination made, and ver-
dict rendered in cOnsOnance with the
! facts-tbe preparation Of the crime being
ascribed to an unknown hand. Although
I in some sections of the country crimes
/ against the person have become almost
an every day occurrence, and red-hand-
| ed murder stalks abroad by day as well as
night, so that it is next to impossible to
| open a newspaper without having ones
attention attracted by an account of
some fearful homicide-a condition of
/ things which has to lamentable degree
Cheapened the popular estimate of hu-
man life-this atrOcity, truly appalling
in its character, and perpetrated at the
very doors Of the people of cur neigh
/ boring county, shocked the moral sense
of the usually quiet and well ordered
community and created a wide spread
/ feeling of Indignation and adherence.
! The startling details were recited and
/ dwelt upon at every hearthstOne through
out that region, and the feverish excite
ment Of the popular pulse quickened in
ed into nigilant and ceaseless activity
!
discover a clue to the perpetrators of the
crime. RUmors, vague and underlined
at first, fiOated about, but speedily con-
centred in the definite shape of a terri
/ ble suspicion that Mary Z. Rowland,
| the second wife of the murdered man,
was deeply implicated in the MURDER
/ The suspicion was deemed sufficiently
well-grOUnded to justify her arrest, and
on the day of Mr.. ROwland's funeral she
was taken into custody. 4 detective
was summoned, and the circumstances
attending the murder subjected to criti-
cal inquiry, resulting in disclosures
which the authorities conceived war
/ ranted the detention Of Mrs. Rowland
for the action of the Grand Jury. Lewis
Snyder, young man living in the Row
land family, was arrested at the same
time as accessory TO the murder, but
was discharged, as there was no evil
dence to cTiminate him. Subsequently
Charles Carol, negro man occupying
a shanfy a short distance from Mr.. Row
lands house, was arrested, upon the
charge of completely in the crime, and,
with Mrs. Rowland, held for trial. An
Indictment charging Mrs. Rowland and
the negro Carroll jointly for the willfUl
and deliberate murder of Andrew Row
land was found by the Grand Jury of
] w dSlllRIOll COu44lNg anu Oll llllS luulCg-
ment they were called to trial before the
Circuit Court in HagerstOwn on the 22nd
of March last. So much difficulty was
experienced in the endeavor to obtain
jury that, upon suggestion of prisoners
counsel, the case was removed to this
county. On Wednesday last, Chief
Judge Alvey and Associate Judges Mot
| ter and Perry on the bench, it was tax
en- up in our Circuit Court, Judges J. 7.
| Mason and Daniel Weisel, of Hagers-
town, with H. H. Keedy, Esq, States
Attorney for Washington county, ap-
pear for the prosecution; a. Il. Syester
and Geo. Sohley, Esqs., of Hagerstown,
and Judge George A. Pearre, of this
county, represent Mrs. Rowland, and H.
K Douglas and VIM. KealhOfer, Esqs.,
of Hagerstown, represent Carroll.
Mrs. Rowland appears in the rear of
her counsel and is attended by her faith
er and mother, Mr.. and Mrs. GelUicks.
She is about twenty-six or seven. years
of age, and is naturally the ''Observed
of all Observers" Neatly attired in deep
mourning apparel and closely veiled,
she presents an easy, quiet and not Un-
lRdy-like demeanOr. Below the medium
size, and delicate and fragile in appear
ance, sitting there silent and spfritless
and gloomy all the day long, she seems
more like q grief stricken or mOrbidly
sensitive child than a mature and evil
disposed woman undergoing the dead
ordeal of trial involving life and death,
Occasional glimpses at her face, when
she partially raises her veil to get
breath of air, disclose a cOuntenance
neither UnprepOssesing nor Unattractive.
Dark hair and eyes, she belongs to the
type known as brunette, but instead of
the warm hue that usually enTiches that
style of complexion her lips are blood
less and cheeks paid. Imprisonment,
if not remOrse, has told on her.
Carroll is large, stout, brawny man.
His complexion is sWarthy, not SO black
as pure Ethiopian, darker than mUIat-
TO. a small proportion of white blood
perhaps flows in his veins. The loss of
an eye renders him somewhat repUIsive
in appearance. He seems restless and
uneasy, though in no degree dOwncast,
raising his head frequently and gIaring
around, bringing within the range Of
his unimpaired eye bench, bar, jury and
spectators.
There were upwards of eighty Witness
es in the case, and the trial lasted 10
days. The public interest manifested
itself in the immense throng of specta-
tors that crowded the Court room the
day of the commencement. of the trial,
and was unabated to the end. Among
the mass Of testimony against the pris-
oner lAIrs. Rowland), ! extract the fol-
lowing, to show the readers of the
UNION how conclusive and convincing
Z it was:
Mary Elizer (house maid at Mrs. RS
depOsed that she lived with Mr.. r. from
May 1867 to March 1868. During that
time Harry Weaver (Mr. Rs paramount
visited the house frequently sometimes
J remained two weeks. After harvest
Mrs. Rowland offered witness a fine silk
dress land Weaver offered 500, at the
same time) if she would poison Mr.. Row