The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1882-01-20

OPENING by THE PROSECUTION.


duty as Prosecuting officer of this court, to
make a brief statement of the facts con-
nected with the case at bar "A we understand
them, and to state to you what the people
expect To prove on this trial, SO that at the
beginning of your labors you may have an
understanding of the outlines and history of
the case, and be enabled to comprehend the
bearings of the various facts and circum-
stances which we shall lay before you. y
The people in their information charge that
ON the 18th day OF October, 1881, Henry
Rowland, the respondent, did, at the town
ship of Paw Paw, III this county, feloniously
and wilfully kill and STAY one Charles How
land. This legally formulates and charges
upon the respondent the crime of man.
slaughter. which differs from charge of
murder, in that the crime is not alleged to
have been committed with malice afore-
thought, and is considered by our laws to be
a crime of less magnitude and is less severely
punishable. That the prisoner at the bar
fired the fatal shot which killed the deceased,
will not, as we understand the matter, be
controversial. We expect to be
able to show that both the deceased and the
accused were here in this village on that
fatal day, that the father went home first
some time III the afternoon, and that the
accused. who was staying i'll the family of his
father, which consisted only of three persons,
the slaughtered father and his wife, and the
respondent went home at a somewhat later
hour and that shortly after he arrived home
II quarrel arose between them III which the
old man was terribly injured, his nose broken
and head cut open. These transactions took
place i'll the house and we expect to show
that his wife was present during part of
l.,l
show you a bloody knife, that bloody chair
was found in the street. and dents were OBJ
served in the floor, that gray hairs from the
old mans head were found on the chair, that
considerable time elapsed between the ARRAY
IN the house and the shooting which occurred
out doors quite distance from the house, that
two shots were fired by the accused, the
FIRST missing the old man and passing into
the house through the window that the
second shot which inflicted tho fatal wound
must have caused instant death, entering as
ii did the body of the deceased on the left
side between the 18th and 9Th ribs, passing
through the diaphragm, cutting the aorta
and lodging in the right lateral ligament of
the liver, where ii was found by the surgeons
who performed the autopsy. We shall show
you the weapon used by the accused with its
two empty chambers. We shall show that
there was no evidence of any struggle in the
path or near the spot where the body was
found. We shall show the clothing that the
deceased wore at the time, upon which can
ba found no mark of powder or scorch of
lldme proving that some distance must have
interviewed between the parties when the
fatal deed was done. We shall show you
that the prisoner has made different and
contradictory statements about the killing.
We shall show that very soon after the shoot
ing he said he meant TO kill his father, and was
not sorry he had done So We also expect
to show that the prisoner at the bar enter
tanned bitter feelings toward his father and
had made threats prior to the killing to do
injury to him or take his life, and that the
old man stood in fear of death at his hands.
We shall show by an accurate survey of the
premises, that the prisoner was in such a
position and situation that there could not
possibly have been any need for him to take
his fathers life, or do him any injury for the
purpose of protecting himself, and that there
can be no excuse or justification for the
crime he has committed. This, gentlemen.
constitutes a brief outline of the case which
the people expect to present for your con-
sideration. and upon which we shall ask
your candid attention, close consideration
and unprecedented judgment.
OPENING by THE DEFENSE.
We propose to show that Mr.. Howand
came home on the day Of the shooting, in
toxicated that he began TRADE of abuse
against his wife: that she went uo stairs
that he followed her, and jumped on her
breast with his knees, and pounded her. cut
cash i'll her arm ) or inches long: that
CHI, 4I,
barn, got into the Manager: was afraid if he
found her that he would kill her; got out of
the barn, went toward the road, saw her hus-
band coming toward her. at same time heard
u buggy coming. He swore at her and said.
here comes your bald-headed son--if the
Cd d-n son-of-a-bitch comes through the
gate, | will split him open; that she then
went to Mrs. Gleason's. Henry shortly after
came home. went to Gleason's after his
mother They return to their home togeth-
er, and re preparing to 60 to Paw Paw.
when hir. Eowland came in, inquired where
they were going, and said, 'you d-n son-of-
a-tItch you are not going to Paw Paw, you
will die first" (Ehe counsel then gave de-
tailed account Of the mans attacking Henry
with a knife, and the fight which then en-
sued.) That he has frequently driven his
wife from the house, and used repeated vio-
ience against her; had driven her 10 the
barn where she remained in the cold until
Henry came home from parties; that he has
driven Henry and his mother up stairs with
pitchforll and an ak; that they did not dare
go 10 bed; that he has been bound over to
Keep the peace, in violence against his wife;
that ne was an habitual drinl1er of liquor
and hard cider. and when intoxicated. was
brutal and iendish, and that the killing was
justifiable.
The following is a list Of the jurors in the
case:
.. ii. Brown. Alanson Ives, Geo. Connery,
Thomas Broadhurst, ii. II. Willard, G. Ii.
Lewis, David Conklin, j. G.. Latter. ]. w.
Underhill, John Cornish, IL. Z. Paddock and
John Kehrer.
Addison Gleason called and sworn for the
People. Examined by Mr.. Halves:
reside in this township. l knew Chas.
Rowland in his life time / lived in the
neighborhood. about twenty rods from him.
1 had known him about eighteen years. /
know the respondent-he was the son of
Chas. Rowland. / should judge Chas. How
land to have been between sixty and seventy
years old. / saw Chas. Rowland at our house
the day before his decease. next saw him