The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-07-27

court that the held the de-
PENDANT in great fear and would feel
safer with him where he could not
commit the acts which the citizens
generally were convinced be was gull
ty of. He said the belief was general
that Rowland was the incend airy who
had destroyed a great deal Of property
in Wilmington.
Mr.. BelIamy asked Mr.. Lcckey if il
were not true hat while Rowland was
in Jail there were not about twenty
incendiary fires, and wanted to know
how that a
Mr.. Jockey said he would admit there
were some incendiary fires while the
defendant was in Jail and said of
course there were others besides him
engaged in the devilish work. He
again urged the court to protect the
community by making Howland's en-
tence as severe as possible. He said
he did not Isl the court to accept his
statement, but the state desired to
have some witnesses examined as to
Howland's character before sentence
was passed.
Judge Sutton requested the states
counsel to bring forward the witnesses.
The state called former Mayor ".
n. Harriss to the stand and after being
sworn, he testified as follows. in an
swer to in~terrogations by Mr.. Jockey:
II have been a member of the board
of Aldermen Of this city and mayor Of
the city. I am acquainted with the
general character Of F. p. Rowland. 1t
is bad. 1 know that the city has sus-
pected his man Of grave crimes and
he has been watched by the city. He
has been suspected of incendiary fires
and for turning in false alarms. The
police force has been instructed by me
to watch him carefully more than a
year and a half ago."
Ex-Mayor Fowler was called and
sworn. He testified as follows:
Il have been a member of the board
of aldermen and mayor of this city. I
know F. P. Rowland. I know his
| general character. It is bad for So
briefly. He has been under suspicion
| of turning in false alarms and I have
| heard a number of people say they be-
lieved ne was a party to the incendia-
ry fires, owing to remarks he had
made. There vas a burglary commit
ted in town and a tool of some kind
was found on the piazza next morning.
The burglar vas seen between II and
1 o'clock in a lady's room. I under
| stand that the next morning Rowland
| was entered and told him that he IN
/ 1orcfoo1 hic hO11co hod hoon hrnkQn
into the night before and that he
| would like to see the tool which was
| left On the piazza. Rowland said his
workshop had been robbed and some
| tools carried off, and he wanted to see
if that was one of them. He said his
tools had his initials on them. The
| tool left by the burglar had Rowland s
initials on the handle and he asked
to be allowed to carry it off, and did so.
I am told that subsequently the gen.
tleman was walking on the street with
his wife and she saw Rowland and
| asked who he was. Said he was the
| man that was in her room that night.
The husband answered that he pre-
sumed hat was not the man: that
tina man was Fred Rowland. I don't
thing he had a workshop. Since he
was on the police force I nave never
known him to be regularly employed
for any length Of time. I think he
watched on the Commodore" for a
short period"
| Mr.. Bellamy brought out the latter
| statement, and sale it was true that
Rowland had watched seven months
| on the Commodore, and also on other
| vessels. He also showed that the pris-
oner had served six years on the po-
lice force.
Chief of Police Melton was sworn and
| testified as follows:
Il have held this position for two
and one-half years. I think I know
F.. p. Howland's general character. 1t
| is bad. For nearly two ears I have
watched him myself and lost numbers
| of nights sleep on account of it. Mr..
Rowland was suspected of ~incendiar-
ISM
THE SENTENCE.
After some questions by Mr.. Bella
my and brief remarks invoking the
| clemency of the court, Judge Sutton
said:
Il desire to say, gentlemen, that in
my experience at the bar, which has
| extended over a period Of twenty-five
| years, and my short experience on the
bench, but having a large circuit in
| charge composed of ten large counties,
| it has fallen upOn me, been my lot, to
| try a large number of cases., a thou
| sand or more, and next to that of cap
| ital crime, this is the most awful to
my mind. Now, ordinarily, under the
| conviction which stands against him,
| the larceny of a horse for a temporary
| purpose, I would hesitate long before,
| and I seriously doubt if I would at all,
| inf1ict scarcely more h nominal pun
ishment; but I am bound to take no.
tice of what I have heard in the trial
of the incendiary case. While a judge
annot express an opinion before a
jury, and it is very proper that he
should not, yet there is no law that
ever I heard Of that o allow him to
think If he has a mind, he must
think, and if he thinks, it makes an
impression, and the impression made
upon me in this i~ncendiary case was
that the testimony pointed with abso-
lutte, unerring certainty to F. p. How
land as the man who set fire to that
warehouse that night. / don't think
there is any doub about it. T~wo-thirds
| of the jury,if the newspaper eport is
correct, and 1 TAX it that it is, for