Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-01-26
Dick ROWlandS AStOniSheS the
Court and Attorneys.
SAYS HE IS A "WANDEREk'
When "Full" and Knows Not What
He Does--AcQuitted of a
Charge OF Burglary.

partment of the district court this morn
ing the names of the witnesses in the case
of the State against John Bryan, an al
legged h~ighwayman, were called by the
county attorney, but only two out OF
seven answered.. The public prosecutor
expressed the belief that he could have
the other five in court by noon, but the
judge was inclined to not tolerate such
a delay.
Mr. Connolly then stated that the trial
of the case of the State against Dick
Rowland, charged with the crime of bur-
glary, took precedence over the Ryan
case and he had simply called the names
of witnesses in the latter to determine
the number present. This proved to be
correct and it was he only thing that
saved the Ryan witnesses from being
handicapped with a charge of contempt.
The Ryan trial was continued until l
o'clock this afternoon and the Rowland
matter taken up.
The specific accusation against Row.
land was that on the 18th of July, 1898, he
entered a room at 400 South Main street
with the intention of appropriating any
lIlIS VI Ndloc llc COulU iliu bNl DCIol iiO
found much an inmate of the house found
him and a policeman did the rest.
The defendant was represented by Rice
& Forestell. At Gas o'clock a jury had
been secured.
Lizzie Gierson testified that she occupied
the house at 400 South Main street when
the defendant was caught there. She said
she had been awakened from a sound
sleep by the intruder. He had a lighted
a., rIla II, nrn hand Cha cpnkn and tho
intruder went out, but returned again in
two or three minutes. Then she awakened
her husband and screamed. Policeman
James j. Murphy was passing the house
at the time and on hearing the noise en-
tered and found Rowland hiding behind
a door in the summer kitchen. Asked
what he was doing there, Rowland said
he was looking for a room. He did not
appear to be drunk and a nothing in
the way of weapons or Valuables on his
person when searched.
Policeman Murphy stated that in pass
ing along Main street he had heard Mrs.
Gierson's scream and responded on the
run. On entering the house he knocked
on the door of the room whence the noice
had come, but the inmate would not open
it until he told her he was an officer. Ihen
she turned the key in the lock, opened
the door and told him about the man she
had seen in the house. The officer said he
had then gone towards the kitchen and
met Rowland at the door. The latter was
told to throw up his hands, but he did
not comply; and when asked to explain
his presence told his captOr it was none
of his d business what he was doing
there. On the way to the jail the prisoner,
he said, had given vent to EXPLANATIONS
of d~isapproval and at the Jail was not
so docile as he might have been.
George Gierson, husband of the woman,
c~orroborated the story related by his
wife, after which the state rested and At
tornev Forestell addressed the jury. He
said his theory of the case was that or
the night of the attempted robbery Row
land was drunk and in his Wanderings
had drifted into the house where he was
caught: tina there was not a solitary
thing to show that the entry had beer
made with burglariOus intent. He hat
certainly not gone there for the purpose
of carrying anything that did not belong
to him.
Rowland opened the defense by testify
ing in his own behalf. He said he hat
come from Virginia City, New, and b!
]occupation was a miner; that on tn
night he was found at 400 South Mai
street he had been drinking with a mum
Der of friends and had gone in search o
a lodging house, as he intended to go t.