The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-06-11
THE EVIDENCE.
The Testimony at the Rowland Hear
ing in Henderson.

Before the hearing in Henderson
began Friday afternoon one of DR..
Rowland's attorneys told him nat he
would either come out a free man or
go to the Asylum for life. In tins
case all depended upon the chemical
analysis of the ~viscera and other parts
of the body of the deceased child, Da-
vid Austin Rowland, made by DIR.
w. A. Withers, of Raleigh, Poison or
No Poison were the vital words, and
what went before the evidence pre-
scnted by DR.. Withers was merely to
show the causes for the issuance of
the warrant and the arrest of DR..
Rowland.
Thrifty, bustling Henderson was all
astir and excitement, and the county
of Vance was shaken to it's founda-
tons by the sensational case, the most
startling in the cOunty's history. The
warrant had been issued at the re-
quest of a brother-in-law and cousin
by-marriage Of DR.. Rowland, and this
fact d~eepened the interest. 1t is said
that DR.. Rowland has more than q
thousand relations in the county, ana
they cover every part of Vance. But
not one Of his WI blood relations
ever doubted his innocency or lost
faith iii him. Not one desired the
proceedings, as it has been erroneous
ly supposed. This statement was
made by Mr.. T. T. Hicks, of counsel
for DIR. Rowland.
The hearing began at $50 O'Clock
friday afternoon, the presiding mag
istrates being: Major w. f. Gary, MIR.
j. I. Jones and MI. Frank Workman.
DIR. X. NJ. Clark.
DR.. *. Nj. Clark, Il physician and
farmer, who lives near Kittrell. was
the first witness. He was an attend
ant at the time of the death of DR..
RoWland's son. He testified that he
mad graduated from tho po1tipo0rO
Medical College twenty-one years ago,
He had known David Austin Rowland
lthe deceased boy) all of his life, and
the youth lived about two and one
n nhif, mules nile: from DR.. Clark's home, The
child died on the 4th day of May, this
year, at Mr.. Lew Rowland's home.
lie saw the child on the day of his
death having been sent for bv DR..
Rowland. the child's father. He said
the boys condition was restless, ac-
GOfnpanied by vomiting. When he saw
the dying boy he was lying in a bed.
Inc symptoms were vomiting with a
great deal of depression. The bow
seemed from the expression of his face
to be suffering very much and he COM
planned OF nausea. The boy was CON
scious and recognized the physician.
not water was given and then a
hypOdermic morphine was admin
istered at the advice of DR.. Rowland.
After vomiting TO see what effect the
would have, a hypodermic
of cocaine was given. The bows father
liked the hNpodermic syringe. and
the witness declared he did not know
OF his own knowledge what amount
or what medicine was really given as
the witness had neither seen the bot
tie nor seen DR.. Rowland prepare it.
The child died about fifteen minutes
after the administering of the CO.
caine, and lived only a half
or three-qUarters of an hour after the
witness arrived at the home. The
child lived about II hour md a half
after Il Mas taken ILL.," and DR..
Rowland had told the witness that he
had already administered Il hypoder-
mic of s~trychnine and digitaIis. lmme-
diately after death the body was in a
relax condition, and was ordinarily
rigor morris. was not rigid and an hour
after death It was in an ordinary relax
condition. DR.. Rowland had told the
witness that he thought the child had
gaStritiS. The witness would not be
positive as to what caused the child's
death. The witness said DR.. Rowland
had been practicing medicine ten or
twelve years. He did not know any
thing about the amount of insurance
on the boys life, but after the death
DR.. Rowland had gone to the witness
home and asked him to fill out the
death certificate. DIR. Rowland mad
then said a report had been circu-
lated by his enemies to the effect that
Doctor Rowland had poisoned his
child. and he had said he thought tho
filling out of the insurance papers
would put q stop to these reports. The
witness on the Death certificate had
stated that he thought the child
came to his death from gastritis and
ptomaine poisoning. This was about
two weeks after the boys death. The
witness told the symptoms OF gastri-
It's. dieitalis anG ptomaine poison
ing. The physician had seen the child
the night before death, and he seemed
az that time to be in good health and
condition..
OR cross-examination. conducted by
Mr.. Hicks. the witness said the dis
lance from the Rowland'S to Mr.. Par
dues was about 400 Yards one way
zee yards straight across. Dr. Row
land had gone there on the morning
Of the chilG's death with tho child
! He restatcd the symptoms of gastritis