The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1907-06-21
(Snecial no The Messenger

Paleiah n C. June 1.-THE fea-
,11re Of interest here today WAS the
trial Of Dr.. ID. $. Rowland on the
charge Of having poisoned Saaboard
Air Line engineer, Charles r. strange,
A native Of Indiana, IL order to
marry Mrs Strange. The nearing,
which was the preliminary one by
the coroner, was set for 10 O'Clock
and a jury had been summoned to
be at the court house at nine, but the
case was continued until noon. A
large number Of witnesses wee pres
ent, among these of course being h
expert Prof. w. A. Syme, who made
the analysis Of the conrCarts of the
stomach of Engineer Strange and
who reported last week that he found
no trace of any kind Of poison, in
his report enumerating g poisons
which he had searched fgI, some of
these being very rare ones.
BY noon the superior court room
was filed. Mrs. Rowland. wife of the
man charged with poisoning, (she
"a accessory before the lfacU was
present early, accompanied by her
sister, Mrs. Devane, frUn Illinois.
Mrs. Rowland very pale, in deep
black, with short veil Thrown back.
She whispered frequently TIC. her law.
yers, Walter L. Watson, j. N. Hold
ing, S. G. Ryan, and J. G. L. Harris
of Raleigh, and r. T. Hicks of Hen
derson. Two brothers of Rowland
and two of his uncles, named Giles,
from Granville and Henderson, sat
with Mrs. Rowland. Coroner Separk
conducted the hearing tas coroner
and not as a magistrate. Attorneys
for defense called for Rowland to be
brought in, said this was exparte pro-
ceeding and there was no charge
. against Rowland until after coroner
had passed upon the matter now on.
The coroner said at his request soil
citOr Jones was present and would
question witnesses and that only the
duty of the jury was to decide whether
, there was evidence Of poisoning.
Sharp spat followed. RoWland's at
tOrneys wanted to cross examine the
, ~coroner's witnesses. One of Row
lands lawyers, with great neat pro-
tested against the d~eclinatiOn to al
low the other side to be heard and
dared the solicitor to give him an
thority for such a proceeding. Separk
said this hearing was not to try Row.
land, merely to see how Strange came
to his death. Solicitor Jones said
it was the purpose to have every wit
ness present examined SO there might
be full investigation. Holding had a
formal protest. Solicitor Jones called
nearly all witnesses, including several
women. First was Assistant Chemist
Syme of the A. and NJ. college, who
made analysis of the stomach of
Strange. He said he found no pois-
OnOus substance. The analysis was
as complete as it was possible to make
it. He said not all poisons could be
discovered by analysis; animal poisons
were of this class and certain vege-
table poisons could not be positively
identified, naming accOnitine and dig
ltalis administered hypodermIcalIy.
Engineer Mike Tigh, of the eaboa
Air Line, sWOre he had known Strange
three years. Strange seemed to be
very healthy. AS soon as he heard
of Strange's death ne went with two
other engineers tC the house and
asked to see body. A Mrs. Johson
came to doc and said they could not
see it The body was buried next day,
Sunday. He had seen Rowland and
Mrs. Strange together three times in
March and tracked them each time
as they had walked on the streets to-
gether, then parted and he saw her
go up the steps leading to Rowland's
office. Attorney Harris, for Rowland
n wife, here SAID scandal has been
introduced in the case before it was
proved Strange died from other than
natural death and he wanted his pro-
test to go on record. At this there
was some applause. Tighe's exami-
nation was to prove that Rowland and
Mrs. Strange had been acquainted be-
fore death Of Strange though it had
been stated on day of their arrest
that they had not met until Rowland
was called to see Strange, the latter
then being sick at home.
Evidence piled up at the long after
noon hearing. 1t was circumstaptial
largely. but it was intensely interest
ing to the audience. Much of it was
to show prior acquaintance Of the two