Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-17
WEIRD TALE OF CRIME
Remarkable Case of Murder in
North Carolina.
CHARGE AGAINST A DOCTOR
He Was First Arraigned for Murder
ing His Own Son.
ACCUSED OF KILLING ENGINEER
His Newly Welded Wife Also Rests
Under a Very Serious
Allegation.
ACCUSED OF KILLING ENGINEER


RALEIGH. n. c., June 17.-At the in
stance of the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers there is in progress here to-
and sensational case known to the Grim
inal annals of North Carolina.
The defendant in the case is a promi-
nent practicing physician of Raleigh,
who for years has enjoyed a large prac-
tice in this community. and VINO is
widely known personally as we'll rs pro-
fessional1y throughout the state and be-
You'd it's borders. a man of education, who
has travelled both in this country and in
Europe.
The charge made against him today
is the commission of a most diabolical
crime. as man and as physicidn-
namely. the murder by the administration
of poison or otherwise of a locomotive
engineer named Charles r. Strange while
attending his alleged victim profession
ally. at the instigation. if not with the
assistance. of the wife of Strange, whom
he has since married. The defendants
name is DIR. David S. Rowland, and he
Is a native of Vance county. N. c.. where
he was born about forty years age
The widow was welded to DR.. Rowland
six weeks after the death of her former
husband. Rowland and the widow
Strange (who is woman of attractive
appearance> went away from Raleigh to-
gether and were married a few days
later in Norfolk Va.
Mrs. Rowland herself is under q cash
bond of $1,000. charged with being a
particeps criminis to the murder of her
former husband, the specific allegation
being accessory before the fact" Her
trial will take place as soon as that of
DR. Rowland is disposed of.
DR.. Rowland has been in Jail for ex-
actly four weeks today being denied
bail. His case will probably be dis
posed of before the court adjourrs to-
day. as the hearing is a preliminary one.
and will result in either the discharge
of the defendant, his release on bond to
answer to the higher court of jurisdiction
in such cases OF his recommitment to
prison without bond. At this hour it
looks like one of the first two named
will be the result reached.
Alleged Murder of His Only Son.
If DIR. Rowland is wholly innocent he
has been terribly prosecuted man. by
reason largely of suspicious aroused
hSdiHSl MN ny tiICuIuStdntldl eN IueNCp,
due in no small measure to- his personal
indiscretions and at times lax morals
the latter especially detracting from his
in some respects otherwise high char
acter and lending color to two terrible
accusations made against him, first by
enemies. and later by private detectives
employed by the Brotherhood of Locomo-
tive Engineers. The latter were put upon
his track after a sister of Engineer
Strange (who was western man, as is
the present Mrs. Rowland a western
woman, learning of the sudden nature
of the death of her brother. wrote here
and expressed the opinion of foul play,
and requested an investigation of the
manner and cause of her brothers de-
mise.
While this investigation was going on
(Strange died not quite three months ago.
the only son of DR.. Rowland a boy about
twelve years old, suddenly died at the home
of uncle in Vance county, and while
his father was there on visit to his boy
his only child.
The boy died very suddenly and the GER
tificate of death was made out by a physi-
clan whom DR.. Rowland called in during
the few hours the boy survived the attack
1t reported in the community that his
father said the cause of death was ptomaine
poisoning.
DIR. Rowland returned to Raleigh The
next day he sold a piece of real estate
that belonged to the boy for 81 200. and a
few days later he collected about 5000
insurance which he had recently taken out
in an industrial company of New York and
another in Richmond on the life of his
son.
Much Gossip Caused.