Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-01
FACE MURDER CHARGE
DR.. Rowland and Bride on Trial
at Raleigh.
INTENSE INTEREST IN CASE
Victim Was Former Husband Of
Woman Accused.
POISON THE MEANS EMPLOYED
Members of Engineer Brotherhood and
Masonic Bodies Interested in Prose-
cution-Dead Man Was Popular.
INTENSE INTEREST IN CASE
POISON THE MEANS EMPLOYED
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
RALEIGH, n. c., October 1.-The trial
of Dr. David s. Rowland and Lillian
Strange Rowland, the, widow-bride. who are
charged with the murder by poison, of the
then husband of the woman, began in ear
nest here today in the superior court
1t took all day yesterday and till late in
the evening to secure a jury. All three
panels were exhausted when the twelfth
man was selected Louis A Mailer a
prominent manufacturing jeweler. and the
only man from the city on the jury, the
others being from the country or suburbs.
Today the taking of testimony is In prog
ress and the courtroom is packed with
interested spectators.
Under a new law passed by the last leg
isIature the judge has excluded from the
courtroom all negroes as coming under
the head of curious people having no
direct interest in the tria' and prompted by
curiosity alone and the desire to hear that
portion of the evidence touching the al
legged adulterous conduct of the defend
ants. Not a negro is allowed in the court
room, and some whites have also been
turned away.
Another Special Venire Drawn.
A special venre of $50 was exhausted yes
terday. as was seventeen men Of the regular
panel Judge Long late IN the afternoon
ordered another special venire of twenty
five men drawn.
Dr. and Mrs. Rowland were accompanied
from Jail to the courtroom by Mrs. Row
lands uncle. No women were present as
spectators, the only woman In the room
being the official StenOgrapher
Al a former hearing Mrs Rowland
looked weak and nearly collapsed. but to-
day both accused looked well. The wife
was less nervous She keenly watched each
juror and the states attorneys conversed
frequently with her sister and husband and
sometimes whispered to her lawyers.
Filling the jury occupied the entire day.
All the jurors white and nearly all
farmers The case will occupy all the
week Many of the witnesses are engineer
friends of Strange The Brotherhood OF
locomotive Engineers is deeply interested
In the case, having been chiefly instru-
mental in bringing about the prosecution.
Members of the union learned of apparent
misconduct by Rowland and Mrs Strange
ana When Strange died suddenly. though
apparently he had been in the best OF
heath, union officials started an jnyestiga-
ton.
DR.. Rowland Studied Poisons.
Effort will be made to prove that Dr.
Rowland secretly made a study of deadly
poisons. He was arrested on a charge of
having poisoned his child in order to get
insurance money. but he was let go be.
cause the chemists could find no trace of
poison in the tests which they r-ade
In the present case DR.. Rowland is al
legged to have used aconitine, deadly vege-
table poison. So is ii that tie chemists
who made the analysis in the boys case
made no attempt to find aconitine.
The doctor kept handsome offices in the
city, full of costly appliances, all of the best
type and some entirely new in this part
of the country. He went abroad and tray
eled for nearly two years 1t is said that
some months of this time We're spent in
India and that there he studied rare
poisons.
The charge is murder in the first degree
Public opinion is against the woman. Many
of the members of the Brotherhood of Loco
motive Engineers, to which the dead man
belonged are here.
The defense has several dispositions from
Indiana, Illinois and Tennessee. 1t is in
timated the state will introduce some start
ling testimony. The aim of the defense is
to break down the evidence of the engi-
neers Attorneys for the defense say thew
are sure the trial will take all the week