The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1907-05-23
Dr. Rowland Vance County JaiM Rowland Out 900 Cash
Bond -Stomachs and Vital Organs of Alleged Victims
in Hands of Experts for Analysis

| thereon to IL client OF Mr.. Hicks. Tor
| $500.
! After the death OF the first Mrs
| Rowland and the removal of DR..
| Rowland to Raleigh several years
| ago, this h DuSe was rented to several
different tenants, and several people
about Kittrell desired to purchase
! il; and DR.. Rowland had mentioned
these to Mr. Hicks and WAS tol that
! sale and title could be made only
! under the mortgage or by order
OF court; that the surplus above the
| mortgage would have to be invested
! in other land for the Doctors bane-
| tit for his life or until his son became
of age and would at DR.. Rowland's
death belong to his son. Clients of
| both Mr. A. J. Harris and Mr. }. {.
Kittrell, to wit: Mr. Guy V. Barnes
| and Mr.. George r. Grissom, AMI per-
hcps Others had WISHED to buy the
property but declined to pay the
! price asked by DR.. Rowland. 81 200.
/ DR.. Rowland had in estate for lie
in the property and only the rever-
sion belonged to his son. who died
Just as he was about eleven years old.
Dr. Rowland in the winter OF 1904
or 1905 paid off the $500 mortgage
absolutely with his own money and
has for years been doing lucrative
practice at Raleigh and has been
known to be III good financial cir
cumstances. His Wife's father is still
living. She never owned any other
real estate except the lot at kittrell
given her by her husband and MIR.
Hicks suggests would under the cir
cumstance5 have wiiled it TOD Row
land if he had desired it, This is the
only real estate DR.. Rowland or his
son or wife owned, except the Mrs.
Nancy Merritt lot of ) acres at Plank
Chapel church on which he built IL
house for the old lady and which by
her agreement will belong to him at
her death and which is not and never
was worth as much us DR.. Rowland
loaned her or exp Anded for her in re
building her house. DR.. Rowland
states, says Mr.. Hicks, that on the
day he returned to Raleigh after the
funeral OF his son he received three
letters and IL phone message from
kittrell people asking about the
property or Offering to buy it.
The death of DR.. Rowland's little
son was sudden. surprising and to
the lay mind somewhat mysterious,
but DR.. Clark did not seem to think
it was unusual or that anything OF a
suspicious nature attached toit. But
rumOrS were started and they gath
cred momentum as they spread i'll
creasing in number and seriousness
What people spoke in undertone at
first became louder talk and then
open charges were made. All sorts
OF stories were afioat. And unfOrtn
nately for the man Dr. Rowland $
reputation was not such as to afford
him protection when he fell under
suspicion.
The charge made against him Was
that he had deliberately poisoned his
son to get possession ofsome proper
tv which the child had inherited from
his mother and which DR.. Rowland
desired to sell but could not give Il
deed to as long as the boy was liv-
ing. Another report was that Dr.
Rowland had insured his sons life
for his own benefit the amount
OF such insurance being variousIy
given at from $500 to $4,000. The
amounts would, even the lowest
knock this out from the fact that nc
Industrial insurance company (the
kind of insurance said to be taken
OUT would place any such amount
rs this on a child's life. 1t is said to
be Il fact, however, that Dr. Rowland
did have some insurance on his SON
life and when he was here Saturday
he had the clerk of the court and un
dertaker to sign the certificate o
death without, however, exhibiting
the face of the policy or stating fol
what amount Ofinsurance it called.
Ii DR.. Rowland had been IL man O
the highest character. "a bove reproact
or the breath of suspicion in ever,
way, and his subsequent conduct hat
not been laundering and unfortu
natefor him to say the least of it W,
cannot but believe that the death O
this little boy would have receive,
no more attention than the usua
comment and sorrow OccasiOned b,
the death of any bright, we'll man
! nered and we'll liked lad of his age il
any community. Certainly it woul.
: not have developed the great sensa
! ton that it has eliminating in tn
, shocking charge that the father wa
) guilty OF the awful crime OF causin:
r the death of his own son.
t The circumstances under which Dr.
| Rnuln Nd, CON J:oI II,
, he was so hasty to sell the propert
9 was commented on. Some person
r believe that the boys death wa
e caused by foul play. Putting thing
1 together it looked suspicious at an
l rate they said. There was more tai
e and rumors were multiplied.
e In the mean time the money-S1
/ 2OO-to pay DR.. Rowland for the 10
, in kittrell which he had sold immeC
/ lately after the death of his son an
s which it is said he offered for sale o
a Monday after the funeral on Sunda,
/ and the deed for him to sign were i
r the office of IL lawyer in Henderson
$ 1t was learned that DR.. Rowland wa
D in Norfolk. Saturday morning L
appeared on the streets here and wa
= soon acquainted with the rumor
g that were current. In plain lau.uaa
/ he was told that he was under su,
e picion as being the cause of his son
0 death. He was advised to have til
e body exhumed and post morter
e examination made. This in iustiC
h to himself, his family and friend.
y DIR. Rowland expressed himself as b,
Y ing Indifferent rs to what Poop
r might say about him, he did nc
e care for public opinion. he said.
Il Later it was learned that DIR. Row
b land was accompanied by u woma
d and that they were registered at til
= hotel as man and wife. No one kne
0 that he was married and it was DC