The semi-weekly messenger., 1907-10-11
ROWLANDS co FREE
Acquitted Of Charge Of Poison
ing Engineer Strange
Strange Scene Follow Discharge OF
Pr1soners-Carriage Load OF Flow
efs Carried to DIR. Rowland's Of
nce-The Rowland's Hold Recep-
ion-Leave on Train for Points
North.
Especial to The Nessen1er)

4
| H~ldgn, N. c., October 7-Ths
jury III lhe superior court was given
ne Rowland poisoning case precisely at
| mlonlght saturday, after rather moro
/ tnan ten hours of argument and a
charge or Judge Long which occupied
nan an hour in The reading. The fsht
| 10 acqult and convict had been q great
SIX days contest on each si19 The de-
I tense attacked the Brotherhood of Lo-
comotlFe Engineers which had SO
stoutly and steadily aided in pressing
the prosecution which. indeed II ini-
tiated. The state championed the
, Brotherhood for its work. The de-
; Tense charged the state with suppress
ing facts.
AT o'clock yesterday morning
word was sent to Judge Long 1T his
hotel in front Of the court house that
the jury was ready with its verdict. 1t
was sad that it was ready at o'clock
but did not notify him until late. He
went 10 the court house at once and
Solicitor Armistead Jones was sent
for. 1t was some little time before he
arrived and Elmer Shaffer another
attorney for the prosecution, also ap-
peared. All the five attorneys for the
defense, Watson, Harris, Holden.
Ryan and Hicks had been hurriedly
sent Tor and were quickly on hand
DR.. and Mrs. Rowland were brought
in, with them being his uncle, Mr.
Gill, and her sister. Foreman Harper
OF the jury announced that il found
the prisoners not guilty. AS he spoke
these words there was a lot of ap-
plauSe and cheering on the Dart Cf the
great crowd which fairly jammed the
court room. Judge Long struck the
desk sharply and declared such be-
haviour an outrage and that if he
knew the men who made the demon
stratton he would fine each S10O.
The prisoners were then discharged
and instantly there was a strange
scene. Mrs. Rowland and her sister
embraced each other, both crying and
shouting, while DR.. Rowland cried as
did Attorneys Hicks and Harris Peo-
pie crowded around them and in a
few minutes the crowd struck out of
the court room. The ROWlandS took
a carriage and went to the doctors
boarding house in the northern part
of the city. Some Of their friends
hastened to a florist and bought a
carriage load of flowers which they
took to ROWland's office on Fayette-
vile street. The Rowlands soon went
there and held a sort of reception.
At one in the afternoon, they and
the ellis and Mrs. RoWland's sister
left on a nOrthbOUnd train, going first
to the home of the GiIls, near Hen
perhaps other points north. Friends
of Or. Rowland said he would return
here in a month or two and reopen
his offices.
There were persistent rumOrs today
that DR.. D. S. Rowland, acquitted
here yesterday of poisoning Engineer
Strange, has heen arrested at Hen
derson because the grand jury Of
Vance county had returned true bill
against him for poisoning his son.
The sheriff Of Vance cOuntv says the
rumor is false. Rowland and his wife
are now near Henderson, visiting his
uncle It is tho current opinion that
he will not return here, but will locate
in the west. He and wife went yes
terday to the house where her
sister had been boarding since May,
but the landlady told the Rowland,s
she could not give them dinner or al
low them to remain in her house.
They at once left.