Editor’s Note: The first part of this article is a verbatim transcription (keeping the language and spelling of the time) of a story published September 8, 1901, in the “Sunday Washington Globe”, Washington, D.C. The story the newspaper printed was John C. Rowland’s letter to the editor, with the newspaper adding its own headlines.[1] The second part of this article (postscript) provides a glimpse of what happened subsequently and the genealogy of John Cameron Rowland (1844-1921)[2].
ROWLAND’S STORY
The Sad Case of an Educated Gentleman.
PERSECUTED, UNFORTUNATE, ILL
His Simple Narrative Covers a World of Undeserved Suffering and Misfortune—Robbed, Persecuted and Butchered He Is Still Unconquered and Full of Fight Against His Foes.
EDITOR SUNDAY GLOBE:
I acted as private secretary and stenographer in the (now) Department of Justice, to U. S. Attorneys General Bates, Speed, and Stanley (of President Lincoln’s Cabinet), from 1860 to 1865.
During the term of my service with Attorney-General Bates I secured of leave of absence for 30 days, and reported the trial of Rear Admiral Wilkes—a celebrated case.
The board was in session more than a month. Before the Board of Inquiry adjourned, Rear Admiral Goldsborough, the senior member, “took his quill pen in hand” and wrote a very complimentary letter concerning Mr. Rowland’s accurate shorthand report, which was signed by each member of the hoard.
I resigned from the Attorney-General’s Office in the spring of 1865 to accept a position as clerk to Rear Admiral Goldsborough, and left New York harbor on the flagship Colorado for a European cruise. The officers and men wore crepe on their coat sleeves because of the assassination and death of President Lincoln.
I should mention that before Attorney-General Bates left the Cabinet he received a promise from Mr. Lincoln that his “young friend John” should not be disturbed in his position, and I have a letter showing this fact.
Early in the cruise, the Admiral had a misunderstanding with his secretary, Mr. Holmes E. Offley, who resigned, and I was promoted from clerk to secretary, with the rank and pay of lieutenant, I being at that time just, 21 years of age. Mr. Offley returned to the United States and was appointed chief clerk of the Navy Department, and the truth of the old saying, “ ‘Tis an ill wind that doesn’t blow some one good” was verified.
On my return to the United States, in the fall of 1867, I was called upon by my friend, Mr. Pleasants, the chief clerk of the Attorney-General’s Office to assume charge of the clerical duties of my father, Dr. John A. Rowland, in said office, until he was able to resume his duties, else he would lose his position on account of long absence from work. I did so, and held his place for several months.
I then accepted a position with the Hon. Edward MacPherson, clerk of the House of Representatives, to attend to his correspondence and to index his “Political Manual.” After office hours I worked for Hon. Wm. D. Kelley, of Pennsylvania (“Pig Iron”). I remained with Mr. Kelley, as his secretary, for many years.
During the inter-regnum of Congress, I consolidated indexes, and during the closing days of the session was detailed on the important work of enrolling and engrossing bills from complicated conference reports.
In the spring of 1873 I accepted a position with Gen. A. B. Nettleton, then trustees’ agent of the Northern Pacific Railroad Company, with his office over Jay Cooke‘s bank, in Philadelphia. After the failure of the bank, in the fall of the same year, I took a position with an insurance company in Philadelphia, of which Hon. E. A. Rollins was president. On account of my wife’s condition I resigned and returned to Washington, and again went to work for Mr. Kelley, his secretary not being up to the judge’s standard of efficiency.
After this I was appointed clerk to the Senate Committee on Railroads. While holding this position I procured a substitute, and, with five other stenographers, was sent to Louisiana by Mr. Dennis Murphy, chief of the corps of stenographers of the U. S. Senate, to report the testimony of alleged fraudulent election returns in said State. Other committees, with stenographers, were sent to South Carolina and Florida at the same time. On my return I resumed my position on the Railroad Committee.
In 1877, I acted as stenographer for Mr. Nimmo, chief of the Bureau of Statistics, under Secretary of the Treasury William Windom.
In 1878, Dr. John M. Woodworth, Surgeon-general of the Marine Hospital service, sent for me, and I was offered the position of private secretary to himself. I was with the doctor until the time of his death, which occurred in the Riggs House, the office of the service being then on G street, opposite the ladies’ entrance of said hotel. I was sent for and was present in the room when he died.
By request of Dr. Woodworth, Surgeon John B. Hamilton succeeded him as Surgeon-General. Dr. Hamilton occupied the position for some years, and then resigned in favor of the present Surgeon-General, Walter Wyman.
I lost my position with the latter-named party in February, 1898, the alleged cause being that I was below the usual standard of efficiency for the past six months on account of intemperance.
I made no effort to be reinstated. The main cause of my being crucified was the enmity of a new, acting chief clerk, Passed Assistant Surgeon P. M. Carrington, with whom I had quarreled several times, and who made his threats to at least one clerk in the bureau, that he would get rid of me.
This enemy, Carrington, in my few minutes’ absence from the Surgeon-General’s room, persuaded the doctor to change the “efficiency record.” I can prove this. Before leaving the room I had heard the Surgeon-General say: “Make it out the same as usual ” I had no thought that I was in any danger. Had been perfectly regular for two months previously, and was, as usual, being over-worked.
A mere “letter of transmittal” to the Secretary ousted me from my position, where I was overworked, and had been so faithful, loyal, and self-sacrificing!
It was not stated in this cowardly letter of transmittal that I had made, in my several years’ service with Surgeon-General Wyman, at least one month extra time, each year; that this was made almost entirely on the Sabbath day, on legal holidays, on night work, and over-time in the office! Neither was it stated, as the public records will also show, that my leaves of absence were always taken in driblets, to accommodate Dr. Wyman. When he left for a few days I was allowed the privilege of doing so, but was often refused.
My case was not stated properly to Secretary Gage by Dr. Wyman. The letter, however, was written, I believe, and checked by Carrington. If above “extenuating, circumstances” had been stated, and also, that if too much stimulant had been taken, as stated, though falsely, it was because I was being worked to death. I do not believe I would have been crucified, and at a time when, too, I was in bed, so badly crippled by bad surgery that if I returned to duty it would have been necessary to carry me to a carriage and then up the stairs of the bureau building. Please remember, I had not taken any stimulant for two months previous to my being dropped from the rolls, and at a time when I was helpless. On the contrary, I had been working hard, both day and night, on the index of the annual report, having made double time for several days! I was a total abstainer from drink for at least five or six years of my service with Dr. Wyman, I was crippled on account of the wretched surgery on my heel, performed in the office of the Surgeon-General by a young assistant surgeon by the name of Ezra Sprague. He made a bad botch of his operation, cut the heel in a brutal manner when poultices should have been used before any cutting was done. I could not walk without crutches for months. My original trouble was slight laceration of the heel, caused by two nails in my shoe, which was not attended to in time. This Dr. Sprague, also, bound up the foot so tightly that, after three days and nights of great suffering, with no sleep, a physician outside of the service was called in to attend the wound.
The alleged cause of my eviction from office has prevented me from getting employment; and since my eviction from home at 607 Sixth street, Dec. 12, 1897, without any legal or other notice whatever, which will be proven later, I have again been seriously crippled, while in hospital.
On April 2, 1900, I was taken as a pay patient to Providence Hospital, threatened with blood poisoning from a sore thumb, as a prominent physician will testify. Was there over two months. By reason of gross negligence on the part of some one, to be determined later, the ankle of my left leg was broken; also the wrist, fingers and shoulder of the right arm.
Because of bad surgery and neglect on the part of two young and inexperienced doctors, my wrist, of the right hand, is stiff, also the fingers, and can not be bent! The arm is emaciated. I am surprised at being able to write so well with my crippled hand; but will never be able to use a typewriting machine, and a shorthand writer who can not use a typewriter in these days is a “back number.”
My nervous system was also very badly shattered when in hospital, as, to save trouble or expense after my accident (?) the good people at the hospital strapped me down! Some one or more of the attendants must have given me a blow on the head, as I suffer with lapse of memory. It is a sad case. One of the oldest employees at the hospital has since said to a friend he never saw a man so cruelly treated and abused in his life.
After leaving the hospital, I was taken to the country, and remained during the month of June. On returning I spent about a month at the home of a physician—a friend—but it was not as quiet as my nervous system required, and about the middle of July, 1900, I moved to my present abode, on —–avenue, and occupy a “sky parlor,” and have a hall room, also next to the roof, where I am attended by my good friend and nurse, in whose hands I was placed by the head physician at the hospital. Being also crippled and unable to walk much because of my weak ankle, I have had a nice, quiettime for a long 14 months! I am now able to walk, and hope to be able, in a very few days, to again “press brick” under my feet, metaphorically speaking! Thank God, my appetite is, and has been, above par, and, thanks to my good nurse and better cook, I am in fine condition to open fire on my enemies! When my book shall have been published, retailing and wholesaling the personal and other conduct of certain alleged professional gentlemen, it will, I am sure, astonish the natives!
More anon.
Yours truly,
John C. Rowland.
Part 2 – Postscript
- We have found no evidence that his forthcoming book destined to “astonish the natives” was ever written or published.
- The above story recounts a time when he was evicted from his dwelling and also mentions his nurse. His landlord and nurse were one and the same, a Miss Mary Kelly. Thirteen years after this story, in 1914, John C. Rowland was arrested in connection with the mysterious death of Miss Kelly, but that is a story for another day.[3] He was exonerated of all charges relating to her death.
- It appears he was never again to have employment with the government, taking odd jobs to support himself.
- John C. Rowland died in 1921, having been listed as senile for the preceding three years on his death certificate.
Genealogy of John C Rowland
John Cameron Rowland was born on November 28, 1844 in Delaware to John C. A. Rowland (1823-1897) and Margaret Cameron (1822-1882). A few years later, in the 1850 census, the family was living in Chester County, Pennsylvania, home to five prior generations of this Rowland line.
His father, a lawyer and physician, moved the family to Washington D.C. in 1853 to become a law clerk for the Attorney General, serving under Presidents Buchanon, Lincoln, Johnson, and Grant. He also worked in the Department of the Treasury. John Cameron Rowland followed in his father’s footsteps, being a clerk/secretary for the Admiral of the Navy, the Attorney General, and the U.S. Treasury.
John married Ida Munck in 1873, and they had one son, John Briel Rowland. Tragically, his wife Ida passed away in 1879 at the young age of 29. His son, John Briel Rowland, also preceded him in death, dying of typhoid fever in 1908 when he was 31. John Briel Rowland did not have any children, bringing this particular branch of the Rowland family to an end.
This family line is part of Rowland DNA Group B.
Sources
- “Rowland’s Story” clipped from the “Sunday Washington Globe” Washington, District of Columbia, 08 Sep 1901, Sun – Page 3.
- WikiTree profile of John Cameron Rowland (1844-1921).
- “Policemen Find Body of Woman Torn By Dogs” clipped from “The Washington Herald” Washington, District of Columbia, 28 Nov 1914, Sat – Page 1, and its continuation on Page 4.