The Murder of Andrew Rowland

Andrew Rowland was bludgeoned to death in 1868 while sleeping next to his wife, a woman who openly conspired with her “secret” second husband (polyandry) in the solicitation of a hitman, poisoning attempts, and spending the insurance money.

It was western Maryland’s murder trial of the century, filled with shocking revelations, surprising witness testimony, and a storyline worthy of a Dateline episode. The story is presented in five parts:

Part 1: The Life and Times (and Murder) of Andrew Rowland. It was apple butter making time in Washington County, Maryland, and Andrew Rowland’s full house was preparing for the big day.  However, someone murdered Andrew while he slept, and this well-liked member of a prominent local family would not live to see the dawn.

Part 2: Arrests Made, Trial Date Set.  Detectives arrested six people including a houseguest, neighbors, a man chased down in Ohio, and Andrew’s wife.  More than 200 potential jurors are disqualified for having already made up their minds about the case.  Andrew’s wife, Mary Rowland, accused of masterminding the plan, and neighbor, Charles Carroll, accused of being the hitman would now stand trial.

Part 3: The State Presents Its Case. Each day’s testimony is stranger than the previous.  Wife Mary had attempted to poison Andrew.  She had one of the servants stand guard while frolicking in the bedroom with Harry, the “horse doctor” and former hired hand.  Wife Mary, in a “quiet” ceremony, marries Harry, entering the world of polyandry.  Mary and Harry solicit a servant to poison Andrew, then solicit the neighbor to strike him dead.  Mary talks about the house she is going to buy for her and Harry with the insurance money.  She confesses to seeing this neighbor deliver the fatal blow while expressing her love for the detective questioning her.

Part 4: Mounting a Defense.  The legal team for the defense calls relatively few witnesses, mostly for the purpose of discrediting various statements from the prosecution’s witnesses.  Then it calls multiple expert witnesses to explain why the poisoning attempts likely failed.  The accused never take the stand.

Part 5: The Verdict.  The Court allows twelve hours of closing arguments, equally divided for each side. Then, the Court turns the case over to the jury, who must weigh all the evidence and render a verdict.