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The Murder of Andrew Rowland

Part 2: Arrests Made, Trial Date Set

A brutal murder befell Andrew Rowland in the early morning hours of Monday, October 19, 1868. Charles Gelwicks, Andrew’s father-in-law, dispatched Pryor Thompson to Hagerstown to get the Coroner.  Three doctors, McKee, Tobey, and Blake arrived at about 10 am to perform the post mortem examination and take the facts before a coroner’s jury.

Coroner’s Inquest

The questioning of Mary E. Rowland, wife of the deceased, disclosed the fact that someone unknown to her had killed Andrew Rowland at about 1 o’clock in the night.  She stated that Andrew, accompanied by Lewis Snyder, had been to Boonsboro on Sunday.  The men returned about 9:30 the same night while she was in bed sleeping.  Andrew Rowland woke her up and asked that she prepare some supper.  After they had partaken of supper, they spent some time in conversation.  About midnight, they all retired to bed.  She retired first, then Andrew and both fell asleep soon thereafter.

She stated that she was awakened by a noise and a groan from her husband.  Upon calling him, he failed to answer other than with another groan.  Becoming alarmed, she screamed and jumped out of bed.  She aroused her father, Mr. Charles F. Gelwicks, who had been sleeping in the third room from hers.  He hastened to the spot and heard someone stumble over a chair in their effort to escape from the house.  Then, the light Gelwicks brought into the bedroom, revealed the awful scene.  Andrew Rowland lay a bleeding, ghastly corpse.  Someone had foully and brutally murdered him.

The testimony of all who slept in the house was taken, and no clues could be gained as to who it was that committed the foul deed. No light was shed upon the matter, but from the testimony of Mr. Gelwicks, it was evident that no one could have committed the deed who was a stranger on the premises.  Two very cross dogs, he said, would have given the alarm.

The murder seemed so mysterious that it was deemed advisable by the physicians, Messrs. McKee, Tobey, and Blake, to perform an autopsy on the deceased, to ascertain how or with what instrument he came to his death. The examination disclosed the fact that death must have resulted from a club in the hands of someone, as the left side of his face was smashed in, a deep hole having been made near the temple, and his cheek and jawbones were broken.  Owing to the awful character of the murder, and its mysterious nature, the coroner’s jury was unable to sign any verdict back in Hagerstown.  However, they did express hope that investigations would eventually reveal some light upon the dark transaction.

Lewis Snyder Arrested

This is how matters stood until the following day, Tuesday, when H. H. Keedy, State’s attorney, accompanied by Esquire Biershing, the county magistrate, and several constables revisited the premises.  The circumstantial evidence deemed it advisable to place Lewis Snyder under arrest, and the constables accordingly brought him to town and lodged him in jail.

Mary E. Rowland Arrested

On Wednesday, the coroner’s jury reconvened and listened to new testimony.  It was of such a character as to justify the State’s attorney in ordering the arrest and lodgment in jail of Mrs. Mary E. Rowland.  That same evening, the authorities brought her to town and confined her to the county prison.

For reasons of preserving justice, the facts leading to the arrest and imprisonment of Mrs. Rowland as an accessory to the death of her husband were being withheld.

The case will be brought before the grand jury of the county, where it is to be hoped that the guilty party or parties may be ferreted out and justice meted out to them. Likewise, having the innocent proved so, and promptly acquitted.  No such murder has ever been committed in this county.  Such a shocking, brutal murder, in the very heart of the family circle, is so chilling to the blood that its startling enormity cannot be fully comprehended.  It has shocked and unnerved the entire community.

The Victim

Andrew Rowland was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of Hagerstown.  He had his life insured for the sum of $5,000 with the Knickerbocker Life Insurance Company.  One-half of the amount for the benefit of his wife, and the remainder for the benefit of his children by his former wife.  At his death, his wife would also be entitled to $100 from the treasury of the Odd Fellows.  Her $2,500 portion of the insurance money should be payable if, and when, her innocence is established.

Early investigation efforts aroused the suspicion that poison may have been administered to the deceased.  As a result, the physicians removed the stomach from his body and dispatched it to Professor Aikin, of Baltimore, for chemical analysis.

Four More Persons Arrested

Detective Captain William Kolklesser was assigned to the case, and his investigation resulted in four more arrests the following week: 

  1. Charles Carroll, an immediate neighbor of the Rowland family
  2. Ann Caroll, the wife of Charles Carroll
  3. George House, who was residing at the Carroll’s home on the night of the murder
  4. Harry Weaver, who was tracked down and arrested out of state

These arrests were the result of circumstances brought to light through the untiring diligence of H. H. Keedy, Esq., the State’s Attorney, and detective, Captain William Kolklesser.  Their investigation revealed that it was someone concealed in the house that killed Andrew Rowland.

Charles Carrol, living in the immediate vicinity of Rowland’s, was arrested and testified that a man named Harry Weaver offered him the sum of $500 to kill Andrew Rowland.  He stated further that Mrs. Rowland had made various propositions to induce him to commit the deed.  He says he refused the offers of both Harry Weaver and Mary Rowland.  He was let out of jail after posting a small bail.

However, Captain Kolklesser was still on the trail, and he had Charles Carrol rearrested along with his wife Ann Carrol, both of whom were committed to jail.  From the testimony of Ann Carroll, a man named George House was also arrested and committed to jail on suspicion of being an accomplice of Charles Carroll.  Ann Carroll, in her evidence, stated that during the Sunday night on which the fatal deed was committed, George House was staying with them.  During the night, possibly about midnight, she awoke and found that her husband was not in bed.  She got up, struck a light, and found both her husband and George House were not in the house.  Later, after she had retired and had fallen back asleep but was awakened by her husband coming to bed.  He asked her if she did not hear cries of “murder,” telling her to listen, that the cries were being repeated.

Captain Kolklesser, with the help of a Pittsburg detective, tracked down and arrested Harry Weaver at Alliance, Ohio.  The reasons for his arrest appear to be for attempting to hire a hitman and attempted poisoning.

There were now six persons under arrest for the murder of Andrew Rowland.

Indictments

On December 4, 1868, the grand jury indicted Mrs. Mary E. Rowland and Harry Weaver for attempting to poison Andrew Rowland during the month of March 1868, six months prior to his murder.  As for the actual murder of Mr. Rowland, the grand jury found no bill of indictment yet.

As of January 9, 1869, Mrs. Mary E. Rowland, Harry Weaver, and Charles Carroll, the parties accused of complicity in the murder of Andrew Rowland, are all in the Washington county jail.  The report that some of these parties were out on bail is false.  However, Lewis Snyder, Ann Carroll, and George House are no longer suspects in the murder of Andrew Rowland and obtained their release from jail.

The trial is targeted for the March term of court in Hagerstown when every legitimate effort will be made to bring the guilty parties to justice. The Honorable Isaac D. Jones, the attorney general of the State of Maryland, expects to be at the trial to assist the State’s attorney, H. H. Keedy, in the prosecution of this case.

On March 9, the grand jury finally handed down two murder indictments — Charles Carroll, indicted for first-degree murder, and Mrs. Mary E. Rowland, indicted for murder in the second degree.  Their trial will begin this same month.

Empaneling a Jury

The trial of Mrs. Mary E. Rowland and George Carroll, for the alleged murder of Andrew Rowland, the husband of the former, commenced in the Washington County Court on the morning of March 22, 1869.

Chief Judge Alvey and Judges Perry and Motter presiding.  The counsel for the two prisoners are Messrs. Seyster, Schley, Darby, Douglass, Freaner, and Kealhofer.  The counsel for the State are Judge Weisel, the Honorable John Thomson Mason, and Mr. Keedy, State’s Attorney.  Judge Mason represents the family of the deceased.

Besides the charge of murder against Mrs. Rowland, she is also indicted with Harry Weaver for a previous attempt to poison her husband. The newspaper reported that “she is a young, fine-looking woman, and appeared in court quite handsomely dressed in deep mourning.”

The case excites a very great deal of interest, and an immense crowd assembled to hear the trial.  The whole day was taken up in efforts to get a jury, and out of the entire regular jury pool panel, only one person was found who had not already formed an opinion upon the merits of the case.  As such, the court ordered 100 more potential jurors to appear the following day.

Ninety-two potential jurors showed up the following day.  Only five were sworn in, as twenty-nine were peremptorily challenged, seven were disqualified on account of conscientious scruples on the subject of capital punishment, and the remainder were disqualified on account of having already formed and expressed opinions.

The Court then ordered the Sheriff to summon a second round of one hundred additional potential jurors to appear on Wednesday morning at 9 o’clock.  From this group, only one additional juror was sworn in, making it only seven jurors in all, out of a pool of more than two hundred.

Change of Venue

At this point, Colonel George Schley, one of the counsels for the defense, asked the Court for a change of venue.  He stated that his clients believe “they cannot have a fair and impartial trial in the presence of such an overpowering sentiment against them.  The public mind has been poisoned by the thousand rumors that have gone abroad to the prejudice of these unfortunate persons, the effect of which has been but too manifest.  In a practice of thirty years, I never witnessed such a spectacle” of this many potential jurors being disqualified for having prejudged a case.

The Court agreed and granted a change of venue. It reassigned the case to Allegany County Court in Cumberland, Maryland.

Murder Trial Finally Commences in Cumberland

The town of Cumberland sits 70 miles west of Hagerstown, with mountainous terrain separating the two.  The time required to travel between these locations was likely measured in days in 1869, but a change in venue was apparently warranted.

The trial of Mrs. Mary E. Rowland and Charles Carroll, charged with the murder of the husband of the former, began in Allegany County Court on April 28, 1869.  The trial generated much interest, and the courtroom was packed, with many witnesses and spectators making the journey from Hagerstown.  A jury was successfully empaneled, witnesses were sworn in, and then the court was adjourned for the day.  Testimony is set to commence the following day.  There are upwards of eighty witnesses in the case, and the trial is expected to be a protracted one.  

North Potomac Street, Hagerstown, Maryland (circa 1906)

This is Part 2 of a 5-Part Series

Sources

This article is compiled from accounts portrayed in the following newspaper clippings:

  1. “Late Murder Near Hagerstown.”  The Baltimore Sun, October 30, 1868, page 1.
  2. “More About the Murder in Washington County.”  The Baltimore Sun, October 31, 1868, page 1.
  3. “Affairs in Washington County: Indicted.” The Baltimore Sun, December 4, 1868, page 1.
  4. “Still in Jail.”  The Baltimore Sun, January 9, 1869, page 4.
  5. “Indicted for Murder.”  The Herald and Torch Light, Hagerstown, Maryland, March 17, 1869, page 2.
  6. “Letter from Hagerstown.”  The Baltimore Sun, March 22, 1869, page 4.
  7. “Criminal Trials.”  The Herald and Torch Light, Hagerstown, Maryland, March 24, 1869, page 2.
  8. “Murder Trial Removed.”  The Baltimore Sun, March 27, 1869, page 1.
  9. “Summoning Talesmen.”  The Herald and Torch Light, Hagerstown, Maryland, March 31, 1869, page 2.
  10. “Court Proceedings.”  The Herald and Torch Light, Hagerstown, Maryland, March 31, 1869, page 2.
  11. “The Trial Removed to Allegany County.”  The Herald and Torch Light, Hagerstown, Maryland, March 31, 1869, page 2.
  12. “Murder Trial at Cumberland.”  The Baltimore Sun, April 29, 1869, page 1.
  13. “Murder Trial at Cumberland.”  The Baltimore Sun, May 1, 1869, page 1.
  14. “Murder Trial at Cumberland.”  The Baltimore Sun, May 5, 1869, page 1.
  15. “The Rowland Trial.”  The Herald and Torch Light, Hagerstown, Maryland, May 5, 1869, page 2.

References and Additional Information

Featured image: The Hagerstown Courthouse, original elevation drawn by Benjamin Latrobe, an architect from The First Two Centuries of the Washington County Courthouse, by The Commissioners of Washington County, 1974.

Additional image: North Potomac Street, Hagerstown, Maryland (circa 1906), from Rare and Amazing Photos Show Street Scenes of Maryland in the Early 20th Century.

DNA: Andrew Rowland, and the entire Washington county Rowland genetic line, are part of Rowland Y-DNA Group I.  If you are related to this line, please consider joining the Rowland Xref Project.

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