Newspapers / The Elkin Tribune (Elkin, … / Aug. 8, 1935, edition 1 / Page 3
Part of The Elkin Tribune (Elkin, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
Thursday, August 8, 1935 THE DIVORCE COURT MURDER By Milton Propper SIXTH INSTALLMENT SYNOPSIS . . . Six persons we in an inner office of the law. firm of Dawson, McQuire and Locke at Philadelphia. A master hearing in the divorce case of Rowland vs. Rowland is under way. Mrs. Row land, represented by her lawyer brother, Ml'. Willard; Mr. Rowland, the defendant, and his attorney, Mr. Trumbull; the court clerk and Mr. Dawson, the master, are the six persons. There is a new develop men in the case. After failing to defend himself against the charge of adultry in earlier hearings, Mr. Rowland digs up evidence and asks the court's permission to produce witnesses and resist the suit. Judge Dawson overrules the heated objec- . tions of Mr. Willard, and orders the witness brought in. Rowland's law yer goes to get the witness but finds her dead —chloroformed. She is Mrs. Barbara Keith, wife of a prominent Philadelphia business man. Judge Dawson phoned for the police. Detec tive Tommy Rankin is assigned to the case. He is now questioning all of the parties involved in the case. NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY. f "If Hugh Campbell is involved in this at all, he'll be too clever to do anything so conspicuous or suspi cious. In fact, he'll probably come forward as soon as he learns Head quarters wants him." He paused. "Phone the Bureau, Jenks, and tell Gorden to inquire for him at all the best hotels in town. If he's staying in Philly and isn't with friends, he'll check in only at the finest." He diliberated a moment and then finished his instructions. "Besides, he has connections here, through which he might be traced. Let's see . . . there's Gussie Morton at the Morton Club and Nick Alberti, manager of the Or gandy Club on South Broad Street. Tell Gordon to visit them for a chat." Jenks made a note of the address mentioned, and his superior con tinued: "Now, what else have you learned from the office force? Who visited the firm during the afternoon?" He nodded toward the chairs lined against the wall beyond the rail, where a man and a woman waited whom Rankin had barely noticed on his arrival. Xhey sat apart, the woman demure and chic in a gray dress that revealed an attractive figure; about twenty three years old, she was physically small, with petite features, pretty in an unobtrustive manner. The man was as large as she was small. Close upon fifty years, he was tall and broad-shouldered. His eyes were dull and unimaginative and altogether he radiated ponder ous energy, without alertness or sagacity. Studying them each in turn, Ran kin asked his colleague: "For whom were they witnesses, Jenks? Who are they and what do they know about the case?" "The girl's name is Jill Edmond —Miss Jill Edmond," Jenks re plied. "Earlier, I understand, she worked as Mrs. Rowland's secre tary last December and January." "worked is right, but not any longer," Rankin commented with a smile. "Because she happens to be his corespondent—the woman with whom he had the affair that caused his wife to sue for a divorce." It was the other's turn to smile — knowingly, with a slightly lascivious smirk. With regard to the order of en trances and exits that afternoon, Jenks fully corroborated Rankin's own inquiries. His time-table, to gether with some notes and obser vations, read as follows: 2:2o—Mrs. Rowland and Mr. Willard arrive and enter library. 2:2s—Mr. Trumbull arrives, waits in outer office. 2:3o—Allen Rowland' and Mrs. Keith arrived, and with Mr. Trum bull, pass into library. 2:35 Jill Edmond arrives and waits in outer office. 2:3B—Hugh Campbell arrives and Waits in outer office. 2:38 (about) Allen Rowland leaves Mrs. Keith in 1505, and re joins Mr. Trumbull. 2:39—Mrs. Rowland joins Camp bell, has brief conversation. (Find out what about.) 2:40 —Allen Rowland and Mr. Trumbull leave suite through main office, Rowland to dismiss chauf feur. Mrs. Rowland returns to library. 2:41 (about) Mrs. Rowland leaves suite through main office and l/tr. Trumbull returns to phone his office. 2:45 (about) —Allen Rowland re turns to 1507, and retires with Mr. Trumbull to Mr. Dawson's office. (Check the time with Mrs. Keith's chauffeur, Alvin.) 2:49 (about) —Mrs. Rowland re turns, speaks to Campbell and re joins brother in library. 2:51 (about) Hugh Campbell leaves suite by central door for a minute and returns. 2:56 Hugh Campbell receives phone call and hurries off without explanation. 2*57 —Mr. Henry Dawson arrives, and enters his office. 3:00 —Mr. Simpkins, court clerk, arrives, also enters Mr. Dawson's office. The hearing begins. "And that about covers the ground. Tommy," Jenks concluded his summary of this data. He turned away from Jenks and rejoined the group waiting in the library. "Mr. Simpkins," he addressed the clerk, "I'd like to see your notes of the evidence presented at the hearings. Your typed record. Have you got it with you?" The cleric produced a large loose leaf notebook from a voluminous pocket. "With pleasure, Mr. Rankin," he responded. "Here you have it com plete." Rankin took the book from him and excusing himself, retired into Mr. Dawson's offics. There he closed the door and spread the notes on the lawyer's table for study. Although on the surface the details of Allen Rowland's alliance with Jill Edmond appeared to have no direct bearing on the tragedy, he would not neglect the circum stances which it helped to bring about. The preliminary testimony estab lished Mrs. Rowland's right to sue for, separation in Pennsylvania. She had resided at her-estate in Park way Roatf, German town, continu ously except for her vacations. Allen Rowland had also lived there until she discovered his infidelity. Then he went into bachelor apart ments he had already evidently been occupying, in West Phila delphia. The marrige certificate was of fered in evidence. She had met him four and a half years before, while wintering in Miami- As a life-guard at the beach, he had performed for her some service, nofc clearly de tailed, which first brought them to gether. Before that he had led a wandering, adventurous life a cowhand in Texas, a movie extra in Hollywood, a riding master in Chicago. They were married by an Episcopal clergyman at Fort Lauderdale, on December 28, 1928. Jill Edmond, of course, was the bone of the fatal contention be tween Adele and Allen Rowland. A month before the past New Year, Mrs. Rowland had advertised for a secretary in the columns of several newspapers. The "ad" re quired a young and personable girl of more than average intelligence and ability. It would be her duty to attend to her employer's corre spondence, manage her social en gagements and in general serve as a companion. Of all the applicants, Miss Edmond, petite and neatly dressed, alert, clever and willing, had appeared most suitable for the post. Mrs. Rowland first had reason to suspect the girl's relations with her husband less than three weeks later. She had remained at home % You are cordially invited to inspect an advance showing of the very newest in FALL WOO featuring Chatham H Especially Loomed for . MEN'S MADE-TO-MEASURE CLOTHES HARRY SLOMAN Will be at our store 9 August 12, 13, 14 You are sure to find something you like and Mr. Sloman, an expert in his line,* will be on hand to give you his personal attention. Every garment individually tailored just for you. Sydnor-Spainhour Co. Elkin, N. C. THE ELKIN TRIBUNE, ELKIN. NORTH CAROLINA from a bridge party on the 23rd of i the same month, because of a head ache; but she retired without in forming Miss Edomnd of her in disposition. Descending unexpect edly from her room at four o'clock, she found her in the library, os tensibly writing letters at her desk, while Allen Rowland bent over her, his arm around her shoulder. Their nonchalant air in attempting to carry off the embarrassing situation did not deceive her. ' 1 Confronted by this discovery, Adele Rowland consulted her brother, who arranged to hire de tectives to watch the coupie. Both parties were to be trailed every mo ment wherever they went, whether separately or not. There followed in the notes, a resume by the detectives of their movements in watching the sub jects of their vigilance. On the Thursday afternoon after they be gan work, young Rowland kept a rendezvous with the secretary at a park In Germantown and took her to supper in town. Two days later they trailed Rowland alone to the Westview Apartments in West Philadelphia. investigation re vealed that for eight months he had had an establishment there under the name of Seymour King. The crisis occurred on a Wednes day, February Ist, the girl's next holiday. At four o'clock that af ternoon, so Mrs. Rowland related in her testimony, she accidentally no ticed a scrap of paper in her hus band's writing in the secretary's library wastebasket. Evidently he realized at last that they were sus pected and employed this indirect method of communicating with her. In the note, he madq an appoint ment to meet her that very evening at nine o'clock. Therefore, when thq girl, during supper, specially re quested to be excused from duty that night, her employer granted the favor. Rowland was not at the table nor had he been at home that afternoon. In the meantime, Mrs. Rowland telephoned the detective and ap praised him of her knowledge. Then they called Mr. Willard and pre pared plans for trapping the faith less couple. So it was that when Allen Row land reached the rendezyous that Wednesday night, his wife, Mr. Willard and the detective were al ready hidden there; they watched unseen from the lawyer's car. Row land drove up alone in a coupe on j the hour, and his paramour joined him. They followed him beyond the city limits along the Bethlehem Pike as far as Quakertown. Forty-five miles from Philadelphia, Rowland turned off the main highway to reach the fashionable and expen sive Sunset Inn, which however like many such roadhouses, possessed a questionable reputation. It was 10:30 when he arrived with his companion. As they went inside, the pursuers, careful lest their quarry observe them, halted a hundred yards from the building. For some time they waited pa tiently. In ten minutes a new light illumined one of the second floor rooms and Allen Rowland ap peared at the window and lowered the shade. At 11:15 the three trail era entered. The chamber the husband and his companion occupied was num ber 212 on the second floor. (Here, the hotel book was placed on the record to prove Allen Rowland's registration for both of them as husband and wife. In his hand writing was the entry for Mr. and Mrs. King, of Allentown, Pennsyl vania.) Without warning, Mr. Wil lard knocked on the door; and when it opened, it revealed a scene that could hardly be more compro mising. The guilty man stood in the doorway, chagrined and aston ished, in colored pajamas, a robe and slippers, while Jill Edmond, pale and breathless, sat on the bed in negligee. It was at this precise juncture that Mr. Mortimer Keith stalked angrily into the Inn bedroom, took in the situation with a hurried glance and, offering no explanation, departed as abruptly as he had ar rived. When Rankin reached this amaz ing statement in the record, he sat back with a jerk, audibly express ing his bewilderment. It came from the private detective, volunteered casually in his complete description of what occurred in Room 212, after the invasion. CONTINUED NEXT WEEK • A divorce was granted Mrs. Gen evieve Drevitson, of Newbury, N. H., after she testified that 9he and her husband, Carl, had not spoken to each other fdr 20 years. NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE Under and by virtue of the power of sale in a certain deed of trust, dated February 25, 1921, executed by Tazwell Pilson to the undersign ed Trustee, recorded in Book of Deeds of Trust 79, at page .67, rec ords of Surry county, default hav ing been made in the payment of the note secured thereby, at the re quest of the holder of the said note, the said undersigned Trustee will offer for sale at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, at the Court House Door, in Dobson, North Carolina, on the 26th day of Aug ust, 1935, at 2 o'clock P. M., the following real estate described in the said deed of trust, to-wit: Beginning in the middle of the path near a marked small red oak a short distance Eastwardly of Taz well Pilson's house, runs North 50 degrees West with the path 6 chains to a stone on the South side of the path in Turner Pilson's line; OF % SPECIAL REDUCED PRICES ON Arrow Shirts Although we do not have all sizes in each pattern we Mm offer a complete size range in this lot at a nice saving I||| y *M~ ffS f *p/v for you. Regular $1.95 values— H tJ Now $1.65 211 (4. REIGEL SHIRTS A big lot of Reigel Shirts regularly /b selling at SJ.SO. Not all sizes in each 11 Wmmif 1 HJUjiivllul^P pattern but complete size range Summer 1 INTERWOVEN SOCKS J HgBB nrff7»g Interwoven Socks in White Ju lHik9 and light colors. Were 50c, sl,o ° Chen«y NoW— occ yf\ JBjxk Ties NOW OO White Socks, formerly selling 50c Ties Now for 25c pair, now 5 pairs for — 35 c . SI.OO -Ml **E£.T . MEN'S Wfei & FREEMAN SHOES liW Me pANT^ n,er All White. Reduced! i ; gW'Jj Now Now s*.oo wm ' 51,59 Were N*w°_°__. $3.85 ViS 'zMw $2.95 Pants Were $4.00 CO at mzrm now. Now * L - 00 1 QO Real Savings in Summer Shoes at y these Low Prices! Sydnor-Spainhour Company Elkin, N. C. thence West with said Pilson's line 2 chains to a stake or stone; thence South 41 1-2 degrees East 6 chains and 28 links to a sourwood; thence North 72 degrees East 2 chains 76 links to the beginning, containing 1 2-5 acres, more or less. SECOND TRACT: Beginning on a white oak, R. T. Pilson's corner, running due South to the road Do You Have To Pamper Your WEAK STOMACH? Thor's Vitamin B Compound, the Jron and copper treatment, Thor's Vitamin B Com- New Yeast, Iron and Copper Treat- pound. Thor's vitamin B Compound makes you feel ment, Will Soon Put Your Whole better the very first few days because it supplies System In Splendid Condition I your exhausted nerves, worn-out stomach, and Modern research has discovered weakened blood with the vital vita that your indigestion, nervousness, mins B and G and the iron and and lack of proper weight, are more copper they have been slowly starv often than not, due to insufficient ing for. You eat with new enjoyment, vitamins B And G. Authorities agree sleep "like a top" and wake up that lack of these vitamins brings feeling rested, refreshed, and fufi on deterioration of the nerves, lack of energy. of appetite, digestive disturbances, A full sixteen days treatment of and intestinal disorders. Insufficient Thor's Vitamin B Compound costs copper and Iron weakens the blood only sl, and entire satisfaction from ana makes you feel tired, worn-out the very first bottle ia guaranteed and sluggish. or money refunded. The modern way of correcting ~ . _ „ these conditions Is the new yeast, Sold by Turner Drug Co. * from R. T. Pilson's corner to the public road leading from Rockford to Mt. Airy; then running North west with the road leading to R. T. Pilson's to a red oak in R. T. Pil ssn's line; thence due East to the beginning, containing 2 acres, more or less. This the 25th day of July, 1935. 8-22 W. M. JACKSON, Trustee.
The Elkin Tribune (Elkin, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Aug. 8, 1935, edition 1
3
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75