The Twenty - Five Things That Made Genesee County Famous
Number 18
Edward Newton Rowell
Batavia industrialist, E. N. (Newt) Rowell was born in Utica, New York in 1847. A hard worker with a head for figures, he started his professional career as a bookkeeper. In 1879, he took a job with Dr. A. S. Palmer, a manufacturer of pill boxes. Palmer invented tools and machinery for the manufacture of the small boxes. Dr. Palmer died and his son, William, took over. William and Rowell had been friends since they were young.
Palmer and Rowell formed a partnership and began manufacturing small boxes. Palmer took care of the production part of the business, while Rowell was in charge of the finances and sales. The factory moved from Utica to the boomtown of Batavia in October 1881.
Rowell married Jennie Abigail Luce of Clayville, NY, a small town south of Utica, on September 8, 1875. Jennie was described as a very attractive young woman. Growing up in the rural town, Jennie dreamed of the exciting life the city had to offer. The couple met through Jennie’s father who worked with Rowell and soon after the wedding, they moved to Utica.
Newt and Jennie were part of the young-professional society of Utica. Rowell was a hard worker, who traveled a lot, leaving Jennie home alone to care for their two young daughters. Speculation is that Jennie had a “roving eye” and became interested in other men soon after the birth of their second daughter, Clara, in 1877.
If Rowell knew about the rumored numerous affairs, is unclear, but it’s believed he and Palmer moved the box company out of Utica because of Mrs. Rowell’s actions.
With the move to Batavia, Newt thought he solved his marital problems. But, his partner William Palmer, thought otherwise. Mrs. Rowell accused Palmer of spying on her and even reading her mail. The accusations were made in public in front of the factory employees, which embarrassed Palmer. Palmer then told Rowell that he found evidence that Mrs. Rowell had a tryst with Johnson Lynch of Utica in a Rochester hotel. Rowell denied that his wife could do such a thing, but, nevertheless he was suspicious.
On Sunday morning, October 28, 1883, Rowell informed his wife he would be leaving the
 |
Rowell in front of his factory |
next morning on a two week sales trip to the Midwest. The following morning, Rowell left the house as planned, but instead of getting on the train, he checked into the National Hotel and got a room overlooking the train station.
He watched the trains come and go all day Monday. He wanted to leave the hotel, but Palmer told him to keep up his vigil. On Tuesday afternoon, he saw the familiar figure of Johnson Lynch departing the train and walking north towards Main Street. Rowell packed up his belongings and left the hotel.
Rowell walked north up Jackson Street, to Main and turned east to Bank Street. He went to his house at 123 Bank and entered through the back door. He climbed a back stair case and hid out in a small bedroom. Downstairs, Rowell could hear the conversation in the front parlor between his wife and her paramour. Eventually, Mrs. Rowell and Lynch retired to the upstairs master bedroom.
Rowell, at 5 foot – 1 inch tall was nine inches shorter than Lynch and the muscular Lynch outweighed Rowell by 70 pounds. Rowell’s plan was to sneak up on them in the act, rub pepper in his eyes and hit him with a sock with a large stone in it.
Rowell entered the room, but stumbled around looking for the light cord. Lynch, now aware of Rowell’s presence, jumped out of bed and headed for the door. Rowell missed with the pepper, but pulled a revolver from his pocket. He fired a shot at Lynch, barely missing him & Mrs. Rowell. As Lynch passed Rowell in the bedroom doorway, Rowell fired again and hit the door frame. Johnson Lynch was not so lucky with the third shot fired. He was at the top of the stairs and the bullet hit him in the back. Johnson kept running, but collapsed, fell down the stairs, and died at the bottom. The bullet entered his back and severed his aorta, killing him almost instantly.
His neighbor, hearing the shots came over and asked if he shot a robber. Rowell replied that he shot a man, “He seduced my wife. I caught him in the very act. I’ve warned her often, so often.”
Jennie cried, “You’ll be hung for this!”
The Sheriff, a deputy and the Village Constable showed up at the scene and took Rowell off to jail. While they walked to jail, they passed William Palmer on Washington Street. The shocked Palmer couldn’t believe what happened.
The following day, he was indicted by a grand jury for first degree murder. He pled not guilty. Rowell spent the next three months in jail waiting his trial. He had many visitors, and had as many as thirty in one day.
By the time the trial began on January 19, 1884, his charge was reduced to second degree manslaughter. The prosecution called 15 witnesses, while 28 came forward for the defense. Most of the defense witnesses talked about Rowell’s character.
A key witness was Rowell’s former partner and current employer, William Palmer. Palmer testified that he did everything he could do to get rid of Lynch. He looked through Jennie’s mail, spied on her and when confronted, Jennie even told Palmer about her infidelity. Palmer was the one who owned and gave Rowell the murder weapon.
Jury deliberations took a couple of hours and cheers filled the courtroom when the verdict of “not guilty” was read. Following the trial, when asked if she was pleased with the outcome, Jennie replied, “Yes, I am glad. I wouldn’t want him sent to prison for what I have done.”
Newspaper editorials of the time supported the verdict. The belief in the Victorian era was that Rowell had every right to shoot Lynch because he was defending his home.
Rowell left Batavia for six weeks, and when he returned, in Mid-March of 1884, He announced he was starting his own box factory in friendly competition with his former partner, William Palmer.
How did E. N. Rowell Make Genesee County Famous?
The crime and subsequent trial created a national sensation. Newspapers all over the country carried the story. The shooting dominated the front page of the Daily News for a week after the crime. During the trial, the Daily News printed three times more papers. The trial was covered by reports from Rochester, Buffalo and Utica. There were also reporters from The New York Times and the Associated Press.
 |
Salesman Samples of Rowell Boxes |
The largest men’s magazine of the nineteenth century, The National Police Gazette, covered the story. People knew it would become one of Batavia’s most famous events. The National Police Gazette ran at least four illustrations about the killing and wrote articles.
Another result was that some people used this case to legislate morality. Some lobbied the state legislature to make adultery illegal. Ministers preached and used this as an example of why women should stay in the home.
Another reason this is famous is what happened to Rowell after. Eventually, Newt and Jennie divorced and Mr. Rowell gained custody of the girls. Jennie moved west and eventually remarried in Denver, Colorado.
Rowell concentrated on his box company. Besides pill boxes he started making cosmetic boxes. He moved the factory to a building at the intersection of West Main and Ellicott Street. Later, he purchased another building on Jefferson Avenue. His company became one of the largest manufacturers of small boxes in the United States.
Whenever a customer purchased products from Ponds, Revlon, Avon, Faberge and many others, the box it came in was made in Genesee County.
Rowell passed away December 21, 1929 and is buried in Grand View Cemetery.
 |
 |
|
Inside the office at the E.N.Rowell Company |
Office and Sales staff at the E.N. Rowell Company. Mr. Rowell is in the front row, 5th from the left. |
|
 |
 |
|
Office, E. N. Rowell Company |
Rowell's Grave, Grandview Cemetery, Batavia, NY |
Do you agree or disagree? Discuss it on our blog here