Asheville daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1890-1900, 1894-07-20

AN ATTEMPT AT SUICIDE
COL. l.. M. ALLEN TRIEN TO
KILL. HIMSELF.

HILL. I.HIMSEl.F.
The Attempt Occurred In the
County JaiI, where Col Allen
Was a PrisOner,-An Iniere y, Ing
Life History.
A drip, drip, drip as of flowing water
attracted the attention of ]. NJ. Grant,
prisoner in the county jail. about
O'Clock this morning. The unusual cir
constance caused him to investigate
, and he found Col Lawrence Nj. Allen, a
cellmatc, bleeding from wound on
the arm. Grant called Jailer W. II.
amison, who ran upstairs and into the
cell, where he found that Col. Allen had
made a desperate attempt at suicide.
The wound was diagonal across tie
upper eft arm near the elbow, and ex-
tending 2ha inches, Two veins were
severed and the blood was flowing
freely to the cot and onto the floor and
ran in stream to the corner of the cell.
Mr.. Jamison instructed Grant to
grasp the arm tightly above the wound
wi lie he summoned DR.. II. l.. Baird,
the county physician, who reached the
Jail about 10 minutes later and attended
to the wounded man. The wound had
stopped bleeding before the physician
arrived.
Col Allen, who is well known in Ashc-
vile. had attempted to take his life with
4 pcnknife, which he probably had on
his crson when tai en- to Jail, although
he was searched at the time by the iaicr
When THE CITIZEN, in company with
Sheriff BroOkslirc and tn iier,
visited Col. Allen in his cell on the third
floor of the Jail his morning Allen was
looking very pale and weak from the
loss Of blood. 1t is probable that he
" i'll recover. He told the sheriff he had
came to the conclusion he would rather
die than live and the attempt f,llowcd
Charged with Check Raising
Col. Allen was arrested here on he 9lll
OF July by Deputy Sheriff Hampton on Il
capias issued from Graham county. The
Colonel had been teaching school and it
was charged that he raised his salary
check from $3.50 to $+5.50. This
he passed upon a merchant in Robbins
vile, with the explanation, it is said
that lie had taught one nonth that he
had not been paid for and he had added
the amount to the original check. lie
was to be taken back to Graham this
morning by Sheriff S. S Hooper. of that
county. who came over Yesterday. The
| sheriff left this morning without his
prisOHcr.
A I'titiui Letter
Col ALEU- left letter to Sheriff Brook
shire, which is dated July II, which III
dcIt, that he mcditatcd the rash act
for several days. The "2' in the date
however. seems to hc made over another
| figure SO that it does not seem absolutely
certain that it was written on that date.
The letter follows:
Sheriff Br0okSIlirc:
III commit a rash act, but my day is
past. | got no chance to sec anyone to
give bond, but ii have anv friends left
from the late war beg they will take
my body to nv fathers old farm near
Mars Hill, in Madison county, N. C..
and lay it TO rest with my parents and
brothers. Youry truly,
l.. AZ. ANen
81 80 to appear before II higher court
where justice is sure and the officers
thereof are true to their word. could
/ I,,., I II,
around. Please hand the bundle of pa
pers in my breast pocket to Z. II. Merri
mon. Allen.
at seems there is no hope for tn,
widows son."
Col Aliens Life.
While Sheriff Brookshirc was at Tho
ljail Col. Allen had a phamplct takcr
from his pocket and gave it the sheriff tc
read. The pamphlet is entitled Par
tisan Campaigns of Col. Lawrence M
Allen. commanding the Gith regiment
North Carolina State troops, during
the late war" and contains 2S pages
1t gives the field and stall of the 9th
Col. Allen was born in Buucombc coun
ty on the 18th OF October, 1888. ii,
was clerk of Il c Superior court OF Mad
ison soon after the formation of tn,
county. He volun ccrcd at the first cal
OF troops in the Confederate army. Al
one time he commanded the p st al
Knoxville, Tennessee.
The fourth chapter of the pamphlet
: gives an account of Col. Aliens duel il
= which he was dangerously wounded
which hurt has troubled him ever since
The story as told in the pamphlet is Al
follows in substance. In February, 1885
Col. Allen was in Phrnix, Ariz. ON
day he sat at a hotel table near a min
cral expert, Dill, who said he was from
New York. Dill spoke up chasing tn
Southern men as lazy and thriitlcss. n,
notice was taken by Col. Allen. but
minute late Dill grossly insultcd South
crn women as class. Allen hurled
, cup OF hot coffee in Dill's face, following
it with sugar bowl and caster. Tw
days later Dill challenged Col. Allen, tn
duel to take place at Autonc, Mexico
February 22d. 60 feet distance wit
45 pistols, at sunrise. The duel rcsultc
F., in the killing of Dill and the intlicting {
a wound in Col. Aliens lower abdomc
and hip that laid him up tor four month
ru, nv vnuD~NrND