The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-02
FURIOUS AGAINST FLANAGAN.
RUMORs THAT AN ATTEMPT WOULD
BE MADE TO LYNCH HIM.

of His Victims Dead as Het-Miss
Slack ParaIyzed and Unconscious
and Her Recovery Considered Inn
pOssible-Grandfath Allen win
Recover.
Atlanta, Ga, Jan. 1.-Serious fears were
| felt by the authorities tonight that an
effort would be made by mob to take
Ed Flanagan, the DeKalb county muir
derer, out of jail
He would undoubtedly have been lynch
ed had he been allowed to remain in the
DeKalb Jail last night instead of being
| quickly brought to Atlanta for safe-keep-
! ing. Sheriff Austin, who placed the man
under arrest at the scene of his bloody
work, was prompt to realize that it would
not do to allow him to stay within reach
of the neighbors of his victims. His fears
were well grounded, for he had hardly
gotten away from the scene before the
! people became excited with the Iynching
spirit.
Throughout the day this excitement has
been growing, many people congregating
about the Allen house to discuss the ter
rible tragedy. Tonight this feeling was
| 81 lAldI d wen VI dilAASh pan
was perfected for the purpose of attack
ing the Fulton county Jail. AS soon as
information of this plan was received
Judge John S. Gambler and Sheriff Austin
of DeKalb put Sheriff Nelms and Chief of
| Police Connally on notice, Sheriff Nelms
| Immediately took up his position at the
Jail, surrounded by his full force of dep
| uties and bailiffs, all we'll armed and pre-
| pared to meet the mob at any moment. He
set men on guard for several blocks around
the jail to give warning of the approach
of the expected mob, and while
| these precautions were taken there
the entire day watch of the
police force into reserve. These men were
held in readiness at the police station
| armed with Winchester rifles until mid
| night, ready to go to the assistance of the
| sheriff at a moments notice. Up to mid
| night, however, the mob had not put in an
| appearance.
Several small squads of men, believed by
the sheriff to be part of the gang which
intended to storm the Jail, passed along the
street in front of the building about 10
O'Clock. They were supposed to have been
sent out to reconnoitre and upon report
ing to the mob which was scattered about
theneighborhood of Aliens house, four
miles from town, IL was decided that the
preparations to defend the prisoner were
too effective to give hope of success for
the attack, and it was abandoned at least
for the night.
Sheriff Nelms and his deputies will re-
main on duty until daylight, and a strong
guard will be maintained until the excite
ment among the people of DeKalb over
the killing has subsidized
The Greene county people are inceused
because one of FlanaganS victims, Miss
Ruth Slack, lived there and was at Deca-
tur on a visit. The Aliens have lived in
DeKalb county for years, and their neigh
borS are enraged.
Grandfather Allen, who was knocked in
the head and was supposed to be dead,
recovered consciousness this morning, and
will probably recover.
Miss Slack is not dead, but she is parai-
yzed and unconscious and the doctors say
that she cannot possibly recover.
Grandmother Allen was buried to-day.
Flanagan sent for another lawyer to-
day, w. c. Glenn, accompanying his mes
sage with a check for $500. 1t turns out
that Flanagan had considerable ready
money in bank and he had more than $500
in cash in his pockets when he was
brought into the jail.
insanity.
Flanagan was allowed to see news
paper reporters to-day by his law
yers, who denied that privilege last
night, and to them he made statement of
the horrible tragedy, which is as sensa-
tional as the wholesale slaughter he under
took last night was awful.
Flanagan, who declares that he was in
fatuated with Leila, the 12-year-old daugh-
ter of George Allen, accuses him with the
most repulsive brutality towards her. on
the other side it is charged by some of the
| neighbors that the shooting was brought
on by Flanagans criminal conduct toward
the girl. Both these accusations are indig-
| nantly denied, however, by the Allen fam
lily. and by their neighbors, who have al
ways held them in high esteem.
Flanagan says that when he discovered
| the treatment which the girl was receiv-
ing at the hands of her father he reported
his knowledge to DR.. M. A. Purse-Dr.
| Purse is well-known in Savannah-and
| that he feared that George Allen, the
father, was going t. have him arrested.
He also thought Allen was planning 10
get hold of money, some $780, which he
had on his person when arrested.
Flanagan tells a story of having gone to
Father Kennedy here and Offering TO give
him $1,000 if he would take the girl ana
place her in convent. so that her father
could not reach her any more. Father
| Kennedy replied that she should be sent
to a reformatory If she was willing.
The Allen family declare that Flanagan
was simply a drunken maniac when he
made the bloody assaunt upon them. He
had been drinking heavily for some time.
| they say, aud had been acting queery for
several days. They admit his infatca-
ton for Leila Allen, the 12-year-old daugh-
ter of George Allen, the first of the family
to be attacked, and against whom Fl1n-
agan seemed to have a special grudge. pos
| sibly on account of his real or imaginary
| III treatment of his daughter.
In addition to Judge George Hillyer,
| Flanagan to-day retained Messrs. Glenn
and Rountree to defend him The lawyers
| at first maintained that no one should be
allowed to see and talk to the prisoner,
but late this afternoon they finally gave
| their consent to have him interviewed.
on account of the closeness with which
| Flanagan was guarded last night and
kept away from newspaper men, there Is
some doubt as to the extent Of his intox-
ication. A plea of insanity, either due TO
morbid bro oding over his infatuaton for
Leila, and the actual or imaginary brutal
treatment by the father, or brought on
through too much liquor, will undoubtedly
be made 10 save the mans neck from tho
gallows His manner of talking to-day
was at times very incoherent and ram
bling, though he Is perfectly clear IN his