The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1910-11-30
A THANKSGIVING GIFT
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Columbia. November 2i.--As a
/ Thanksgiving gift, Governor Ansel
! paroled Walter Allen the celebrated
young mountalneer from Greenvile
county, who while serving life SEN
! tence in the State penitentary, escap-
ed and then voluntarily returned He
/ was convicted in 1901. in Greenville
! county of murder and was sentenced
to life
Allen killed Henry Trammen. a
neighbor. Trammell. a bachelo", went
to Aliens house in Aliens abAe
and made an insulting remark to AIRS.
Allen then a young and pretty womar
/ Mrs. Allen also testified that Tram
nell attempted to catch hold of her.
/ but she broke away from him. On
her husbands return she told him
/ OF the visit OF Trammell and he went
| in search of Trammeil. a difficulty
! ensued. in which Trammell was killed
| Appeals for Pardon
On the trial of Allen in the fall OF
| 1901. Judge Townsend presided and
MIR. a. III. Dean. for Solicitor Boggs,
prosecuted the case. When he was
sent to the penitentiary Allen soon
attracted the favorable attention of
the prison authorities and was made
trusty, frequently driving the buggy
of Superintendent Griffith and having
charge of the horses at the peniten-
| tiary. In 1907, at the October meet
ing of the board OF pardons, petition
for Aliens pardon was presented, hav-
ing the endorsement of Judge Towns
end. Among those who had written
strong personal appeals to the Gov
ernor in Aliens behalf were the late
James l.. Orr and W. f. Beattie, of
! Greenville
Capt. Blacks Efforts.
The first record of Aliens effort to
get pardon are found in a letter
from Capt. W. ID. Black, then captain
OF the guard at the penttentiary, in
which he says to Solicitor julius f.
Boggs that Aliens friends would get
up numerously signed petition pro-
vided the solicitor would agree not
to endorse it unfavora3;y This letter
from Black was sent by Boggs to AL.
len with the following endorsement:
Dear Allen If you can get the en-
dorsement set forth in this letter
from your friend Black. shall be
pleased to make favorable report.
send YOU his letter. as it may give
you pleasure to know your friends
efforts This was dated July 3, 1905, |
when Allen had served three and one
half years OF a life sentence.
Capt. ID. j. Griffith, in personal |
letter to Governor Hayward, stated:
Capt. Grifith's Letter.
Walter Allen was sent here from |
Greenville county December /, 1901 |
and has proved most excellent pris-
oner. Has obeyed all rules of this in
stitution to the letter in every partic-
ular. | would respectfully add that
his morals have been good He has
never been guilty of PROFANITY or 9TH
er immoral conduct while here"
On account of the failure OF his at
torney to present certain papers to
the board at that meeting the board |
OF pardons did not act on the petition
at the October, 1907, meeting Had |
they done SO 1t is probable that par |
don would have been recommended. |
Meanwhile Allen received letter
from his young wife, stating that she /,
was Ill and that she wanted to see him |
once more before she died.
Escaped and Returned.
1t was easy enough for Allen to es-
cape. lie was a trusty. and at day
break he simply walked out of the
prison barn yard, along with Jim
Suddath. another mountaineer, who
had been sent down from Greenville
for murder. That was on October Is.
1907
\ reward was offered for Aliens
capture. but it was not necessary. In
a few days Capt. Grimth received
letter from Aliens wife, who was then
working in a cotton fill i'm Greenville
county, saying that she had heard
Walter had escaped and that when he
came to her she would send him back
to the prison. She did so.
Allen returned within a few days to
the pententiary and again donned the
stripes. OF course, he was no longer
a trusty.
Free mt Last.
Capt. Griffith and others who were