The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1912-04-04
that the remaining members OF

dhia EAAU ~ IL over" cXClaim-
Ell the young mountaineer as ne
described the part ne pIayed I'm
the shooting and his adventures
subsequently.
There wasn't any conspiracy.
had not talked with anybody.
nor were any plans made TO xiii
any OF the court Officers. This
talk about conspiracy isn't true.
OF course. all Of us Aliens. like
Other mountainecrs, tOted guns.
Il was in the courthouse on
the day they found my father.
Floyd Allen, guilty. and I knew
that daddy would make n heap
OF trouble If they ever tried TO
put him behind the bars.
''Weli, things were quiet and
the foreman OF the jury had lust
ceased talking when there was n
single shot II came from the
direction Of Sheriff Webb. Next
thing I saw Dexter GOad. clerk
OF the court. draw his pistol and
hrc at daddy. They both drew
their guns mighty quick after
that first shot.
For Father.
AS soon as the bullets began
10 tiy L drew my own pistol.
shot at GOad, for / wasn't going
10 stand there and allow any one
10 shoot my father to death with
out firing shot i'm his behalf.
In about a minute il seems
that there was about twenty
guns, all going full tilt, and the
room was getting so thick with
gunpOwder smoke that You could
hardly breathe. couldn't SEQ
through the thick haze and 1
couldn't see who all were firing.
If L killed any one i didn't know
IL, Tor the smoke was that thick.
"As soon as the shooting was
over 1 pulled out of town mighty
quickly. i was accompanied by
Sidna Edwards, Eriel Allen and
Uncle Sidna Allen.
I'VE all thought the Blue Ridge
Mountains were about the health
lest place for us.
THE other three stopped at a
little house out I'm the mountains,
while / rode on to my own home.
We were all mounted on horse
back,
1.-The first thing that did was
TO get an old woman to take care
of my mother. for i knew that
we might have to be absent for
a long time. Then I got a man
TO take charge of my mail route.
'That night I camped out i'm
the woods and I'm the morning
went to an old SchOOIhouse,
where 1 built a fire and spent the
day. i took of my shoes and
LACED about the schOoIhOuSe, and
IL was mighty cheerful after
night in the woods, for the wea-
Their was chilly and there had
been heavy rain.
The following night I burrOlv-
cd deeper into the woods, trying
to leave no trail behind, for
knew that the mountains would
soon be full of manhunters. On
Sunday 1 met Sidna Edwards. He
told me that he had seen a large
armed posse, but that he had
lodged IL.
I'VE stayed together until the
following Friday, when Edwards
was caught. 1 was right close to
the posse that time, but they
didn't see me.
I'VE did pretty well in the way
of food, and didn't miss a meal
the entire time we were being
hunted.
but I reckon I'm not agoing
TO tell who supplied us. don't
want TO get anybody else in
trouble.
Lucas Got the Drop.
81 never had any intention of
fleeing the country, and it is a
fact that I was out there in the
woods sitting on a log thinking
To myself that IL would be best
TO surrender, when along comes
that officer, Mr.. Lucas. He had
a gun in his hands and he got the
drop on me, but that didn't make
any difference, for i didn't intend
to do any shooting, anyhow, un-
less the other fellows started to
shoot first.
'I reckon let him get the
drop on me, for i saw him COM
ing through the brush and could
have killed him easily.
Il expect TO be punished, and
j am glad that the thing Is over.
for IL is no fun being hunted.
expect 10 go to the penitentiary;
chair. L don't think i killed any
one, and if 1 did, IL was by acct
dent. i was only trying 10 save
daddy.
Il don't know anything about
my relatives, for Sidna Edwards
Is the only one ! have seen since
we parted after the shooting. I
got considerable Information
from one source and another. and
i knew that there was "A reward
ont for us.
Il knew who was caught and
who were loose"
Allen refused TO say who gave
him his Information. He laughed
as he told his story and did not
seem TO he worried.
He will probably be taken to
the Roanoke jail, under a heavy
guard tomorrow. The young
prisoner is a giant i'm size, stand
ing six feet and weighing over 200
pounds. He was rural delivery
mail carrier.