The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1912-11-07
PLEADS FOR FUNDS
TO GET new TRIAL
RICH MOND, YA.-SpeciaI.-

"a " III -uOND: NAs-SpeCldls-
From Mrs Frances Allen, wife
of the HiiIsvilIe gunman, Floyd
Allen, who, with his son, Claude
Allen, was received at the State
penitentiary this morning to
await death i'm the electric chair,
comes pathetic appeal for funds
with which TO aid her loved ones
in their fight to escape execution
at the hands OF the law.
Time WAS. when every member
OF the Allen gang would have
spurned such "a thing as asking
charity, for prior TO the dreadful
courthouse affair OF March 18th
they represented the ''moneyed"
people of Carroll county.
But things have changed since
outraged justice avenged the kill
ing OF her court officials. The Al
lens now are practically bank
rupt, or so involved by the civil
suits following the tragedy that
they are almost penniIeSs. Added
10 this Is the fact that their fighS
I'm the WytheyiIIe Circuit Court
cost them practically all they had.
At first it looked as III Floyd
would have means enough TO pay
for his defense, and hence offers
OF assistance were declined. 1t
now develops, however, that
hoth-hS hdS DCSh tSlI from the
Wreckage.
And so, if the cases of the mis-
guided father and son 90 TO the
Supreme COURT. they will have to
raise funds with which To- meet
costs.
While it is true that the pris-
oners may appeal ''in forma pau
peris" and thereby save many OF
the fees which otherwise they
would have TO pay, even this ex-
pcdient Will not meet the situa-
ton fully.
Mrs. Allen, the wife of the clans
mems leader and the mother of tn,
boy, Claude. now in tn,
penitentiary death cell, has been ;
silent sufferer through all the wear,
months following the shooting. Al
though she attended court every da,
while her loved ones were on trial
she never made a parade Of her sor
rows or sought TO thrust herself be
fore the public eye. She bore he
Her present appeal, therefore, show
that she is in desperate straits. Her
is what she says in her cry for help
Cana, Va, Oct. %, 1912.
ITO the Public:
THE members of my family an
our attorneys have received many let
ters from persons Offering to star
rying on the defense of my husband
Floyd Allen, and my son, Claude AL
len.
we have refused these offers, a
we wanted to pay the expenses O
these trials ourselves as long as W
had anything to pay with. My hus
band and my two sons have gon
through long and costly trials all sum
mer that have taken all that we coul
raise on our homes And during las
summer our barn was burned, with
out insurance, while I was at Claude
trial in Wytheville. and with it al
most all the feed and farm machiner
on the place. SO that have nothin
to pay any further with now.
MY husband and my boy are un
der death sentence. and the appeal
which our lawyers are preparing ar
expensive, and we need money now
because we have only a little over
month. If the people who have mad
these kind offers still want to hel
us. anything they collect and will sen
to me at Mount Airy, n. c., will b
used in the defense of my husban
and son.
II thank the many people who hav
written to me and told me of thei
sympathy and for their offers of helI
MRS. FRANCES ALIEN