The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1912-11-28
CLAUDE ALLEN NOW
HOPES HE WILL LIVE
RIG oND. vA-special. =

Va AA16 LOAOASs Out knal 0On ALlItLtA
I'm afraid TO die. II dSe I've got to,
III meet my death like a man and
not like a coward. And 1 will go 70
the chair with a clear conscience, too.
Who wouldn't have used his pistol like
did, / would take any chances for
pa And so would any other man
for his dad IL he's got a grain OF
sand in his craw. The thing that
hurts me. though, is thinking about
ma up there almost alone in the noun
tains, with nobody but my brother
Victor, to comfort her. Why did they
tell me that she had taken to bed
Most news. good or bad. is welcome
in this awful place. but II hurt when
l heard that ma had completely knock
ed under. II hurt. And II keeps on
hurting. Poor old LADY, poor old
LADY,"
Thus spoke Claude Allen. so-called
Carroll outlaw. TO his senior counsel.
Judge n. H.. Hairston, from the
gloomy confines of his steel cage In
the penitehS.>.s death chamber yes
terday. and the lawyer could offer him
no comfort save to say that he and his
associate, n. II. Willis. were straining
every nerve to save him from the cleo
trio chair.
Judge Hairston went on to explain
that nothing in the power OF himself
or Mr.. Willis would be left undone
between now and the time when the
, cases OF the two condemned men are
acted upon by the final arbiters of
their fate.
Claude listened eagerly and hope
fully, for the red blood OF youth stfll
courses vigorously through his veins,
despite the noissome prison atmos-
pheres he has breathed for so many
long, weary months. The instinct OF
life is strong. within him and cannot
be suppressed.
Over in the next cage white-haired
Floyd Allen. the father of the young
man. also listened. But he was list
less and nothing like so attentive.
The once sturdy mountaineer who.
shows himself weary, weary, weary
in the first indignation following the
Hillsville shooting. was called 1.-THE
gray timber wolf OF Carroll" now
from the anxiety and the turmoil
through which he has passed.
Timber wolf he may once have
been. but today he is tired old
mana man nearing his fifty-seventh
birthday, with hardly flicker OF hope
within his bosom.
1t matters little with him now what
happens. And yet his parental love
for Claude still proves his strongest
emotion. though he himself 81 hardly
enough OF a self-analyst to realize It
Doubtlers he was totally uncOn-
scious OF generosity when he drawIed
out 10 Judge Hairston IN his noun
tain patois: WAL. maybe I would
like to live just a leetle bit longer.
but IL don't make no particular Diff
Work for him and git that boy out
O. this hole, even though 1 have 10
get mine In the chair. I've been SIP
agin other tough things. and / reckon
can stand the chair. too"
Painful as was the lawyers visit TO
the penitentiary. he also felt 1t his
duty TO see the two other members
OF the Allen clan who are now in the
penitentiary--Frie Allen. son OF
Floyd's brother Jasper. and sidney
Alberta Edwards.
These two young men. who. by the
way. have delighted all the prison
officials with their exemplary con-
duct and obedience TO prison rules, DO
not wear their stripes like common
felons.
nm going to act the man even
with these clothes on" sai0 the boy
Friel. and 1 shan't let the stripes
crush me-"
Sidney Edwards shows himself
equally as resolute. ITS hard" said
he, 'but shall do my best. Yet I sure
do find myself getting mad when they
talk of conspiracy. ! wonder IL any
mother IN the court room II we
had intended to shoot up the court
That would be low. sure enough and
whatever I may have come 70. I'm not
as bad as that"
Judge Hairston and Mr., Willis are
both dealing frankly with their con-
victed clients. They promise them all
the help that their two brains can
devise. but they do not indulge in over
optimism. The lawyers at least have
been able to-assure the. prisoners that
the outside world IS largely In sympa-
thy with them. and that thousands of
people now are striving TO save them
from the chair.
Mr.. Willis. who paid another visit
to the condemned men Just after his
lunch hour this afternoon. told a rep
resentative OF this paper that. he had
been astounded at the widespread In
terest in the case.
I'VE have had 10000 people sign
petitions In their behalf and that. too.
without our solicitation SAID he
Mind you. we are not asking any
body to sign them. The signatures
procured come voluntarily Really,
believe that If Judge Hairston and /
were to take hold of this end of the
matter personally, we could get the
names of 100000 Virginia voters. The
names OF the people we have are
nearly all those of adult. shrinking
men, I don't suppose over five per
women.
1T is a striking thing. too con-
tinued Lawyer Willis. that the great
er partio them come from Southwest
NiISIlld, where Ire aliens are nIOreAO
less known. In Carroll county alone
between 5000 and 1000 persons have
asked clemercy IN behalf OF the con-
oemned nlen-~-yes practically alt Of
the really substantial citizens OF that
county.
And in other sections OF virginia the
same sentiment Is observed. On a
train recently passing through Halifex
county. a certain traveller undertook 10
test the continent in favor OF clemency
OUT or l6S persons on the cars 162 de-
clared they thcnght mercy should be
shown the condemned mem l
An. equally narkable incident oc~
citrrec 81 a voting precinct In Bedford.
county. A poll Of the sentiment there
was taken Cut OF sixtv-thrae men
who vote at the precinct ffty-tfIree
signed petitions for clemency The
other voters had gone home and there
fore could not De seen BE every man
present was Of o4r wax Of ff1fn1tfrr..
we carri ed the precinct unanino "a slt. II
We have received lefters from q
Number Of gro,ninent lawyers In this
S S1s,N 100 some M ss si,sp Z, LEI ri,
fIfF LAY hon -, ira ~. q. 25.< ~. - I.