The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-11-09
PEOPLES FORUM
The Aliens.

Rev. George w. Mcdaniel has sent to the
Richmond Virginian, with the request that II
be published, paper containing expressions
of opinion from people in different sections
of the State on the Allen case The position
of the Nirginian is we'll known to its readers,
but DIR. McDaniel's request is complied with
as 1t is the custom of this paper to publish
In its Peoples Forum" column bona fde
communications. The paper, under the head
ing What People Over the State Say About
the Aliens" is as follows
A Virginia woman expresses herself: Il had
the pleasure of spending the summer in
Wytheyille during the Aliens trial. and / at
nnded the trial with other ladies very often
and heard a great deal of the evidence. To
my mind, there was no evidence introduced
ION which jury could convict either Floyd or
Claude Allen. But there was evidence intro
duced that would have convicted Dexter Goad
If he had been on trial. He the man that
caused all the trouble in the court room In
Hillsville. 1t was in the evidence that Dexter
TGoad ordered from hardware store in Pn-
laski, Va, an automatic pistol and hundred
and fifty cartridges shortly before the tragedy.
1 had the pleasure OF meeting Mrs. Floyd
Allen and talked with her and also others
from Carroll county and learned that the Aliens
are some of the best citizens there"
merchant declares: The Aliens did
wrong but look at the other side: The clerk
looking for trouble and with sx-shooter in
to help him out. She was brave to help her
father, and young Allen. He would
have been coward not to have done so. Life
Imprisonment for the old man and fifteen years
for the son will be ample punishment I hope
that believe in good law, and the people
that don't abide by and help carry out law
are not doing their part"
prosperous farmer says: The Aliens
were railroaded to the electric chair and were
never given the slightest showing The large
reward for their capture made them victims
OF all kinds of conspiracy"
A leading business man in his community
says: II have never thought there was a con-
spiracy or that 1t was proven Claude Allen
did what any worthy son would have done
heard an ex-sheriff say that he had heard
many say that the Aliens never had a fair
trial"
A consecrated country preacher writes: II
have read the newspaper accounts of every
great trial for murder in this State for the
past ffteeas years, and my sympathy for the
accused has been scant. The penalty In each
case seemed to me just one, and in some
cases thought that justice had been cheated
When the Allen Nouble occurred thought that
such gang deserved the worst that Virginia
could do to them. AS time passed on, anu
much against my inclination. the tide began to
turn--ugly facts began to show up, here and
there, Reading between the lines suggested
others Implicated that 1t did not SUIT the
State of Virginia to arrest and try, and these
others many shades blacker than the moral
makeup OF those accused For months my
opinion has been that Dexter Goad is mean
man and the provoking cause of all this AFFAIR
One conclusiop--no, two conclusions feet
compelled TO draw One Is. that a prisone.
CEN do no Illegal act without judicial ven
geance. but an Officer of court scan be guilty
OF an unlawful act. viz: carrying a concealed
reannn hut sacanss any penalty II ii snits ths