The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-03-29
Claude Swanson Allen
Found in Thicket on
Mountainside.
HUNGRY ANDTIRE
GLAD TO GIVE UP
With Each of His Pistols Points
ed to Sky, He Surreaders to
Posse--Tells of Courthouse
Tragedy, and How He
Aimed to Hit Every
Time He Shot.
ny ALEXANDER FORWARD.

~
fiiilsviIle. Va, March .S.--ThrouEn,
the pnnthcriike stealth of thc mouutaIn
detective, Claude Swanson Alien, tyvcn-
ty-tno ycnrs old, son ut Floyd Allen!
to-day came into the hnnds Of the law
against which just Al fortnight nEo hei
and his kinsfolk spoke bold dcfnncaS
wi u the builct.
To-niGht, this young mouutatncer,
was locked up In the HiIIsviiie iHii, hiss
hair matted and nkemut. hIn eyes sag
Eing In their lids from loss Of slecpvl
HIS ru,Idy Textures oycrpro,,p with the
thick heard that weeks In the wilder;
pcsn Will bring, and his general Rp-t
rcarnnce of fatigue npd exhaustion re-
rcnlipE meek md submIsntyc hoy. lie;
seemed handy INC fierce uutIn,r OF
sturdy frnmc and sinn, like xtnturesi
who participated In horrible trnEcdy.i
Though his capture Was Unexpected,
sudden and surprising in that it was
accomplished without resistance. III
was not the seeming volition of ClauG-
Allen to give himself up. but the adroitl
strategy of the detectives, led byi
Thomas l. t'elts. which Accomplished
his downfall.
Aimed to Hit Every Time.
The same Ignorance OF the meaning
of the law seemed to cnaracterizc tho
young mounta!neer tonight as ha
careiessly. In fact. amost reckleasy.
explained his part in the shooting, how
he aimed to hit every time how he was.
prevented only by lack II ammunition
from firing more. and how the others
In the party shot also.
discriminating statements they. were.
but to the tired youth whose mind
seemed actually relieved by his cap
ture. they forehoded no iii.
His arrest was neither spectacular
nor dramatic. 1t was a mild surrender
on the part OF man who had be>Ss
sNt,1. 49, 49,, ~
kind, Injured to mountain hardships and
versed in the ways ami habits of thu
mountnincer outlaws.
Forth went tho posse carly today
for a final sortic. confident and hopeful.
The Times Dispatch correspondent
alone Of tho newspaper posse camped
at Hillsville accompanied the detcc-
tives. Plans had been laid last night
by Detective Thomas L. Felts TO ba
put into execution AT daybreal1. All
morning the detectives searched tina
woodland until by series of cautious
approaches. they came to that portion
of the thicket where there was reason
to believe the outlaws were operating.
The channels through which the fugi-S
tives had been fed had been closely
watched. In front OF the posse rode
III. Fl. lucas,
Concealed in the thicket, Lucas spieG
the indistinct lines of man crouchinS
the approach OF any one until the de-
tectives were almost upon him. Ifa
drew himself up quickly and paused
Throw up your hands" cried Lucas.
Both arms were uplifted in surprisingi
obedience. Each hand pointed IA six
shooter at the sky.
Laying the weapons before his caps
tors. the young man stepped forth. lb
was Claude Swanson Allen--hc who allI
had thought gone.
Glad to Surrender.
I'm glad OF chance to como in,",
sa id Claude. Tn tired and hungry. |!
haven't been III bed since the shoot:
ing
"Al right. come on" invited Lucas
and Claude emerged from the laurel
thicket a prisoner. Both revolvers were !,
loaded. Near him was pail of water
and some crusts of bread.
Lucas paused a moment Lntil the.
remainder OF the posse came UP from
behind. Detective Thomas l.. Fclts.
who was riding with Tho Times Dis |
patch correspondent. had been delayed
by the appearance of drunken mani
who was shooting wildly from horse
back. Felts stopped to take him into
custody. He said his name was Thomas
and that he came from Patrick county.
In the posse which captured Claude
Allen were L. c. Payne, j. a. Mahood,
N. Ii.
Patton Detective Thomas J.. Felts and
Tho Times Dispatch correspondent
no one Is moro surprised than l..
commented Mr. Fclts after learning
the prisoners identity. He had be-
lieved Claude Allen somewhere in
North or south Carolina. The spot
where tho arrest was made really was
in the State of North Carolina, about
$50 yards from the Virginia line, not
far distant from Mt. Airy. and about
two miles from Floyd Aliens home.
Il could have snot you" remarked
Claude to Lucas when tho party start
cd hick to Hiilsvile. but 1 was a.
little excited and did not want TO harm
nobody"
Tells OF Courthouse Tragedy.
Both revolvcrs were loaded. bur
Allen had no chance to shoot. lIeh
would have been riddlcd with bullets
At the first hostile move.
The prisoner arrived in IIlllsviile-
about $50 o'clock tonight In a pour
ing rain after an eighteen-mllc ride.
AN hour later Detective Felts and Tho
Times Dispat ch correspondent returned 81
TO the jail where Claude had been
lodged. The youthful prisoner answers
ed every Observation-Disclosures truthfully
or otherwise. In substance he gave Il
this account OF the courthouse traEedy,
and MS part In It: ,.s
II had expected my father to be ac. I;
quilted, The lawyer had said he would
be. was standing outside the bar in
the courtroom when my father called 81
me. He wanted mo TO get Mr.. Harlow
10 give evidence for new trial pas
stand up and heard him say something.
l do mt knou Who frn1 tha H,xt o,x,.. l.stl