The Washington times., 1912-03-17

Arriving there he carried his woprided,
but unH'n.ltog, father into tho front
room Of the hotel. Then they barrl-
caded the doors. Within ton minutes
the word had gone from mouth to
mouth that a patt OF the Allen tang
lawlessness. BY this tirae the dctec-
uves we're arriving, and vigilance
committee OF citizens Joined them AMI
surrounded the hotel. Others with
rifles across their laps sat In the rooms
OF the houses across the street watch
ing every door Of the hostclry.
The grim watch continued until the
officers of the law finally swcoped down
upon the room and took the Aliens to
jail. As they spread a mattress In the
corridor of the antiqunted Jail house, a
baldwin detective heard voice behind
him say: ID,
There, he's done IT,
Old Floyd Allen, behind the bars for
the first time in his eventful life. had
attempted self-destruction. A self-ln-
rIcted cash across tho throat made the
fourth wound N his body
Sidnn Allen, too. had received n wound
during the lead and hail II, the court
house. lie, however, had been merely
shot through the arm, and what mat
had been forced, through loss of blood
and weakness, to turn back, sydney
kcrt on to his home. set in the shadows
of the Blue Ridge.
An Allen Must Not Finch.
These things are merely illustrative OF
the ends TO which men of the mountains
will go. If an Allen had hinched in the
face of pain he would have no longer
been recognized as an Allen.
Some years ago old Floyd Allen had a
pistol duel with his brother, Jack. Floyd
was shot flve times. When he had re-
covered, the two men met in the court
house yard, shook hands. and forgot
their trivial MISUNDERSTANDING. The
Aliens are people who will fight among
themselves, but who would brook nc
outside interference. nor would the
family feudists fail TO stand shoulder to
shoulder " one Of the rival gang raised
his arm against an Allen.
II was difficult. In these troublous
times at HilsXille.. to trace the gene
ers, the villagers will tell ono that the
| fighting band which has terroriZed car.
'ol county descended from old Jerry
Allen. A veteran who served with Jerry
through the civil war reCites that he
was always ready with his fists. but
that lie showed no bloodthirty tendencies
such as have cropped out in his descend
| ants. He left seven sons and twc
daughters, and this is the stock that Is
feared today throughout tho length ant
width Of Carol county. Virginia:
The setting of Virginis's tragedl
isolated spot than Hillsville 1t is &
| little town thirteen miles from any rail
| road. 1t has one telephone line tina
connects 1t with the world outside Th'
| court house sits in a square, and II
| front of this now ,nisnamed Temple o
Justice stands a monument to the Con
| federate dead. Except for the hills o
the Blue Ridge, which rise on ever!
/ side, this monument is the most impos
ing bit of scenery of which these hill
| boast.
Typical of Country.
| The court house Is a typical countr.
affair, built OF red brick, dingy, will
an old-fashioned porch upon which tn
| sheriff stands and calls the witnessc
and litigants when the business of tn
court Is ready for their presence. Sur
| rounding this ancient court house Is
| clump OF trees and a gnaWed rack.
is to these that the mountaineers hitcl
their horses when they come in from tn
mountainsides.
There was nothing unusual about tn
manner in which the Aliens came {
town on the day that old Floyd was t
stand trial. There had been loose gos
slip, which had reached the ears @
the Judge and prosecuting attorney, tina
trouble would result If the jury foun
Floyd Allen guilty of the comparative
ly minor crime with which he stoo
charged.
No one of the 800 Inhabitants of tn
little town, however, expected that be
fore the sun fell the court house woul
have been turned into shamble, ar
that the telltale marks of 100 bullet
would have been buried In its plaste
walls Every one was aware of Cours,
Of the Allen creed that the law must nc
interfere with the reign of the ban
over the mountain country, but nc
old Flovd Allen and his gang woul
wipe out the entire machinery of til