The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-29
Claude Swanson Allen Is Almost Happy in
 Jail
STARVING AND
 STORM BEATEN
Posse Follows Trail of Outlaws All Day-Talks Freely-May Pre- sent Medal to Clark
 Goods Daughter

Hilsvllle, Va, March 2s.-starving, sleepless and fatgued. Claude Swanson Allen, namesake of a United States sen- ator, came out of the laurel thicket in the Blue Ridge today. pointed two six shooters toward the sky and gave him. self up to the posse which for nearly two weeks has hunted him.
 Compaeent and almost happy. he sat tonight, sheltered from a driving storm, in the little brick jail stones throw from Carroll county courthouse where, on March II. the Allen gang vengefully killed the judge, the prosecutor, the sheriff, a juror and a bystander.
 Followed Edwards Trail
 All day, the posses divided into small bodies. had been following trail thought to he that of Wesley Edwards, nephew of the Aliens. Detective Lucas and four men were working toward Floyd Aliens house when D yards or off the Mount Airy road a figure, creeping stealthily through the undergrowth. was dimly seen through the mist which overhsng the mountain slope. Close behind Lucas, the other men brought thelr rifles to their shoulders when, to their surprise, Allen stepped out into the road. his hands upraised a pistol in each.
 I'm glad to get a chance 10 come in,' he said. T haven't slept in bed since the shooting I'm hungry" Mountaineer Exhausted The young mountaneer swung in be- tween the men of the posse and they started back to Hllsville- His pouched eyes and roughened face confirmed his plea of exhaustion, but his broad shoul- derered form lowered above the men who had taken him.
 ''I could have shot you' he said as he smiled and nodded toward Detective Lucas, but 1 was little excited at hav- Ing you come upon me so soon. ANYWAY didn't want 10 have to kill anybody
 Some bread and a cask of water were found hidden in a thicket, and Allen sald they were all he had been living on for several days. Detectives declared one or the revolvers in his hands was used In bthe courthouse shooting.
 Talks Freely
 The boy talked freely on the long jour- ney over soggy roads back to Hillsvtle. and when the party reached the jail tho drizzle had turned to a downpour. The l troop of horsemen picked their way into the village Though the whole country l side had learned by the wireless of the woodland country that another Allen had been taken, there was no excitement. The young fellow was put in charge or two armed deputy sheriffs. Claudes capture gives renewed hcN sr the capture of the three remaining tives-Sidna Allen, his nephew Eric nd Wesley Edwards Although Claude a'apt- ly denied any knowledge Of the | iiny place of the three, 1t is believed he Alas attempting to carry some of his ni. ef stock of food to his relatives when h taken. Young Allen probably wi lf taken tomorrow to the Roanoke where some of his kinsfok already al..
 A movement has been started a auas Virginia women to present gold to Jazebel Goad, the daughter of El4 Dexter Goad who ran to her fathers when he was under fire by the .Ntf gang and brought q freshly loaded If l for him to continue the battle. Mrs. tt- liam II. Mann wife of the governo heading the movement.
 Tells of Tragedy
 In the presence of detective toi fr young Allen described his own parf tho courthouse tragedy, admitted tha had seen Sidna Allen shoot and he himself had aimed for Clerk Co. head four times. He told a graphic si of the assassination.
 "I don't know who started the shoot- ing" said Alien. After fl began l shot four times al Clerk Goad and aimed for his head every time 1 saw Uncle Sidna shoot at somebody, but don't know who. When the shooting in the courthouse was over went outside and saw Uncle Sidna on the ground shooting at Goad so I shot at him, too My brother Victor, called to me to stop, but had shot all 5 my cartridges. Then we all went away ---=--------'e' -------