James Allen (1809-1837), also known as George Walton, Jonas Pierce, James H. York, Burley Grove, was a
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
highwayman
A highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to footp ...
in the early 19th century.
Start in crime
According to his confession, Allen made many attempts to find work in his early teens but turned to theft after multiple employers failed to pay him what he was owed.
Allen was in and out of prison from 1825-1837, eventually
imprisoned
Imprisonment is the restraint of a person's liberty, for any cause whatsoever, whether by authority of the government, or by a person acting without such authority. In the latter case it is "false imprisonment". Imprisonment does not necessari ...
in the
Massachusetts State Prison,
which opened in 1805, in
Charlestown,
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
,
.
Jabez Boyden robbery
Allen was released from the Charlestown state prison in December 1833 after a two year term for robbery. Upon his release, the warden advised him to make his "living by honest industry" instead of crime. Allen responded that he was not sure what direction his life would take following his release.
As soon as he was out, Allen purchased a pair of pistols and hid out in the woods along the
Dedham Turnpike near the
Roxbury line. Allen robbed Deacon Jabez Boyden of Dedham's Second Parish at gunpoint as he drove a wagon of goods down to Dedham.
Dedham fires
Around two o'clock in the morning on October 30, 1832, a fire broke out in the stable of
Bride's Inn in
Dedham, Massachusetts
Dedham ( ) is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 25,364 at the 2020 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest b ...
and quickly traveled to the hotel, leveling both in 90 minutes.
[ The fire killed 66 horses and one man, who was sleeping in the barn.][ It was assumed that the man, a veteran of the Revolution walking to Washington, D.C. to beg for a pension, was the cause of the fire. The veteran was buried at the local cemetery, and it took several days to cart all of the dead horses down to the marshes where their carcasses could be sunk into the mud.
Bride rebuilt the inn, naming it the Phoenix Hotel in honor of it rising from the ashes. Another fire broke out in the stables around 2:00 a.m. on January 7, 1834, just 15 months later. After the second fire, the stables were rebuilt further down Washington Street and away from the hotel.
Around the time of the second fire, 70 or 80 horses owned by another stagecoach company were poisoned in a neighboring community, growing suspicions that the repeated fires were not accidental and might perhaps be related to the stagecoach companies. The Dedham Selectmen offered a $500 reward for the capture of the arsonist, and the Citizen's Stagecoach Company offered an additional $500.
John Wade, a resident at the competing ]Norfolk House
Norfolk House, 31 St James's Square, Westminster, was built between 1748 and 1752 as his London townhouse by Edward Howard, 9th Duke of Norfolk (1686–1777) to the design of Matthew Brettingham (1699–1769), "the Elder", and was demolished ...
, got drunk one evening and mentioned that he knew something about the first fire.[ He was arrested within an hour and eventually confessed that he had been hired by the owner of the Norfolk House to light the first fire.][ Allen was later identified as the culprit in the second fire and was indicted, but he died of consumption in prison before he could be tried.
]
Aborted bank robbery
Allen returned to Boston after robbing Boyden. He committed several more thefts before meeting up with John Wade, whom he knew from prison. The two considered robbing a bank in Rhode Island but, finding it too well guarded, decided to return to Massachusetts. During this time, Wade hinted to Allen that he was responsible for burning down Bride's Tavern. He also let Allen known that he knew Allen was responsible for the Boyden robbery.
The pair rented a room at the Norfolk House
Norfolk House, 31 St James's Square, Westminster, was built between 1748 and 1752 as his London townhouse by Edward Howard, 9th Duke of Norfolk (1686–1777) to the design of Matthew Brettingham (1699–1769), "the Elder", and was demolished ...
in Dedham. When the Phoenix Hotel caught fire again, Allen suspected Wade and quickly left, heading towards communities north of Boston.
Fenno robbery
Allen attempted to rob a wagon driven by Mr. Presser and John Fenno along the Salem Turnpike
Route 107 is a north–south Massachusetts state route located along the North Shore of Massachusetts. Route 107 runs from Route 16 in Revere to Route 1A at the Essex Bridge in Salem.
Route description
Route 107 begins in Revere at an ...
. Fenno lept from the wagon onto Allen, and Allen's gun discharged. The bullet was deflected off a buckle on Fenno's suspenders. Walton escaped on his horse, but was arrested three days later on January 16.
Trials
After a three day trial, Allen was convicted of the attempted robbery of Fenno. He was sentenced to 20 years at the Charlestown state prison, plus two years at hard labor.
In May 1834, Allen was indicted for the Boyden robbery. Before he could be brought to Dedham, he escaped and ran off to Canada. In April 1835, he was arrested when he was found back in Boston.
At the trial, Allen was defended by Horace Mann
Horace Mann (May 4, 1796August 2, 1859) was an American educational reformer, slavery abolitionist and Whig politician known for his commitment to promoting public education. In 1848, after public service as Secretary of the Massachusetts Sta ...
, who tried to place a reasonable doubt
Beyond a reasonable doubt is a legal standard of proof required to validate a criminal conviction in most adversarial legal systems. It is a higher standard of proof than the balance of probabilities standard commonly used in civil cases, becau ...
in the minds of the jury by pointing out that Boyden had previously identified someone else as the man who robbed him. The strategy worked, and there was a hung jury
A hung jury, also called a deadlocked jury, is a judicial jury that cannot agree upon a verdict after extended deliberation and is unable to reach the required unanimity or supermajority. Hung jury usually results in the case being tried again.
...
.
In November, while in prison awaiting his second trial, Allen was able to break free from the chains that kept him attached to the ground, jump the jailer who was bringing him a meal, and then run full speed up a set of stairs with the jailer on his back. A second jailer stipped them and threatened to club Allen, at which point he stopped trying to run, saying: "No harm done." A subsequent inspection of his cell found seven small files, two files, one chisel, a hammer, and a knife hidden inside a hollowed out handle.
His second trial also ended in a hung jury, at which time he was returned to the Charleston prison.
Confessions and death
Allen died in the Charlestown prison of consumption.
While in Charlestown, Allen became deathly ill. He spoke openly to the warden, confessing many crimes but denying any involvement with the burning of the tavern in Dedham. The warden wrote down much of what Allen told him and published it as the '' Narrative of the Life of James Allen, alias Jonas Pierce, alias James H. York, alias Burley Grove, the Highwayman, Being His Death-bed Confession to the Warden of the Massachusetts State Prison.''
Allen said that Fenno was the only brave man he ever met. He asked that a copy of the book be bound in his own skin and given to Fenno. After his death, a large patch of skin was removed from his back and tanned. On the cover was written "''Hic Liber Waltonis Cute Compatus Est''," or "Here is the book Walton made of his own skin." The book was given to Fenno, and his family kept it for many years. When Fenno's children and grandchildren misbehaved, they were paddled with the book. Today, it is in the collections of the Boston Athenaeum
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most ...
.
References
External links
Internet Archive version of Allen's' confession
The Boston Athenaeum's transcript of the text
Works cited
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Bibliography
Allen, James. '' Narrative of the Life of James Allen, alias Jonas Pierce, alias James H. York, alias Burley Grove, the Highwayman, Being His Death-bed Confession to the Warden of the Massachusetts State Prison''. Boston: Harrington and Co., 1837.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, James
American highwaymen
American people who died in prison custody
Prisoners who died in Massachusetts detention
1809 births
1837 deaths
People from Lancaster, Massachusetts