A Grave error was made by those who were responsible for the first hanging in Indiana
County, which was the execution of James G. Allison for the murder of his father, Robert
Allison.
A few years before his murder, Robert Allison was having difficulty with his family. He
went to live with his brother, Alexander, and a sister who owned and resided on a large
tract of land in Washington Township about 12 miles north of Indiana. Robert's home was
about a quarter of a mile from Alexander's home.
In April, 1880, Robert made an effort to move back with his family but was refused and
chased away by his son, James. A criminal prosecution was instituted by Robert against
James, and at the June court session a true bill was found against James for assault and
battery. The pair finally agreed to a peaceful settlement. They left for home with the
understanding that, after the court, the dispute between them should be submitted to
amiable arbitration.
On Friday at dusk, following their return from court, James Allison asked a neighbor boy
to tell his father (meaning Robert Allison) that Alonzo Allison (son of Robert) wanted to
see him at the road at dark. The boy delivered the message and returned home.
Robert went to the road immediately. A few minutes later John W. Allison (another son of
Robert) heard shots. He ran to the road and saw James fleeing and Robert lying on the
ground. Robert said James shot him.
The following evidence was found against James: Leon Smeltzer, a neighbor, heard shots and
a voice which he took to be James cursing the person to whom he was talking. John also
heard shots and heard Robert calling out that James was shooting him. Alonzo Allison,
early in June, overheard James threatening to shoot his father if he met him at court.
Robert Allison in his dying declaration said James had shot him; that after he had fallen
he arose up and James shot him again. The ball which produced death entered the back,
passed through the lung and came out at the nipple. Robert died on Monday morning.
James Allison offered no resistance to his arrest by Constable Kelly the following day. He
was working in the cornfield at the time with the murder weapon on his person. He was
taken to the Indiana County Jail.
Robert Allison died the following Monday, June 21, 1880, at 5:00 A.M., leaving his will
which reads as follows:
THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF ROBERT ALLISON OF THE TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON IN
THE COUNTY OF INDIANA AND THE STATE OF PENNNSYLVANIA; I ROBERT ALLISON BEING BADLY WOUNDED
BY PISTOL SHOT WOUNDS CONSIDERING THE UNCERTAINTY OF THIS MORTAL LIFE AND THE CERTAINTY OF
DEATH AND BEING OF SOUND MIND AND MEMORY DO MAKE AND PUBLISH THIS MY LAST WILL AND
TESTAMENT IN MANNER AND FORM FOLLOWING THAT IS TO SAY I WILL THAT ALL MY JUST DEBTS AS
SHALL BE BY ME OWING AT MY DEATH TOGETHER WITH MY FUNERAL EXPENSES AND ALL CHARGES
TOUGHING THE PROVING OF OR OTHERWISE CONCERNING THIS MY WILL SHALL IN THE FIRST PLACE OUT
OF MY PERSONAL ESTATE AND EFFECTS BE FULLY PAID AND SATISFIED AND FROM AND AFTER PAYMENT
THEREOF AND SUBJECT THEREUNTO THEN MY WILL IS THAT ALL THE RESIDUE OF MY GOODS, STOCK,
CHATTELS AND HOUSEHOLD FURNITURE SHALL BE INDIFFERENTLY APPRAISED AND AFTER SUCH
APPRAISEMENT, SHALL BE MADE THAT THE SAME SHALL BE DIVIDED EQUALLY BETWEEN MY TWO SONS.
A.W. ALLISON AND JOHN ALLISON AND ELIZABETH, MY DAUGHTER SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE; I FURTHER
GIVE AND BEQUEATH UNTO MY SON JOHN ALLISON ONE HUNDRED ACRES OF LAND SITUATE IN WASHINGTON
TOWNSHIP AND COUNTY AFORESAID TO HIM HIS HEIRS AND ASSIGNS FOREVER (KNOWN AS THE WOOD LOT)
BY PAYING TO MY WIFE, MARY ALLISON, ONE DOLLAR; ALSO I BEQUEATH TO MR DAUGHTER LIZZIE
ALLISON SEVENTY-NINE ACRES OF LAND SITUATE IN THE SAID TOWNSHIP AND COUNTY THE SAID PIECE
OF LAND ON WHICH ALEXANDER YOUNG LIVES ON TO HER HEIRS AND ASSIGNS FOREVER BY PAYING TO MY
DAUGHTER ISABEL ALLISON, ONE DOLLAR; ALSO I BEQUEATH TO MY SON, A.W. ALLISON HIM HIS HEIRS
AND ASSIGNS FOREVER ONE HUNDRED ACRES. THE PART I NOW LIVE ON FOR WHICH MY SON, A.W.
ALLISON, SHALL STAND IN NEED OF DURING HER NATURAL LIFE OR SO LONG AS SHE REMAINS MY
WIDOW; I HEREBY APPOINT AND ORDAIN L. R. LUCKART, EXECUTOR OF THIS MY LAST WILL AND
TESTAMENT AND I HEREBY REVOKE ALL MY FORMER WILLS BY ME MADE WITNESS MY HAND AND SEAL THIS
19TH DAY OF JUNE A D 1880.
| HIS | ||
| ROBERT | X | ALLISON |
| MARK |
SIGMA SEALED PUBLISHED AND DECLARED BY THE ABOVE NAMED ROBERT ALLISON TO BE HIS LAST WILL
AND TESTAMENT IN THE PRESENCE OF US WHO AT HIS REQUEST AND IN HIS PRESENCE HAVE SUBSCRIBED
OUR NAMES AS WITNESSES THEREUNTO.
WM. SHIELDS
W. E. BOWSER
At the September (1880) court session a true bill was found against James G. Allison for
the murder of his father. The case was continued each term until March, 1881, when is was
tried. The trial began on Tuesday, Mar. 15. The Jury was as follows; John K. Meyers, James
A. Black, W. S. Lingenbigler, Alfred Lovelace, William J. Elwood, James Neely, James M.
Creps, William Wachob, Joseph Atkinson, William McConnell, Isaac Warner, Valentine T.
Kerr. The counsel for the Commonwealth were District Attorney Watson, White and Thompson.
For the prisoner, Clark Sloan, and Ruffner, Judge Blair presiding. The testimony closed on
Saturday, March 19. The case was argued Monday and the jury sent out Monday evening. The
jury, remaining out overnight, returned with the verdict of guilty of murder. A motion was
made for a new trial and arrest of judgment.
On May 20, 1881, the motions were argued, overruled and the prisoner sentenced to hang. A
writ of error was taken to the October term of the Supreme Court; the case was argued. On
November 14, the opinion of the case of the Commonwealth versus James G. Allison was
delivered. The judgment was affirmed.
A record of the case was went to Governor Hoyt who ordered the execution to take place
February 17, 1882. An application was made to the Board of Pardons sitting in Harrisburg
on January 15, 1882, for a commutation of the sentence to imprisonment for life, but was
refused.
James Allison manifested a solid indifference to his fate throughout his entire
imprisonment. Between the time of the reception of the warrant for his execution and the
day set for carrying out, James was visited by all ministers of Indiana. They attempted to
impress upon him the magnitude of his crime and the necessity for speed and sincere
repentence in view of his approaching end. He was heard pacing repentence in view of his
approaching end. James was unmoved by these entreaties. He declined to enter into any free
and satisfactory conversation on the subject.
The Reverand Father Allman of Indiana visited James one weekday and the Sunday before his
execution. The priest seemed to make some impression on him, for after his second visit
James told Sheriff Jamison that he liked the way the priest talked to him. However, James
would not consent to have the priest or any other clergy attend him on the day of
execution.
On Wednesday night, February 3, James was left alone in his cell. He was heard pacing the
floor stirring the fire frequently. He slept only a short time. On Thursday morning the
building of the scaffold for the hanging was begun. Most of the day was spent completing
it.
The scaffold was composed of pine, 16 feet in height; cross beams 6 x 7 feet; platform 8
feet square, 6 feet from the ground, made of 2 inch boards, morticed and bolted. The trap
was 3 feet square, framed in the center of the platform, and was even with it. The
platform, 7 feet wide, was reached by a flight of steps. The rope was made of flax 5/8
inch in diameter, and twenty six feet long.
On Thursday evening Sheriff Jamison requested James to put on a new suit of clothes which
he had gotten for him. James refused to accept the suit even though his clothes were dirty
and ragged. James ate a hearty supper on Thursday evening and did not seem excited about
the expected events of the following day. (Incidentally, there was no explanation for the
change of the date of the execution). H. S. (Barney) Thompson and John Sherman stayed with
James until he was called to the scaffold. He sat and talked freely with his guards until
midnight. James made no reference to the execution during the conversation. From midnight
he slept until 2:30 A.M. He remained awake until 4:00 A.M. then slept again until 6:00
A.M. At eight A.M. he again ate heartily at breakfast.
Later that morning his mother, brother Alonzo and a sister came to see James. He turned
away when they entered his cell and refused to talk with them. He asked Sheriff Jamison to
take them away remarking that they were no friends of his.
Those selected by the Sheriff as witnesses to the execution were: George R. Lewis, C.C.
Davis, Dr. J.K.Thompson, James Johnston, G.W. Bodenhaner, G.T. Hamilton, William
McWilliam, J.A.C. Rairigh, William Mabon, Dr. W.L. Reed, J. B. Sanson, Johnston Miller.
Quite a crowd ( mostly countians) gathered in front of the jail by ten A.M. Shortly after
ten, the front door of the jail was opened and those having tickets were admitted. At four
minutes before eleven A.M. the sheriff and his assistants went for Allison. James said he
would no go. The sheriff said he would have to go and ordered two assistants, H.C. Howard
and John W. Brooks, to take James to the scaffold.
The sheriff and Henry Hall walked in front, the others following, marching slowly out into
the yard and up to the scaffold. Allison was greatly agitated and trembled visible. After
a brief period the sheriff asked him if he had any thing to say why the sentence should
not be executed. James answered that he was not guilty; that they had brought him there to
kill him.
The deputies then stepped forward and pinioed his legs and arms, and the rope was adjusted
around his neck, the black cap was drawn down, completely hiding his face. He was at this
time standing on the drop. The trap was then sprung and the drop fell. His neck was broken
by the fall. He twitched his legs and drew up his shoulders, and all was over. Dr. Frank
Ehrenfeld examined the body. His heart ceased to beat in 6 minutes, and pulse in 16. The
body was then taken down, a shroud put on it, and then placed in the coffin. The crowd in
front of the jail, which had been there since 9 o'clock, was given a chance to view the
corpse which they did by passing through the hall and out at the side entrance.
The crowd had increased somewhat by noon but order was good. There was no drunkeness or
rowdyism. Thus passed a day that will never be forgotten in the history of Indiana County.
Some years later (the exact date has not been found) Mary Allison, widow of Robert
Allison, became quite ill. As she lay in her bed approaching death she confessed that she
had dressed in James' clothing and shot her husband.
The FAMILY:
Robert Allison
Mary Allison (wife)
John Allison (son)
Alonzo W. Allison (son)
James G. Allison (son)
Elizabeth (Lizzie)
Allison (daughter)
Isabel Allison (daughter)
Alexander and John (brothers)