Skeletons In The Closet

[Janice]

Did you ever find out something about a relative, maybe from the past, who had a shocking life story? Something that shocked you when you heard it?

Me, my grandmother was a wonderful woman, but lived in hard times alone raising her children. When she died, we learned that besides my aunt having a different father from the other siblings, there was also a brother she gave up for adoption. The family did not know about him until after my grandmother died and they went thru her papers.

[beachbum_al]

Yes, and I am ashame to even talk about it. It is not something I believe in and don't want a part of. Just think about the fact I am from South Alabama and the Civil Rights Movement.

[george_r_1961]

I know my dads parents did what they needed to do to put food on the table during the Great Depression. Dont really know any specifics but my grandfather was a very "creative" man.

[conestogo_flood]

Hmm, can't think of much. My Grandfather Chambers' father supplied the United States with alcohol during the alcohol ban thing back in the day. They lived in Courtright, Ontario on the St. Clair River, and they had some tunnel thing that went under the river, I really don't know how it worked, but they only did it at night.

[JenBayles]

I had a great uncle that was a paroid schizophrenic. Grandpa used to say even as kids something was just 'off' about Alfie. When WWI rolled around, Alfie joined the Navy and got stuck shoveling coal belowdecks for over a year. That pretty much put him over the edge. He never hurt anyone, but fully believed that the CIA or "government agents" were tailing his every move and he was petrified with fear. My grandparents had to commit him to a nursing home back in the early 1940's. I wouldn't say Alfie's story was completely blacked out from the family history, but it was something nobody felt comfortable discussing until about the early 80's when he died. Poor man.

[Cookiely]

A FEW OF MY ILLUSTRIOUS ANCESTORS
SIMON ALLEN ( my gggrandfather) was born 26 February 1836 and died 12 September 1909. He was born in Robeson Co. and resided there as a farmer when he enlisted Mar 22,1862 at the age of 26 as a private in the Confederate army. He was a member of Company H. 36th Regt.,N.C. Troops (2nd Regt., N.C. Artillery) Confederate States of America. He was present or accounted for through August 1864. On 26, January 1858, Simon, his father Alfred and thirteen other men raided a runaway slave camp in the Big Swamp. The runaways, having been warned ahead of time and numbering about eight, lay in ambush. They were heavily armed and a gun battle ensued. The runaways were routed, and two slaves were killed. This same band had killed David Lewis about eighteen months earlier.

George F. Allen was murdered by his nephew by marriage, Palmer Meares. Meares was the son-in-law of Mary E. Kinlaw Allen.. He shot Allen after accusing him of reporting Meares to the sheriff who had raided Meares property, and destroyed a liquor still and 3,300 pounds of sugar. Meares was executed in the Raleigh Central Prison gas chamber on 19 February 1943.

Robesonian May 25,1942
DEPUTIES ARREST PALMER MEARES IN BIG SWAMP
Eight Robeson county officers Friday afternoon arrested Palma Meares, Wishart township man, accused of the Wednesday morning shooting of George Allen, a neighbor. Meares had evaded officers since the shooting. According to the Deputy Sheriff Norman Barnes, Meares was taken in eastern Robeson "about as far into the Big Swamp as he could get". He offered no resistance. Reports however, have it that Meares, upon surrendering, said he would have to be carried out and stuck to his statement. Officers reportedly carried him part of the way bodily. Participating in the arrest were County officers, Pete Chason, Sprunt Floyd, Carl Pittman, Norman Barnes, W.L. Price, W.L. Prevatte, Ralph Purcell and Jimmy Kinlaw.
Meares apparently had been in the vast swamp near the Elizabethtown Road since shortly after the shooting, which came as aftermath to a police raid which uncovered a liquor still and 3,300 pounds of sugar on Meares property. Meares reportedly accused Allen of "turning me in" and attacked him at his breakfast table with a shotgun. Allen fled to a nearby barn, and there Meares allegedly shot him several times in the body. An attache at the Thompson Memorial Hospital, where Allen was carried, said today that the patient was doing as well as could be expected. He suffered injuries to the shoulder, arm, back, and thigh.

Robesonian May 26, 1942
GEORGE ALLEN DIES OF GUNSHOT WOUND HERE THIS MORNING
George Allen of Wishart Township died here today, victim of the shotgun of a liquor still operator who said Allen reported his still to police. Palmer Meares, the man who police say did the shooting, was in jail here today with no fixed bond. He was arrested Friday, two days following the shooting, a fugitive in the heart of the Big Swamp.
Allen died at 3:20 a.m. this morning, after pneumonia set in as aftermath to an infected lung, caused by one of the gunshot wounds on the body. Ironically, Allen's wife also lies ill of pneumonia at the hospital where he husband died. Funeral rites for the Wisharts farmer, 63 will be held tomorrow afternoon at 3'oclock from Singletary church near his home, and burial will follow in he church cemetery. The officiating minister has not been named.
Allen sustained the fatal gunshot wounds last Wednesday morning after Meares reportedly chased him from his breakfast table and shot him several times when he fled to a nearby barn. Mrs. Allen, Coroner D.W. Biggs said today. At noon Mrs. Allen was said to be resting fairly well and had been notified of the death of her husband.
Surviving Allen are his wife, Mrs. Flora Allen and the following children Jack and Howard of Lumberton R-5, Mrs. John White of Asheboro and Mrs Dave Hannon of Newport. He also leaves two sisters, Mrs. Winnie Smith of East Lumberton and Mrs. John White of Stedman, one brother, Jim Allen of Lumberton R-5.
Robesonion-Friday, February 19, 1943
PALMER MEARES IS EXECUTED IN CENTRAL PRISON
Wisharts Man Enters Chamber at 10:01, Dead 11 Minutes Later. Raleigh, Feb 19(AP) Thirty five year old Palmer Meares of Robeson Co. paid with his life in the gas chamber at Central Prison today for the shotgun slaying of his Uncle, George Allen, last May.
The slayer walked into the death room at 10:01 o'clock this morning, waved a cherry greeting at Sheriff E.C. Wade of Lumberton, who was in the witness chamber, and then smiled at the sheriff while the brown leather mask was being adjusted over his face. He was pronounced dead in eleven minutes after the gas entered the chamber, and Warden Ralph McLean said he believed this was the shortest time on record at the prison, where 88 other prisons have been asphyxiated since gas was substituted for the electric chair in 1936.
ADMITS KILLING Before the execution, Meares admitted to Chaplain L.A. Watts that he had killed Allen in an argument over a quantity of sugar confiscated by Robeson Officers near a liquor still. Meares accused Allen of having informed the officers where the still and sugar were located.
The condemned man sat up until 8'oclock this morning writing letters to relatives and the Chaplains said Meares requested his mother to forgive everyone who had insisted upon his execution for the murder. Meares wife, his mother and his brother visited him yesterday afternoon. Attending the execution from Robeson county were Sheriff E.C.Wade, F.E. Brisson, deputy and jailor, W.N. Barnes, rural policeman, Henry Lamb, Lumberton policeman, Ben Wooten, and James Stephens, Fr. Lumberton undertaker who claimed the body for the family. (Source: Ken Davis, Wilmington, NC)

Robesonian Newspaper-Thursday, February 26,1942 HOWELLSVILLE MAN, MISSING FOR DAYS, FOUND DEAD TODAY , a searching party this morning located the body of Alfred Simon Allen, 71 year old Howellsville farmer missing since Sunday, in a field 300 yds. from his home. There was no indication of death by violence. The body was discovered by Ishmael Barnes, a member of the party of 50 which had searched intermittently for the aged recluse since he disappeared late Sunday afternoon. Allen lived by himself on the R.A.Hedgepeth farm near the old Tom Allen place about ten miles from Lumberton. His death was attributed to a heart attack or exposure. Surviving are a wife, Lillie C. Allen, who made her home in St. Catherine, Florida; a son, Marvin C. Allen of San Francisco, California; and four daughters, Mrs. Foster Kinlaw of East Howellsville, Mrs. Jasper Prevatte of St. Paul's, Mrs. Lula Curington of St. Catherine, Fl. and Mrs. Sallie DiMaggio of Tampa, Florida.

In the 1920 Sumter Co. Florida census, Alfred ( my great grandfather) gives his name as James C. Allen, which is his brother's name, they give Sallie's( my grandma) name as Lottie ( my grandma’s older sister), who was married and living in Robeson North Carolina. Family story is that Alfred got in a fight and killed a man in South Carolina, and that is the reason that the family moved to Florida. When he thought it was sufficiently safe, he returned to North Carolina, but his wife, my great grandma Lillie Russ who's father is unknown?? and will probably remain so, her mother Nancy Allen took out a Bastardy bond on Lillie's younger sister by a married man for support. I think Lillie's father must have given her the hush money so she wouldn't take out a bastardy bond. Lillie refused to return to North Carolin with her husband, because of bitterness. She had not been able to be with her mother when she died, and held this against her husband. My grandmother said that her father ran a still and always had lots of cash. She told me that an Indian was arrested for his murder and jailed. The Indian who was my great grandfather’s best friend was found dead in his cell. My grandmother went to Lumberton to attend the funeral but I’ve never been able to confirm the story of his murder.

Theresa Conte
Cause of Death
Suicide - by stab wound in abdomen with a pair of shears while temporarily insane. I will keep the rest of this story to myself.

[Janice]

Wow