Henry Allen was a white male coal miner and a boarder of Muhlenberg county, Kentucky. Allen was married to Mary Daniel, and had one male child by her named Aubry Nicholas Allen, who died at the age of 2 in 1911. Allen was also an indicted active member of the “Possum Hunters Gang,” which was a gang of regulators who were found guilty of “confederating together for the purpose of intimidating other persons.”
On November 12, 1914, while under indictment Allen was called from his home by a group of men. Nothing was heard from him during the night and his body was found early the next morning. A passerby on a road close to Allen’s boarder home found Allen’s body hanging from a tree with hands tied behind his back. It’s thought that either the “Possum Hunters Gang” or a rival gang, “The Nightriders,” committed the crime, but neither were ever found guilty.
References
- Hopkinsville Kentuckian. “Governor Willing to Act.” November 19, 1914.
- The Bee. “Murder and Arson in Muhlenberg County.” November 16, 1914.
- The Hartford Herald. “Grand Jury Gets After the ‘Possum Hunters’.” May 20, 1914.
- The Hartford Republican. “Possum Hunter Is Strung Up.” November 20, 1914.
- The Hartford Republican. “Possum Hunters To Be Tried.” January 15, 1915.
- The Hickman Courier. “Killed by Nightriders.” January 21, 1915.
- The Record. “Governor and County Judge Offer Rewards.” November 26, 1914.
Location of the Lynching
Location of Lynching
Census Records & Newspaper Articles
Citation
Smith, Cameron. “Henry Allen.” Documented Biographies. Documenting Racial Violence in Kentucky. December 3, 2021. https://drvk.createuky.net/biographies/henry-allen/