James Allen

Who was James Allen?

James Allen was a Massachusetts resident and highwayman in the early 19th century.

After a prolonged life of banditry, Allen was eventually imprisoned in the Massachusetts State Prison. He died in prison, and is remembered for delivering a death-bed confession to his warden, one copy of which was bound in the author's skin. This copy of 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, now belongs to the Boston Athenaeum. Other copies are extant and can be found in other libraries. A scan of the text is freely available from the Internet Archive. A transcript of the text has been made available by the Boston Athenaeum.