James Allen

James Allen (1809-1837), also known as George Walton, Jonas Pierce, James H. York, Burley Grove, was a Massachusetts, United States highwayman 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 in the Massachusetts State Prison, which opened in 1805, in Charlestown, Boston, Massachusetts. 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.