Alfred Allee

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Alfred Y. Allee (b. DeWitt County, Texas, 1855, d. Laredo, Texas, 1896) was an American lawman prominent in Texas in the late 1800s, with somewhat of a reputation for quick and casual violence, and for shooting prisoners after they had already surrendered.

Allee became deputy sheriff of Karnes County, Texas, in 1882. That very same year, he shot and killed a robbery suspect under questionable circumstances; it was said Allee was merely settling an old score. He was charged, but not convicted, of the man's murder.

While deputy sheriff of Frio County, Texas, Allee became involved in a disagreement with another sheriff's deputy about which man was the faster draw. Allee, packing two six-guns, shot the man eight times, killing him instantly. He was again acquitted of the charge of murder when witnesses testified that the other deputy had drawn his gun first, and Allee only defended himself.

It must be said, however, that despite his penchant for shooting seemingly defenseless targets, Allee was not himself a coward. In September 1888, Allee was assigned to hunt down Brack Cornett, a vicious train and bank robber, whom he tracked to the Arizona Territory and shot dead after a heated gun battle on horseback.

Aside from having a quick temper, Allee was also a racist with a profound hatred of blacks. Once a black porter shoved Allee while he was boarding a train, and Allee immediately shot the man through the heart. For the third time he stood trial for murder, and for the third time he was acquitted, largely due to the race of the victim.

Allee was stabbed to death in a barroom brawl in Laredo, Texas, in 1896.

[edit] Sources

Nash, Robert (1994). Encyclopedia of Western Lawmen & Outlaws. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-80591-X.