"It was generally believed that he was m----d by one Maclane, a
Scottish soldier of the 3d Regt. The father prosecuted, Ad----n
undertook the defence of the soldier. The solicitor of the Treasury,
Mr. Nuthall, the deputy-solicitor, Mr. Francis, and Mr. Barlow of the
Crown Office, attended the trial, and it is said, paid the whole
expence for the prisoner out of the Treasury, to the amount of a very
considerable sum. The defence set up was, that young Allen was not
killed by Maclane, but by another Scottish soldier of the same
regiment, one McLaughlin, who confessed it at the time to the justice,
as the justice says, though he owns he took no one step against a
person who declared himself a murderer in the most express terms....
The perfect innocence of the young man as to the charge of being
concerned in any riot or tumult, is universally acknowledged, and a
more general good character is nowhere to be found. This McLaughlin
soon made his escape, therefore was a deserter as well as a murtherer,
yet he has had a discharge sent him with an allowance of a shilling a
day."
Maclane was most probably the "Mac" alluded to by SENEX; but his account
differs in so many respects from cotemporaneous records that I have
ventured to trespass somewhat largely upon your space. I may add, that I by
no means agree in the propriety of erasing a monumental inscription of more
than eighty years' existence without some much stronger proof of its
falsehood; for I quite coincide with the remarks of Rev. D. Lysons, in his
allusion to this monument (_Surrey_, p. 393.), that
"Allen was illegally killed, whether he was concerned in the riots or
not, _as he was shot apart from the mob at a time when he might, if
necessary, have been apprehended and brought to justice_."