Allen v. State

The appellant, Paul Lawrence Allen, was convicted in the Criminal Court of Baltimore City of assault with intent to rape and was sentenced to death. At the trial, which was before the Court without a jury, three exceptions were taken, all being to the admissibility of evidence. Two of these were abandoned at the argument here, leaving the appellant’s case dependent entirely on the remaining exception. This relates to the ruling of the trial court requiring the accused, while on the witness stand in his own behalf and under cross-examination, to try on a hat which had been found at the scene…