Final Blow at Dawn

The Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, W. Va.
Wednesday, March 27, 1912

STRIKE FINAL BLOW AT ALLEN GANG AT DAWN

Detectives Confident of En- Snaring Sidna and Friel and Wesley Edwards Soon.

CIRCUIT COURT AGAIN IN SESSION AT HILLSVILLE

Civil Proceedings Begun by Families Of Victims of Tragedy to Recover Damages From Outlaws Occupy First Day of Term.

GRAND JURY TO RETURN
NEW INDICTMENTS TODAY

Hillsville, Va., March 26. --The grim hand of the law, as presented by a determined squad of sharp-shooting detectives, will strike the final blow at dawn to capture Sidna Allen, Friel Allen and Wesley Edwards, indicted for the murders in the Carroll county court house. Detective Thomas L. Felts returned tonight from Bluefield to direct the sortie.

Without hope of arresting Claude Swanson Allen, who he believes has escaped from the mountains, Detective Felts is so confident that the trio of outlaws will be ensnared within the next forty-eight hours that he has invited correspondents to accompany the posse tomorrow.

Posses are centering their efforts near Lambsburg, where Sidna Edwards was caught. It is ten miles southwest of Fancy Gap and twenty miles from Hillsville on the east side of the Blue Ridge and five miles from Floyd Allen's home, only a short distance from the North Carolina line.

The Carroll county circuit court resumed its sitting today. On the bench was acting Judge Waller R. Staples. Beside him were Sheriff George M. Edwards and Prosecuting Attorney Floyd Landreth. Of the old court officials there remained only Clerk Dexter Goad, with a gash in his left cheek torn by a bullet. The civil proceedings begun by the families of the victims endeavoring to recover damages by attachments on the property of the outlaws occupied the attention of the court.

The defending attorneys declared that Victor Allen indicted for murder and now in jail with his father, Floyd Allen, at Roanoke, did not participate in the tragedy. One prosecuting attorney went so far as to admit that when the grand jury examines witnesses Victor may not be reindicted. Judge Staples will empanel a grand jury tomorrow to return new indictments against the alleged murderers.

In addition to returning new indictments against the principals in the Allen conspiracy to annihilate law and government here, it is understood the grand jury will indict several other persons who will be charged with aiding and abetting Sidna and Floyd Allen and their nephews either before or after the tragedy. These indictments will charge complicity. No further first degree murder indictments are expected.

The date for the trial of Floyd and Victor Allen, Sidna Edwards and Byrd Marion will be set probably for April 15th.

The motion by attorneys for Floyd Allen and Victor Allen and Byrd Marion, now in Roanoke jail, to have dismissed the civil attachments levied on their property was overruled by Judge Staples on the ground that sufficient notice had not been given to the plaintiffs of the intention to fight them.

"Temporary interests of the families of the prisoners," he said, "need not be conserved at the expense of the permanent interests of widows and orphans of the victims of the tragedy."

Judge Staples granted to the hitherto wealthy families of the prisoners the "poor" exemption, which includes only bare necessities of life and one hog and cow.

"Sidna Allen," said Attorney Wysor, for the plaintiffs, "is a material witness and his testimony would show just grounds for the attachments."

One hundred people crowded into the little courtroom. They gazed in awe at the score of bullet holes in the white walls and shuddered at the bloodstained floors, reminders of the terrible tragedy of March 14th.

Attorneys for the Allens declare they will prove that five shots were fired before Floyd Allen drew his revolved. It is presumed they will endeavor to shift the beginning of the firing to apprehensive court officials. Today's court proceedings were confined to drawing more complete indictments.