Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-03-23
S|ONAEOWARDS,
ONE OF OUTLAW
GANG, cap TURED
Nephew of Leader Of Allen
Clan, With Price Of $1,000
on His Head, Taken by
Detectives.

HillSville, Va, Marcn IZ.-olundI
Edwards, nephew of Sidna Allen, and
one Of the Allen gang which took to
the mountains after the court house
assassinations here, was arrested to-
day at Lamsburg, Va, without resist
ance, by posse of detectives, Ed
wards is being brought here. His
capture leads to the belief that others
of the mountaineers soon will be In
custody.
Young Edwards was arrested by
Detectives Tom Felts and w. W.
Phauts, who found him wandering
about aimlessly and hungry His foot,
burned recently in distillery, had
troubled him greatly and it is believed
he was unable to keep up with the
swift changes of base made by the
other fugitives.
He probably will be put through a
rigid examination when he gets mere,
but there is little thought that he will
disclose the movements of his kins-
men. 5-
Sidna is % years old and splendid
type of the young mOuntaineer. he
stands over six feet in height, weighs
between 1SO and 100 pounds, has dark
hair and blue eyes. At first a reward
of only $500 was offered for his cap
ture, but after an investigation as to
his part in the shooting. Governor
Mann increased the amount to $l,OOO'
the same as offered for the capture,
dead or alive, of Sidna Allen, leader
of the clan. ..Eu
It is probable Edwards will be taken
to Roanoke for safe keeping. 49,.
Mann's Plan of Capture Discussed.
Out in the mountains along the Vir-
ginia- North Carolina border today are
all of the sheriffs, detectives and posse
men enlisted for the taking of the
Allen outlaws, apparently determined
to stay in the field this time until
they have run down something besides
false clues. Just where the hunters
are or. what they are doing no one
here knows. This community awOke
today in state of excited expectancy
over Gov. Mann's announcement yes
terday that steps were being taken
which he believed would result in the
capture of the Aliens the latter part
of this week or the first of next. No
inkling of the nature of the proposed
coup has been given out, however, a
grim silence having taken the place
of the early confident talkativeness OF
the state officials. Fear that informa-
tion as to- the plans and movements
of the seafchers will leak to the fugi-
tives has even resulted in an attempt
to censor press dispatches.
According to stories reaching here;
Sidna Allen and his four nephews not
only have been in this vicinity since
they shot up the Carroll county court
a week ago yesterday but Sidna,
weakened by wounds. actually slept
two nights at his own home. 1t is
said that the mountaineers have con-
stantly watched their pursuers through
field glasses and have used success
fully rifle shot code system.
Floyd Allen, the old man whose
sentence to a year in jail for inter-
fering with an officer precipitated the
killing of Judge, prosecutor, sheriff, a
Juror and an innocent young girl, has
given out an interview from the
Roanoke jail, carefully censored by
his attorney. No reference to the
tragedy itself was made by the prison
er. He gave a sketch Of his life and
An account of the events leading up to
his indictment for interfering with an
officer and denied emphatically that
he had ever made ''moonshine" whis-
key. His son, Victor, also a prisoner
said he took no part in the court house
shooting that he went to Hillsville
unarmed to take witness for his
father and after the tragedy made no
effort to get away because he was
innocent.