The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1912-12-05

WYTHEYILLR, VA. SPECIAL.
In the case of the Common
wealth VS.. Sidna Allen at 1
o'clock Friday brought In q
verdict Of murder in the second
degree, fixing the penalty at If
teen years in the penitentiary.
W lille IL Is assumed that the
Commonwealth viii not rest sat
tsfied with the G1tcen-year YER
dict rendered by the jury today
In the case or Sidna Allen, and
that IL Will now proceed to press
one OF the other seven tndict-
ments pending against him, IL Is
nevertheless a fact that Sidna
came out far better from the trial
than was expected.
And IL Is a further fact that
today's verdict will have a tre-
mendous moral effect on the case
of Wesley Edwards. who still
awaits trial, as well as on the Pc
titions for clemcncy I'm the case
Of Floyd and Claude Allen, es-
peciaIly the latter.
The preponderancc of testB-
mony at the trials which already
have taken place indicated that
the shooting began In the corner
of the courtroom where Claude
and Sidna were standing and
that n bullet from the pistol OF
one or the other fatally wounded
Judge Maseie.
And the Commonwealth was so
firmly imbued with this idea that
IL first tried Claude ON the charge
of killing Judge Mnssie. That
trial, as Is well known now, result
ed In a verdict OF murder I'm the
second degree and a penalty of fif-
teen years imprisonment.
So disappointed was the prose-
cution at this finding that Claude
was forthwith tried on another
indictment-that charging the
murder of Conmon1ealth's At
torney Foster. The seCond trial
resulted In hung jury, and the
third I'm a verdict OF murder in the
first degree.
SIdna's first trial also brought
him 90 the bar ITO answer for the
murder OF Judge MRssie.
II may reasonably be predicted
that the same tactics viii be re-
sorted to by the State In the case
of Sidna Allen as were followed I'm
the case of Claude. But at this
writing IL Is difiit ult to say what
Will be the ultimate fate OF Sidna.
In view OF the action or the Vir-
gtnia Court OffAppeals In the case
of Claude, allgOf the other indie g
ments against Sidna may now be
tried and CUMULATIVE prison terms
calculated to- exhaust the vitality
of MethuseIah might be piled up
against him.
The pending indictments accuse
Sidna OF being responsible for tito
death OF every person who lost his
or her life rs the courthouse shoot
ing, as we'll as being responsible
for the injuries received by the
wounded. 49,
But should the Commonwealth,
after all its efforts. fail to send
Sidna TO the, chair and merely land
him In the penitentiary for life.
the cry on every side will go up:
Young Claude Allen mt least
should at keast should fare no
worse thaHthis man whom Judge
Massie, VIII his dying breath, ac-
cused OF Ming his murderer.
And thM protest will not be an
unreasonS lie one, for, as every
one in ca roll county will ac-
knowIedN Sidna, besides being a
fan oldeI man than Claude, Is q
far NOR desperate one.
Them 90, Sidna Allen fed the
State 3r the court house tragedy
and p& the Commonwealth to
immenM trouble and expense he
fore hi was captured at DeS
Moines Iowa, whereas, Claude
surren red I'm q few days and
withouU resistance.
or Al the Aliens. Sidna is per-
haps 4 Il most capable; certainly
he hasHeen tile IN ost successful Tn
a busiTtAss way. His property be-
fore IL shooting was probably
worth Hktween $50, GOO and $4O.-
O0O. arg he lived I'm handsome
new heuse which was perfectly
eqnippe4 with all modern conven-
He waa essentially thrifty and
could turn q dollar In many ways
in fact. kwas regarded as an un-
usually aStute trader. Moreover,
ne had partially learned the ways
OF the world in the KlOndike,
whittier he went some years ago.
SIdna Is married and has two
little daughters. He Is hardly
over forty years old and SEEM
ingIy has +he same courage and
pugnacious tendencies that mark