New-York tribune., 1912-03-23
ALLEN OUTLAW TAKEN
WHILE ASLEEP IN Hut
Sidna Edwards, Alone, Un-
armed, Lame and Worn,
Captured by Detectives.
OTHERS MAY SURRENDER
Reported They Have Made Offer
Provided They Be Allowed
to Plead Guilty of Sec
ond Degree Murder.

IIilsville, Va, March 22.-Sidna Edwards,
tall. rugged mountaineer OF twenty-five.
sat calmly in the darkness Of the little
brick Jail here tonight. the first catch OF
the posses who have been securing the
mountains for those OF the Allen gang who
got away after the courthouse murders Of
March II. when a judge, prosecutor. sheriff
and two bystanders were killed and two
others were seriously wounded.
Tonight young Edwards. emaciated and
worn from a weeks wandering in the
thicket. protests his innocence of the indict-
ment of murder against him. and the hunt
ers, spurred on by days success, are up
In the Blue Ridge hunting, for the same
charge. his brother, Wesley Edwards, his
uncle. Sidna Allen, and his cousins. Claude
and Friel Allen.
Detectives Feltz and Phaut, heading a
posse, came upon Edwards at o'clock this
morning. asleep in an empty hut mile
from his home. He was unarmed, and
when he awoke the detectives were at his
side He made no resistance and went to
a farmers house near Lambsburg, Va, and
started for Hillsville with his captors early
to-day Jack Allen. his uncle-one Of the
va
the day of the tragedy-joined his nephew
on the way in and gallooped along with the
party.
They cantered in and paused while the
moving picture men clicked off few hun
dred feet Of film. Detectives, carrying
rifles, followed closely. The party turned
in at a little lane where the raiders week
ago drew rein and left their ponies while
they went to wipe out the human fapric
of Carroll County Sidna left his mount
and was hustled TO the little jail across
from the stable lie protested against peihs
put into a musty cell and wanted to occupy
the corridor, but his keeper was stern and
locked him up.
lack Allen came out and said to the
newspaper men:
MY nephew Sidna is the most peaceaole
man in. the county. He wouldn't Kno"
what TO do with gun il he had II.
A little questioning sngered Allen ana ne
declared his family was being grossly MIS-
represented. -,
FISTS will fly pretty soon." he said as
two detectives escorted him over the MIL.
Outlaws Offer to Surrender
Rumor flew persistenty ABOUT the cum
trvside to-day that the Allen gang sun ~
large, discouraged by the taking OF Eo-
wards and probably impressed with the u'-
innate futility Of their flight, had sent
proposition to Governor Mann offering 10
surrender II they were permitted 10 piedu
guilty TO murder in the second degree.
such a proposal was said to have peer
made 10 Detective w. G. Baldwin al ho'
anoke bv a relative OF the Aliens, but th'
detective refused to talk about II. ~ J.
said he turned it down. Governor Manu. u
Richmond, tonight declared he had heaFG
of no such proposal
Sidna Edwards the boy in jail to-nlsht
and his brother Wesley were the pri4cl
pals I'm an escapade which started the trou
BILE which eliminated in the assassinauor
at the courthouse The brothers had az
tempted 10 oust an uncle, minister named
Garland, from his pulpit, and were aTIesteG
for breaking the peace. floyd attcIIp'eLL
10 free them and had been convicted aho
sentenced for interfering with an oliiCci
when the shooting on March IA began.
The authorities began To-Day rouliulns ~
those who are charged with Comphcity li
helping the Allen gang make getaway
Gordon Edwards and Alex Thomas were
hold for aiding and abetting criminals ahu
released I'm 800 bonds.