The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-04-30
Both Sides A nm ounce
Readiness to Proceed
With Case.
FLOY D WILL BE
FIRST DEFENDANT
Several of County's Leading Citi-
Zens Are on the Venire Sum-
moned to Appear This Morn
ing-Many Witnesses AL
ready on the
Scene.
BY ALEXANDER FORWARD.

| ia ALEXANDER FORWARD
! Wytheville, Va. April 2o-To all
appearances no further impeachment
can be put in the. way of an i'm
mediate trial OF the six members of
the Allen family. OF Carroll county. for
the murder of the court officials on
March II. Both sides express them
selves as III readiness, provided no
important witnesses fail to appear In
court tomorrow. Scores OF these
are already the scene and others
| will arrive before time for convcniss
court.
Fifty seconds sui.iced for the OPEN
ing of the term of the Circuit Court
of Wythe county to-day. At o'clock
Judge Waller X. staples r:ounted the
bench. Sheriff Thomas S Davidson
called the court to order.
| This court" said Judge staples.
will receive the order removing the
, cases of the Commonwealth against
Floyd Alien and others from Carroll
county. and it will be entered on
! record
| Judge y. II. Hairston. W. W. Cox
and Francis II. Cooke, of Roanoke OF
counsel for the defense. and 5. Floyd
! I-andreth. the new commemorative
attorney OF Carroll were introduced
TO the court and admitted to the
( practice OF law in Wythe county.
later taking the oath before Clerk c.
c. Tate. MIR. Sheriff said the Judge.
adjourn court until tomorrow morn
| ing at 10 o'clock"
| 1t Is understood that after to-nor-
row the hours OF tho session will be
| from $3.50 a. NJ, 70 p. NJ, and $50
to P. NJ.
Floyd VIII &c First.
II Will not be necessary to arraign
the prisoners again tomorrow. They
hay boa I'D ar
! them and have sercraily pleaded not
guilty. The Commonwealth has not
elected who shall be tried first. but
there is no doubt that it Will be
Floyd Allen.
An hour was spent this afternoon.
after court had adjourned in arrang-
| ing the interior of the courtroom for
and modern. and is one of the States
most adequate courthouse Tables
We're placed to take care amply of q
dozen newspaper correspondents. To DO
| this the Judge did not hesitate TO move
! the Jurys quarters from the usual
station to a place just III front of his
seat. The witness will De in the CEN
tire, with the detenses stenographer
hard b.. on both sides the lawyers
VIII have their places Judge y. A
Campbell. Judge Thornton l. Massie's
successor. who Will no, quality until
after the Allen trials, assisted in ar
ranging the courtroom.
All the attorneys are On hand, and
| spent the day in consultation witp
prisoners and witnesses.
Wythcville takes the utmost in ~
est In the trial. The town is a noted
summer resort and accommoda tions
for visitors in the boarding houses are
| plentiful. y local committee has gone
| TO the length of seeing that those VINO
/
proceedings can find stopping places.
Every citizen is impressed with the
Importance of the occasion. News
paper men are especially we'll looked
after.
Entertainment OF various sorts is
promised. UnheraJded. a travelling
carnival came into town yesterday. and
pitched its tents on n lot Just in rear
OF the jail whence most OF the Aliens
can find amusement by watching the
proceedings through the bars of their
cages and the great windows beyond.
! y moving picture theatre is on the
job. while a revival meeting will at
tract the seriously inclined.
Visa Prisoners In Jail.
Through the courtesy OF Judge
Staples. The Times Dispatch cores
pendent was permitted this afternoon
| 10 see the Aliens in the county jail.
Attorneys for the defense were pre-
sent. and conversation regarding the
case was aboocd.
| Claude swanson Allen and Frel Al
I len are in the same cell. and were
first visited. The former has recov-
cred from the attack OF rheumatism,
/ OF which he complaiped at IIillsvilla
last week, and seems fairly cheerful
| Friel too. looks better, and says he
| is entirely we'll Both eat heartily,
while Claude smokes occasional ciga-
rettes. He has been shaved again.
but said laughngly that he felt after
a shave lie received in Roanoke that
he won:d never need another one
since the face was about taken off.
J Victor Alien and Sidna Edwards
, arc together. The change in both is
most marked. victor. always slender
! looks thin in face. and is seriously
depressed HIS parting with his wife
! in Hilsville last Tuesday was deep
/ ~ affecting to him. Naturally. thc
cases against his father, Floyd. and
| his brother, Claude which are re-
gardcd as rather more serious than
/ his own. concern him. He himself
, may he implicated Just as fully IL
conspiracy can he sustantiatcd by the
prosecution.
On the other hand, sidna Ed
wards looks and really is much better
physically than when he was ar
rested. or than when the murders
! took place. Prior to the Floyd Allen
! trial. which terminated 50 ira gically,
he had been i'll with pneumonia and
was sick on that fatcful day. But
since his Incarceration he has i'm
proved wonderfully In health and
spirits. His smile is actually Joyous,
and as spontaneous as that OF a child.
| In reply to the Inquiry Of The Times
Dispatch correspondent as to his
Continued on Eighth Page.)