Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1912-09-20
LAST Or ALLEN GANG
CAUGHT IN Thu WEST

DETECTIVES l UItVWLu Aoeu4
man and Landed Men-Sidna
Was Working with Paving
Gang-Fate of Other
Aliens.
Sidna Allen and Wesley Edwards
captured in Des Moines, Iowa.
Victor Allen declared not guilty and
set free by Wytheville jury.
Floyd Allen and Claude Swanson
Allen have been sentenced to go to the
electric chair on November 22nd.
Sidna Allen, leader of the Allen clan
which shot up the Carroll county
courthouse at Hillsville, Va, March
IA, killing the judge on the bench, the
prosecutor, the sheriff, a juror and
woman in one of the most sensational
tragedies ever committed in court OF
Justice and his nephew, Wesley Ed
wards are manacled in cells at the city
Jail as a result of love affairs which
lead detectives to them. Both have
announced their willingness to return
to Virginia without reqlisition.
Wesley Edwards, for the love OF
whom Miss Maude Iroler, of Mount
Airy, Va had innocently led detec-
tives to Des MoiDes, was captured as
he was returning to his boarning
house, having worked all day with a
paving gang. Just as he boarded a
street car detectives and officers sur
rounded it. Edwards was trying TO
escape by crawling through the front
end of the car when the officers caught
him.
The arrest of Sidna Allen was affect
ed earlier in the day.
A visit by Edwards to Miss Iroler
in her Virginia home about month
ago and the accidental loss of letter
put the detectives on the trail. The
fugitives had been in Dies Moines
since April %. Allen, under the name
of Tom Sayre, worked as carpenter
and Edwards, who called himself J oe
Jackson was employed with a city
paving gang.
Allen was arrested at the home OF
John Cameron at Eleventh and Locust
streets, where he and his nephew had
been rooming, by Detective w. G.
Baldwin, Lucas and G. o. Mundy, o.
Roanoke. The arrest was made few
minutes after Miss Iroler had stepped
into the Cameron home to meet Ed
wards, whom she was to wed, accord
ing to arrangements concluded when
he visited her in Virginia.
Detective Lucas followed at her
heels. Allen was in the upper room,
when informed that visitors wanted to
see him, he came down stairs. AS be
did so Detective Lucas covered him
With a revolver and called on him to
surrender.
Allen threw up his hands, remarking
81 guess I'm your man." He was
handcuffed and placed under a guard
of city detectives, while Colonel Bald
win and Chief of the local department,
went in search of Edwards who was
ssid TO be at work in the western part
of the city. Apparently Edwards
heard that his nephew had been cap
tured, because he was not to be found
until night.
Miss Iroler arrived In Des Moines
unaware that on the same train were
detectives who wanted her sweetheart.
She went straight to the Cameron homt
having been provided with the address
and the officers followed. She tool
the arrest of Allen and the capture o
Edwards with little show OF concern
Sidna Allen in his cell talked freel,
of the events of the last few months
ut declined to say much concerning
his movement Immediately after tie
cour house tragedy. Allen and Ed
wards remained in the mountain coun-
try of Virginia and North Carolips
for about month and then got ovei
into Kentucky, going to Louisville,
where they spent several days. Theii
next stop was in st. Louis whore they
remained a week. They had sufficient
money for their needs and travelled as
irst-class passengers.
Allen declared that the courthouse
tragedy was the fault of the officers,
who, he said began the shooting.
1--WE heard few days before Floy6
Aliens trial began that sheriff Webb
had brought hundred rounds OF
cartridges and had made the remarl
that he was going to show that Aller
gang some real court, but we did no
expect trouble that DAY and ther,
Houldn't have been any If the officers
had not begun It,"