El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-10-26
TRIAL Of TWO
WILL start
MONDAY
Is an Echo Of Wholesale
Killing Of Court Officials
in Virginia.
LEADERS HAVE
BEEN CONDEMNED
Defence Claims Sufficient
Punishment Been Given
Members of the Family.

wvthevilIe. Va. Oct 26.-The final
scene of a drama Of love and autlawry
that furnished front page stories for
the press Of the United States last
spring. has been set in the court house
here. where Sidna Allen and wesley
Edwards, the last of the famous allen
gang" who spectacularly murdered
Judge Thornton l. Massie, a spectator
and three court officers, in a pistol
duel in HilIsvilie Va, on March IL
viii be tried on Monday.
The state has charged in its indiet-
ments OF Sidna Allen and wesley Ed
wards that the former was the actual
leader Of the onslaught in judge Mas
sizes court room at HillSV1lle and that
Edwards was almost equally quick with
his weapon. Witnesses have Deen SUD
penaed to uphold these contentious boy
hood friends of both Edwards and Al
len have been brought from their
mountain Businesses to TESTIFY TO the
dominance Of the duet in the affairs
of the mountain clan, and such com
DIete web Of evidence has been spun
about the doomed men that IT is be-
Heved that there is little chance OF
Secure Venue Change.
Hope for the prisoners was held out
by the lawyers for the defence, now
ever Their first move Tor the 1ree-
dom of their clients was a motion Tor
q change of venue. which was granted
upon their allegations that fair trial
could not be had in the territory Where
the crime was committed Judge sta
pies, in granting this request SET Lle
trial on October 2Sth at Wythey1Ies
where ne viii preside.
The defence has further plans IOOk-
ing toward acQultal or at least a MI
tigatiOn OF the sentence TO be passed
They have been busy for weeks IN
cOrrelating evidence to be used at the
%--1a n Ia
plead that the death of those assasslna-
ted on March H. has been amply re-
venged by the law in the death SEN
fence passed supon Floyd and Claude
Allen. II has also been planned 10
place the major portion Of the blame
for the assassination upon old Floyd
Allen in the hope of securing lighter
sentence for their clients
Fund for Prisoners
A large sum of money has been
, collected by the Allen and Edwards
clansmen. who. contrary to the gene
raj opinion, are not III conqlI0neu
mountaineers, but are well TO do Thls
fund viii be used to aid the prisoners
One Of the most interesting ugures
in the coming trial IS Maude IrOler,
Sunday school teacher and sweetheart
Of Wesley Edwards, through whose
love for the outlaw the prisoners were
captured in Des MOines on september
IA She has been subpenaed TO ap-
pear at the trial and she IS expected
Aliens played in spiriting the outlaws
out of the mountains Immediately sur
rounding their homes
With the TRIAL and sentence Of Ed
wards and Allen the last OF the out
laws who dramatically entered judge
Massie's court on March IA, Just as
sentence was about to be passed on
old Floyd for a minor offence, and as
sassinated the judge commonw ea l-.Il
attorney William NJ Foster snerlIL
Lee Webb. juror Fowler and MISS
Elizabeth Ayres viii have been brought
to book
Eight in the Band.
There were eight Allen ciansmen in
the band that Shot up the court room.
and Of these five have been disposed
of by the law Floyd and Claude Al
len were sentenced 10 death, Friel Al
len and Sidna Edwards to long terms
in prison and Victor Allen was &C
quilted, Byrd Marion turning states
evidence
The difficulty that led to the assas-
sinatiOn OF judge Massie and his Tel
low court officers was one OF minor
Importance magnified into signifi-
canoe by the intolerance OF the clans
men. who for years had looked to no
other law than their own in settling
quarrels.
Two boys, Sidna and Wesley Ed
wards, had been arrested for disturb
ing a church meeting. This meeting
was presided over by their uncle, the
Reverend Garland Allen, a brother Of
Sid and Floyd, who is a primitive Sap
list clergyman and minister to the re-
igiOUs needs of the mOuntaineers in
the Fancy Cap region The boys We're
accused of pUmmelling their uncle out
of the pulpit They were quoted as
eXcusing their conduct by asserting
that he was too mean TO preach"
Several members of the congrega-
ton decided 10 have the law on the
Edwards boys. Deputy sheriff Samuels
went over to take them. Old Floyd
Continued on next page).