The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-03-18
IN PANORAMA
OF RAGGED CRAGs
Search for tho Alen Gang Goes For.
ward High up In the Picturesque
Blue Ridge Sum-
mits.
STILLS IN THE CABINS
Revenue Agents Joln In tho Man
Hunt After. Much Moonshine
Had Been Dis
covered.

!
Had Been Dis
covered.
i UNITED Press Leased Wire Service.l
HILLSvILLE Va, March 1s.- Up
in the western end of Fancy Gap two
score detectives today began closing
toward Devils Den, where 1t Is believ-
ed Sidna Allen and the members Of
his outlaw gang are entrenched, ready
to add further murder to their record
of crime that eliminated last Wednes-
day in Judge Massie's court room.
Under Detective Felts, the posse is
pursuing Sidna Edwards, nephew of
the Allen brothers and believed to be
one of the gang that shot up the court
room. The mountaineer Is fleeing as
fast as badly burned foot will per-
NIT. Surprised by the approach OF de-
tectives Saturday, he stepped accident
ally into q big caldron of hot corn
mash, at his "moonshine STILL" and,
being barefoot, was seyerly burned.
He left in such precipitate haste that
the posse found his revolver hanging
in its holster on the walls Of his noun
tain cabin. His Winchester was mis-
sing, however.
Clear, warm weather today did
much to aid in the pursuit Of the
, murderers, by drying UP the mountain
passes, which have been almost i'm
J .passable because of the mud. More
detectives joined in the man-hunt
forming ring about the mountain
strongholds Of the outlaws ring
9 that is steadily growing smaller and
d smaller.
q All OF the federal government.
: mountain experts"-internal revenue
agents familiar with almost every
foot of the Blue Ridge and long enc
I mics of the mountain folk-t today join
ed in the search. Officially they are
under orders to run down the Allen
gang, because word brought back to
town today was that posses at Sidna
ALIENS and Sidna Edwards homes
. found large quantities of white"
liquor-"corn juice" in the mountain
vernacular-in various processes OF
manufacture.
Twenty gallons Of moonshine was
seized at Edwards cabin, and his two
, stills were wrecked. At Floyd Aliens
, home, similar amount Of mountain
ir will
! be brought back to Hillsville and
s guarded until United States Deputy
> Marshal Steve Faddis can be notified
: to take charge of it. He Is now In the
t mountains.
Y From the very fact that almost nc
J sides today, the usual mysterious
8 mountain wireless" being stilled, the
Y townspeople here believe that the
i posse have practically succeeded in
/ surrounding Sid Allen and his gang
$ The scene of operations has now
shifted nearly twelve mixes distant
b from the town-in region desolate
e in its panorama of crags and dense
valley forests and primeval in its in
e accessibility. The only word regarding
e the man-hunt comes from messengers
sent back to town for supplies, or t.
: act as guides for reinforcements.
u Mountaineers arriving in town this
Z afternoon brought a rumor that Sid
: ma Edwards, nephew of Sidna AL
len, leader of the outlaw gang respon
9 sible for the courtroom tragedy, hat
. been captured by detectives. 1t was
reported that part of the posse was
returning to town with him, and tina
0 the prisoner was slightly wounded. U
S. Deputy Marshal Steve Faddis sale
7 today that he would take a posse o
federal agents into the mountains Il
: confiscate the moonshine liquor founC
:. by the detectives at the home of tn,
L Aliens.
= Officials of the Citizens Bank o
e Carroll, in which nearly all of thu
J. Aliens have deposits, were notified b.
II the state authorities today not to hon
j or any checks or bills of sale drawn
against any Allen accounts. This stel
was taken with the idea that it ma,
cripple the clan financially, and un
] der the Virginia law which grant
n heirs of murdered persons lien o
# 100000 on the estate of murderers.
y Five lives have already been mark
d ed against the Allen gang in the Wed
,, nesday courtroom tragedy and toda
d physicians fear that there may be
n sixth Juror c. c. Cane
# A meeting of the local bar has er
dorsed ". B. Tompkins of Hillsvillt
to FIJI the place made vacant by Judg
$. Massie's assassination.