The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-03-25
THREE DOOMED;
ONE HAS ESCAPED
Claude Swanson Allen Has Conc.
Across Border and May Never
Be Caught, but Remainder
of Gang Will Be Behind
Prison Bars Within
Few Days.
BY ALEXANDER FORWARD.

Hillsville. Va. March 24-Three OF
the Allen gang certainly Will be cap
tured; one has flown. Sidna Allen, tho
grim faced individual of forty-six. ac-
compan'ed by two nephows. Wesley
Edwards, youth OF twenty, and Friel
Allen. son of Jasper CJack") Allen,
have been tracked on the south side
of the Blue Ridge SO closely that their
chances OF escape are only ono in ten
Claude Swanson Allen is gone.
This is the status tonight of the
mountain search for the Allen gang.
who fell upon the Carroll county court
on March Ia. and exectcd toll of Ave
Killed and two wounded. Lenders OF
tho detective force which has been
spread over the Blue Ridge for nearly
q fortnight admitted that to be the
case, and likewise stated that Claude
Allen. the twenty-year- old son OF
Floyd Allen, now In Roanoke Jail
awaiting trial for murder has dsap-
peared over the North Carolina border
and may never be nnbbed
Il hope they'll all surrender--they
haven't got n chance" muttered Sidrla
Edwards sadly to-day SO he Travelled
TO Roanoke from GalaN, accompanied
by Sergeant White. OF the State milf
tia, aEd Thomas L. Telts and Albert
H. Baldwin, OF the Baldwin Felts De-
tective Agency. who were placed In
charge OF tho posses By Carroll coun-
ty. t,l
Spends Night ut Feits's Homo.
Edwards had spent the ntGht at the
beautiful home OF Tom Telts. ut Blair,
couple OF miles from GalaX. He
slept on the third floor Of the house.
which was guarded. In a thoughtless
moment, according to the detectives.
Edwards made reference TO his re-
nd lint
shots Hitherto he had maintained
that he was unarmcd, although grand
jury witnesses are said to have tes-
tilted that Edwards emerged from the
courthouse with his gun smoking and
handed it to Floyd Allen so the lat
ter might continue his pistol duel with
Clerk Dexter Goad from behind tho
Confederate monument that rises be-
low the courthouse green.
Edwards limped as he boarded tho
train. ~ small crowd gathered at the
railroad station. Edwards smil,d and
nodded especially to the fair sex. And
there was a throng at each OF the stops
along the way. Fair haired girls clus-
tered about the train as did the youths
OF the towns. all anxious to catch u
glimpse of the sturdy prisoner. Ed
wards lean4d from the train window
and waved to all. He seemed to ENJOY
IT all and appeared unmindful OF tho
oaSS Inc parS WnlCn CONFRONT
him or the gravity which will attend
his trial for murder
Once relative OF Henry Allen, Il.
peace officer at Byllesby. SO. aboard.
The two men surveyed each other ST.
lently and Allen said:
I'm sorry you are in such a bacs,
scrape my lad"
Yes" replied Edwards meekly. and /,
hate to be in II. just couldn't help
It,"
Along the way Times pispatcA
correspondent accompanied him. Ed
wards again declared his innocence OK
wrongdoing.
Had Hard Time.
II had a hard time OF It," he said.
For TWO weeks / had been in bed with
pneumonia. and they all dragged mo
out to come to court TO be witness In
Uncle Floyd's trial. wish now
hadn't gon.. The shooting began all
of sudden, and the room was filled
with smoke In second bullets Vera
flying from ono side to the other like
lightning. / got out as fast as I could.
ran away. but I heard they would all
shoot us on sight I slept In barns
and hid in the fodder. but knew =
was caught some days ago. Th,y
could have arrested me much easier"
Detective Thomas l. Felts and Al
bert II. Baldwin confirmed his state
ment that capture could have been ac-
oomplished sooner, explaining that
their purpose was 10 follow Edwards
about in case he attempted to join i
the othor outlaws
Edwards IL confident that the Aliens
still in the mountains will be caught.
Having spent the week in lodging /,
possas. he ought TO know.
Detective Tom Falts declared II was
hard 10 realize the difficulties Of trap
ping the outlaws. There are dozens OK
l. = u a To- -.
which the fuSitives could hide. making
a dash from one place TO another at
night Tha posse mas been close on
the heels of the Allen trio. ana 1t is
only matter OF few days now when
they Will he caught,
Numerous bits of evidence indicating
the trail OF the fugitivas are in pos
session OF the posse. Talk OF propcsi-
lions to surrender Is not credited by
the detectives, for the very good rea-
son that they have had all the Alton
family under surveillance aver since
the tragedy occurred and 1t has heea
Impossible for these relatives to get
into communication wita the outlaws. &
According to the deteottvss how
ever. some members OF the Allen fam
lily have made desperate efforts 30 ger
in touch with the outlaws and havs
failed
It was not known uDtil to-day that
Jack" Allen was undor surveillanre.
He consented to such an arrangements
because OF the profuslon OF detectivsal
lhereabouts and the likelihood otherps