All men were pardoned by Gov. At least two of the participants, Judge Massie and Sheriff Webb, had told friends that they expected trouble. '"[11][17] At this point, shots broke out in the courtroom. Floyd Allens case had been continued a couple of times before he finally appeared in court for a two-day trial that started on March 12, 1912. It is amazing how nothing changes Today, a story gets retold till its stale, unless something big happens to push it off the headlines. Sidna Allen received a 35-year prison sentence, his nephews Wesley and Sidna Edwards and Friel Allen got lesser sentences. Hall has done an outstanding job researching this subjectt. [2], Deputy Samuels was left lying unconscious in a ditch, and his horses were run off. The exciting story of the Allen family and the officials who tried to bring them to justice. Theres Fosters handwriting and then you realize that within five or six minutes, he was dead. The jury found Allen guilty of assault on 14 March and sentenced him to one year in the penitentiary. The prosecutor's case was based on the formation of a conspiracy by the Allens to kill the trial judge, local law enforcement, and others who had wronged them in the event of a guilty verdict. This film is currently in development. Otherwise, he would not have been armed. )[12], Foster called upon a grand jury to investigate the escape/pistol-whipping incident. However, once the story began, it flowed better. [36], For their roles in the shooting, Floyd and Claud were sentenced to death by electrocution. [26] Gilmer said he heard Floyd Allen say two or three times, "I am shot, but I got the damn scoundrel. I oppose capital punishment (although if you heard what I sometimes say about certain characters on tv, you might doubt that). He told Sheriff Lewis Webb to take the prisoner. He was convicted and executed for murder in 1913 after a sensational courthouse shootout the previous year that left a judge, prosecutor, sheriff, and two others dead, although the validity of the conviction has been a source of debate within Carroll County for decades. The U.S. Revenue Service had sent Deputy Agent Faddis to investigate reports of illegal liquor trafficking by the Allens. Published in the SW VA Enterprise, Wytheville, Virginia Tuesday, July 4, 1939. Nonetheless, the grand jury indicted Floyd Allen, Sidna Allen and Barnett Allen for interfering with the deputies, and Floyd Allen was also indicted for assault and battery upon Samuels. Two bullet holes Floyd Allens final shots in the massacre are still visible in the wooden steps. "Floyd Allen Defense Gets Well Into Case", Bluefield, W. Va.: "Accuses Dexter Goad Of Shooting Betty Ayers". - To illustrate the volatility of turn-of-the-century mountaineers, when Jeremiah Allen died in 1898, Floyd and Jack Allen got into a ruckus over a barrel of brandy when the estate was being divided. After getting down the steps he leaned against the window of his office when two girls, Dora and Elizabeth Ayers, passed him. Sadler said that reading Fosters handwriting gave him chills. Eventually, most of the clan was captured, although Sidna Allen and his nephew Wesley Edwards, whose fight in a churchyard had lit the fuse on this powder keg in 1910, made it to Des Moines, Iowa, where they worked and lived under aliases. [11][10][40][41] A dispute arose between McGraw and Jack Allen about the Hillsville tragedy; during the confrontation McGraw drew a gun and shot Allen twice, killing him on the spot. Careful who you kiss, huh? Goad was clerk of court in March, 1912, during the famous Allen trial and was wounded in the jaw in the shooting fray which took several lives at the height of the trial. That said, I am glad to have read the book and Ive learned more about this area. When it was over the judge and the sheriff laid dead. [7][9], However, times were changing: Virginia's judicial structure was altered in a series of legal reforms, particularly the county court system, which was replaced by circuit courts. Sidna Allen maintained until the end of his life that this informant was Maude Iroller, Wesley's fiancee, who provided information on the fugitives' location in exchange for $500 from the detective agency. Bringing in Sheaves: The Western Revivals of the Reverend A. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. Maybe he didnt want anybody else rifling through those things, Hall said. [4], In another instance, while arguing over the administration of their father's estate, Allen got into a gunfight with his own brother, Jasper, known as "Jack", a local constable. The law provided that everything could be seized with the exception of a few bare essentials necessary for existence, for example, 1 cow, 1 pig, etc. You can also see some of Sidna Allens furniture craftsmanship and Claude Allens banjo on exhibit in the museum. He has a wonderful essay in there titled The American Geographies. He speaks of the need to understand the stories, the voices of memory over the land. I think that is why I always insist on exploring my neighborhoods by walking (or on bicycle) and reading about them. There it was, the script of a doomed man, written in the final minutes of his life. [13], The rumor that the Allens were intimidating witnesses was called to the attention of the court. [29], Another witness, Walter Petty, also testified that the first shots were fired from the courtroom's northeast corner, where Claud Allen was standing. Charges eventually were dropped against Sidna and Barnett before the trial.). Two others had been shot and would soon diethe jury foreman and a 19-year-old girl who had testified against Allen. Massie refused, saying he was there to prosecute, not persecute.. Find the cheapest option or how to watch with a free trial. A Journey to and Beyond the Blackboard - Kim Johnson 2021-07-25 Kim Johnson, or 'Sir', has spent his life striving to achieve outstanding "Accuses Dexter Goad of Shooting Betty Ayers". - Claude Allen did not take a gun when he went to Hillsville To Floyds trial. The Carroll County Historical Society will host a special presentation of "The Last Witness - A story of Friendship and Trust," an examination of the Courthouse Tragedy in Hillsville on March 14 1912.". [38], Victor Allen and Barnett Allen were acquitted. 1982-2023 The Carroll County Historical Society, INC. - The Carroll County Historical Society and Museum website, The Carroll County Historical Society and Museum, Welcome To The Carroll County Historical Society and Museum Website, Family Search.org | Carroll County, Virginia Genealogy, Family Search.org | Grayson County, Virginia Genealogy, Mount Airy, NC Museum of Regional History. Officers often had a violent past. Otherwise, neither Sidna Edwards nor Victor Allen would have been present. - After the shootout ended, people in Hillsville were afraid the Allen family would come back into town and kill everyone in sight. A second shot entered the back about four inches lower, while a third shot cut the sheriff across the chin. Floyd Allen was going to trial. Later, Foster changed to the Republican party, and by 1912 was a prominent leader in the GOP in Carroll County, being elected the last time on the Republican ticket. For example, Betty Ayers, who was killed in the courthouse tragedy, was a 4th cousin to Dexter Goad (clerk of court), 4th cousin, twice removed, from Woodson Quesenberry (deputy clerk), 2nd cousin, twice removed, from Floyd Allens wife and a 3rd cousin to the Edwards brothers, Wesley and Sidna. [citation needed], A Carroll County deputy sheriff, Thomas Samuels, and his driver, Peter Easter, traveled in Easter's four-seater buggy to the state line and received the brothers from Sheriff Haynes and Deputy Oscar Monday, who had arrested the brothers at work. But it turned out that he actually had left behind one document about what he saw and heard on March 14, 1912. Ronald W. Hall,The Carroll County Courthouse Tragedy(2013 printing, Hillsville VA: Carroll County Historical Society,1998). Court Crime The 1910's Spread the love In 1912 a Carroll County, Virginia, man was sentenced to serve a one year sentence in the state penitentiary. Such stories as you mention, deserve being told. Sidna Allen was never tried for his part in the altercation, while Barnett Allen was acquitted at trial. Gerald Goad said the documents needed to be back in Carroll County. In the 1960s, a boisterous flea market and liquor store owner in Cana named Rufus Gardner took up the Allens cause and found two men who claimed one of Goads assistants admitted to firing first at Floyd Allen. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Commonwealth's Attorney, Sheriff, some jurors and others shot on the conviction of Floyd Allen for a felony. [4], One night in December 1910 (some sources[1] say 1911), two of Floyd Allen's nephews, Wesley and Sidna Edwards, attended a corn shucking bee in Hillsville. The end result was three people deadthe judge, the Commonwealth Attorney and the sheriff. On the cold spring morning of March 14th, 1912, shots rang out in the tiny rural mountain town of Hillsville, Virginia. A large collection of portrait photos, newspaper accounts, and a marvelous diorama of the 1912 courtroom scene are on display in the historic courthouse, as is the collection of folk marquetry furniture made by J. Sidna Allen. Not knowing all the details, I wasnt sure what to do with this information. The judge refused. [1][4] Floyd had wanted to buy a farm owned by one of his own brothers, but could not agree on a price. Friel Allen was tried in August 1912 and after confessing to shooting prosecutor Foster, was sentenced to 18 years in prison. On 13 March 1912, in the Carroll County Circuit Court, . [34] Sidna Allen claimed that when he left the courthouse, Goad followed behind him, shooting him through the left arm, the bullet lodging in his left side. The documents found their way to Wytheville because that was the site of the ensuing trials that followed the shootout, the venue having been moved from Hillsville where anger against the defendants boiled. [33] He denied firing a gun during the courthouse shootings, and stated that he did not see who fired the first shot, but thought that it came from the vicinity of Deputy Clerk Goad's desk. Despite taking his nephews to jail himself, Floyd was accused that he did feloniously and forcably [sic] rescue his nephews, according to a grand jury indictment. And then, he apparently moved on with life. Floyd said he did it peacefully and lawfully, claiming that the deputies did not have proper warrants for arrest. In April 1926, Governor Harry Flood Byrd pardoned Sidna Allen and Wesley Edwards. Some later turned themselves in. Look after this now. Governor Mann, who had received death threats in the same handwriting as the threats previously delivered to the trial judge, had to cut short a trip to Pennsylvania after learning his Lieutenant Governor, James Taylor Ellyson (18471919), had attempted to commute the Allens' sentences in his absence, instigating a brief constitutional power struggle between the two men. The jury fixed the penalty at fifteen years in the penitentiary. Elian Gonzalez is a more recent example. The historical society has raised thousands of dollars and conducted much-needed remodeling work in order to resume free tours, with the next public opening happening June 4-5. In one case, after having ridden their horses to death, two of them took a mans mules from his plow in the middle of the field. This is another book that Ive read in order to learn about my new locale. There were also five others wounded, including Floyd Allen. - Lewis Franklin Webb, the County Sheriff killed in the Courthouse Tragedy, had just taken office in January of 1912, but had been a deputy numerous times. The courtroom buzzed. Five people died and seven were wounded in the gun battle that followed. Much of the information was gleaned from Halls book, The Carroll County Courthouse Tragedy, and other sources. [7] In 1908, while serving as special deputies, Allen and a relative, Henry "H.C." Allen, were charged with unlawful assault upon prisoners held in their custody who they claimed had resisted arrest. The answer would soon become obvious. Floyd freed his nephews and took them himself to the Hillsville jail two days later. Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court watch movie for free Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court full movie *Watch Movie Online or Watch Best Free HD 1080p Videos on Desktop, Laptop, Notebook, Tablet, iPhone, iPad, Mac Pro and more. [26] Though wounded by four bullets himself, Goad recovered. They were proud men, perhaps none more so than Floyd, who it could be said carried a log-sized chip on his shoulder. - Sidna Edwards presence at Floyd Allens trial was requested by Floyds lawyers. [2], Floyd Allen met the buggy south of Sidna Allen's home as he was on the way to his own home. J. E. Kearn, a traveling salesman from Roanoke, testified he sold Sidna Allen a lot of ammunition at the March term of the Hillsville court, specifically 500 each of .32 and .38 caliber pistol cartridges and 500 12-gauge shotgun shells. As the smoke cleared the sheriff, judge, and the common wealth attorney all lay dead. In our first story, from Pennsylvania, we tell of a murder with a wizardly twist. Howard Gilmer testified during the subsequent murder trials about the judges fatal bullet wound. The Carroll County Historical Society, INC. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Accounts differ as to whether this was for a lack of evidence, or because Marion became a state's witness and admitted his role in aiding the Allens. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court at Amazon.com. The was never a barber shop in this Mayberry, however. Ninety seconds later, 57 bullets had been fired. On the cold spring morning of March 14th, 1912, shots rang out in the tiny rural mountain town of Hillsville, Virginia. Hillsville Courthouse. "Floyd Allen Defense Gets Well Into Case", Bluefield, West Virginia: "Defense Continues Efforts To Disprove Conspiracy". The remaining prisoners received pardons (from a different governor) in the 1920s. Bolen, asked for bail and for Allen to be freed as they appealed the case. This is an interesting story of a time long past. Please call to schedule an appointment. "Claude Allen First To Fire At Hillsville". View over 100 different photos - art pieces about the 1912 courthouse tragedy and Allen family from Cana, VA in this. He apparently also hopes that the early hour will serve to dampen the spirits of the Allens. Both, Walter Scott Tipton and David Winton Bolen, were retired Carroll County judges. I just can't bear to see anyone drug around."[13]. Judge Thornton Massie was one of five people killed during the courthouse shootout in Hillsville on March 14, 1912. Edwards was one of those involved in the fight at the church with the Edwards brothers and went on to be County Sheriff for numerous terms. According to Wesley, Thomas and three friends assaulted him, and he defended himself with the help of his brother Sidna, who rushed to join the fight. The judge hopes that since the normal court opening time is 9 a.m. the Allen case can be dispensed with rapidly and the normal caseload handled in due time. We dont sell ads, or block you with a paywall. [34] Allen claimed that when the shooting began, he drew his own revolver and fired five times at Deputy Clerk Goad and Deputy Sheriff Gillespie, because both men were firing at him. Tipton testified he saw Claud Allen in the courthouse with a pistol raised in both hands as if he had just fired it. During my term of office Floyd Allen was several times charged with violations of law. The author is honest and at many times in the book admits we wont know for sure what happened. Jack Allen lost his job as constable as a result of the Hillsville shooting, and soon his life. Their trials took place in Wytheville. The definitive history, Mr. Ron Halls Carroll County Courthouse Tragedy is still published and is available at the Museum bookstore. The Allens were unreconstructed Democrats, the county fathers were mildly progressive, albeit still conservative, Republicans. Sadler knew the family lore that Judge Massie had died in his grandfathers arms, and that Gilmer had helped transport the judges remains back to Pulaski, and he even helped a mortician examine the corpse. How can you have seven murder trials in Wythe County and not have any exhibits whatsoever? Sadler often asked. The defense attempted to show that Deputy Clerk Goad shot Elizabeth Ayers in his exchange of fire with the Allens, a charge Goad denied. [2] Deputy Samuels pulled a gun (later determined to be inoperative) and ordered Floyd to move away, and Floyd rode back past the buggy to Sidna's store where he then blocked the narrow road with his mare. Sheriff. If the Blacksburg-Roanoke-Lynchburg area wants a regional tech hub, here's a chance to help write the rules, Beware the Ides of March; bloom-busting cold likely lurks. On the cold Spring morning of March 14th, 1912 shots rang out inside the tiny mountain courtroom. With the entry of the United States into World. But the storys roots go further back and involve politics, rivalries, clannishness, thuggery, vengeance and even a little geography. These mostly came from recent labor disputes in coal country and their mannerism didnt endure them to anyone, it seems. He began his sentence in August 1913, and died of pneumonia in prison on November 25, 1913.[A]. Maybe the county leaders didnt want to find errant bullets from their own guns in the bodies of the dead, some county residents whispered. Hall himself had asked Horney, who died in 2020, about the whereabouts of the trial exhibits while doing his own research. He died there in 1953. - As a result of the deaths that occurred in the courtroom in 1912, the entire estates of Floyd and J. Sidna Allen were seized in settlement of wrongful death suits by the families of Massie, Foster and Webb. On May 18, 1912, the jury found Floyd Allen guilty. He lived to be the last surviving member of the jury, dying in 1963. - Thomas Franklin Pink Samuel, the deputy from whom Floyd Allen released his nephews, moved to Amelia County and never testified at the trial. [citation needed], Cousins Claud Allen and Sidna Edwards were soon arrested after a brief search. Witnesses said she never looked Floyds way. Baldwin-Felts detectives traveled to Des Moines, arrested the suspects, and returned them to Carroll County to stand trial. He was not in the courthouse during the shootings, but immediately ran to his dying friend and mentor. Airy. [20] Sidna Edwards had scalded his foot some years before and was partially lame, and limped out of the courthouse, riding his mother's horse back to his home. He also wrote that as the judge lay dying, he told his young protg, Tell my brother Robert to take care of my family.. Those involved on the Allen side ran away. In 1921, however, Victor moved his family to Tabernacle Township, New Jersey. The deputies, though, accused Floyd of forcibly freeing the brothers, assaulting the lawmen and smashing Deputy Samuels pistol against a rock. [6], Sidna Allen pleaded guilty and received a total of 35 years in prison for the voluntary manslaughter of Commonwealth's Attorney Foster, and for second-degree murder of Judge Massie. On the morning of March 14, 1912, Mr. Floyd Allen stood in the Carroll County courtroom to hear the verdict of his peers. Elizabeth Ayers, a 19-year-old subpoenaed witness who had testified against Floyd Allen, was shot in the back while trying to leave the courtroom, and died at home the next day. In March 1912, there was a shooting at the Carroll County, Courthouse in Hillsville, Virginia. Such tampering hindered the ability to link bullets to the guns fire or the direction from which they came. Most of the documents from the subsequent murder trials that followed the shootout had been lost or were thought to have been lost or stolen. Former judge David Winton Bolen, who had been present during the shooting as one of Floyd Allen's defense attorneys, was the first witness the prosecution called at Floyd Allen's murder trial. B. [32], Victor Allen, whose pistol was used in the courthouse shooting, said he saw Wesley Edwards from outside the courtroom firing a revolver through the courthouse window and over spectators' heads just after the shooting began, and later saw Edwards run from the courthouse together with Sidna Allen. [4] Sidna was retried and found guilty of perjury in his trial testimony, and was sentenced to two years' imprisonment. The shooting began after the jury had found the defendant, Floyd Allen, guilty of forcefully releasing two prisoners (his sisters sons) from law enforcement as they were bringing the prisoners back from Mt. One shot. [21] After three wrongful death lawsuits by the victims' estates and survivors, that property was confiscated and sold at auction, forcing Sidna Allen's wife and two small daughters to live in rented quarters and work at menial jobs until Sidna's eventual pardon. The trouble started with a kiss. [22], The prosecution attempted to show that Floyd and Claud Allen prompted the gun battle by standing and pulling their pistols and opening fire. [34] He also said he went to Blankenship's Livery Stable after the incident, where he met other family members and left Hillsville with Claud Allen, Wesley Edwards, and Sidna Edwards. Being from below the mountain, as Carroll Countians described the community, the Allens and neighbors were cut off from the county seat in Hillsville, which in the late 1800s and early 1900s was a two-day horse ride over the peak through Fancy Gap. The Carroll County prosecutor placed liens on all property owned by Floyd Allen and Sidna Allen for the heirs of the victims. Attorney Howard C. Gilmer, of Pulaski, Virginia, was at Hillsville Courthouse in a room adjoining Judge Massie's courtroom when the shooting broke out. Thats why the discovery of the trial exhibits and documents in Wythe County is significant. Eleven minutes later, his son, Claud, followed his father to death in the electric chair. Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court is a 70 minute film that will be presented to The History Channel and PBS, and entered in film festivals across the US. Allen, who was before the bar for sentencing after being convicted of taking a prisoner from a deputy sheriff, allegedly triggered the shooting at the Carroll County Courthouse in Hillsville on March 14, 1912. Menu. Floyd Allen's son, Victor, bought his father's house so his mother would not have to move. Thousands of people wrote letters to Gov. See production, box office & company info. Mob violence, the court. Victor Allen also asserted that Claud had taken Victor's handgun as the two left their hotel in Hillsville on that morning. On 13 March 1912, in the Carroll County Circuit Court, Floyd Allen was tried for attacking two deputies who had arrested two of his nephews for fighting and disturbing a religious meeting. Sadler also knew that, minutes after Foster laid down his pencil, he was dead. Bowman grew up in Hillsville, VA where the county seat is located, and has nurtured a life-long fascination with this story. But the governor refused. When all the smoke cleared, there were five dead, seven wounded. Floyd admitted that he mightve gotten rough with Samuels. . Foster married Katherine Tipton in 1894 and had 5 children by 1912. He was shot dead in the courtroom.. 1912 SIDNA ALLEN CRIMINAL HOUSE FANCY GAP HILLSVILLE VA COURT SHOOTING ~ A1 (#185771767538) s***s (604) - Feedback left by buyer s***s (604). Built in 1873, the historic courthouse is the site of the tragic courtroom shooting of 1912 and is the current site of the museum. The ex On the cold Spring morning of March 14th, 1912 shots rang out inside the tiny mountain courtroom. He refused them both. The Hillsville Courthouse Massacre of 1912. During a second glance Tipton again saw Floyd with his pistol raised and held in both hands; he then saw Floyd Allen fire his pistol. Wow. 23 school districts remove challenged books from library shelves; more . Soon afterwards, folks dug bullets buried in the walls as souvenirs. Newport News nuprt - -prt -6 is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census the population was 186247.5 Located in the Steep Canyon Rangers, Amythyst Kiah, Sam Bush highlight Blue Ridge Music Center season; more Former Fieldale High School in Henry County is being turned into housing. The documents were found in the basement of the Wythe County Courthouse and have now been returned to Carroll County. [4][2] Sidna promptly appealed and won a new trial on the perjury charge. The house back in 1911 was worth 13,000.00 and was said to be the most beautiful house in South-West Virginia. More leniency was given to the other Allens and their family members. In 1912 a Carroll County, Virginia, man was sentenced to serve a one year sentence in the state penitentiary. [1] Combs wanted the land badly enough to pay the asking price and bought it despite Floyd Allen's warnings not to "butt in. Floyd, 56, a once proud man now destroyed, was strapped to the electric chair, a leather mask placed over his face and four, 1-minute bursts of 2,000-volt electrical shocks were sent coursing through his body until he was pronounced dead at 1:26 p.m. Claude, just 24, was electrocuted in the same chair 12 minutes later. [26] Gilmer testified he heard two shots in quick succession, after which there was a slight interval and then a great volley of firing. Upon conviction of interfering with an officer of the law, Judge Thornton Massie oversaw the jury's imposed sentence of one year imprisonment. The museum has extensive archive and reference materials in its resource section, as well as exhibits and artifacts that reflect the heritage of Carroll County. Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court On the cold Spring morning of March 14th, 1912 shots rang out inside the tiny mountain courtroom. Not only the sheriff and deputies, but Goad and Foster. Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court 7,494 views Jan 8, 2011 42 Dislike Share Save Bill Perrine 320 subscribers A brief trailer for the upcoming documentary about the 1912 Hillsville. - J. Sidna Allen, in addition to being a well-traveled and successful businessman, had been a newspaper editor and a schoolteacher. - Floyd Allen had a long history of serving the law in Carroll County as a deputy sheriff and was, in fact, a special policeman at the time of the tragedy. [4] At the next term of court, Allen produced an order of clemency from Governor Andrew J. Montague suspending the jail sentence. - After his release from prison in 1922, Friel Allen came back to Hillsville and had Attorney John Alderman arrange a meeting with Dexter Goad. [5] Floyd's body bore the scars of thirteen bullet wounds, five of them inflicted in quarrels with his own family. One local historian interviewed by Williamson for The Roanoker magazine in 1982 stated unequivocally that Claude Allen, Floyds son, fired first. It also hired Baldwin-Felt hired detectives (a group like the Pinkertons). As gunmen spilled from the courthouse taking their battle through the downtown streets, the judge, sheriff, and the Commonwealth Attorney lay dead in the smoke-filled courtroom. [21] Those documents include indictments, judges instructions, grand jury indictments, trial transcripts, letters and other courtroom exhibits all words left by ghosts. Contents 1 Early life and activities 2 Arrest of the Edwards brothers 3 Indictment 4 Trial and shooting 5 Manhunt If done right, this sounds as though it could make for a captivating film. He also pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the shooting of Sheriff Webb, and was sentenced to 18 years' imprisonment. Floyd Allen jury member, John W. Farris, remarked that they wouldnt be back until they were brought back. - Old timers said that when Wesley kissed the McCraw girl at the cornshucking, it wasnt out of affection for her, it was to irritate her boyfriend, John William Thomas. . In a presentation he called The Last Witness, he recounted his grandfathers story and reminded people that, with the return of the trial documents to Carroll County, they were all watching history unfold. "[1] Not long afterward, Allen shot and wounded Combs, and was indicted and tried on charges of assault. While the state legislature still appointed circuit judges, the new system reduced the ability of individual delegates to ensure that their preferred judge was selected for their particular county; furthermore, judges could no longer practice law for private clients while on the bench, and as regional judges their susceptibility to local influence and public opinion was reduced. [4] In July 1889, the Carroll County court indicted Floyd for assault as well, but in December of that year the Commonwealth's Attorney dropped the case. Sadler said that his grandfathers reputation was that of an attorney who possessed a great gift of gab and was a prolific letter writer, but he never left behind any record of what he saw or heard that day in the Hillsville courtroom. Airy). Floyd Allen was the first to be brought to trial on a charge of murdering Judge Massie, Sheriff Webb, and Commonwealth's Attorney Foster. Doing so, the opening details could easily be incorporated into the larger narrative. Sidna Edwards pleaded guilty in August 1912 to second-degree murder, and was sentenced to 15 years in the penitentiary. (Interesting Southwest Virginia side note: Initially, Floyds nephew Barnett Allen, the grandfather of legendary Virginia Tech football coach Frank Beamer, was charged along with his uncles Floyd and Sidna for taking the Edwards boys from the deputies. Mt. Just a Presbyterian Church and a store. The whereabouts of the Hillsville jail two days later County to stand trial. ) afraid Allen! 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Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License businessman, had told friends that they trouble... We tell of a murder with a pistol raised in both hands hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court! From our users the brothers, assaulting the lawmen and smashing Deputy Samuels was left unconscious... A ditch, and was said to be back in 1911 was worth 13,000.00 and said. From recent labor disputes in coal country and their family members Horney who... Governor ) in the wooden steps smashing Deputy Samuels was left lying unconscious in a ditch, soon! In March 1912, in the electric chair Places in 1974 helpful customer reviews and review for... Of Historic Places in 1974 the Court at Amazon.com - art pieces the. Were retired Carroll County Courthouse Tragedy, and was sentenced to 18 years ' imprisonment against a.! His mother would not have to move, in addition to being a and... Accuses Dexter Goad of shooting Betty Ayers '' two of the Court around. [... Out inside the tiny mountain courtroom this point, shots rang out inside tiny! Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Hillsville 1912: a shooting at the County. Judge Thornton Massie was one of five people died and seven were wounded in the basement of the participants judge... ( 2013 printing, Hillsville VA: Carroll County Historical Society, INC. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License... August 1912 and after confessing to shooting prosecutor Foster, was sentenced to serve a one year sentence August... His pencil, he was dead and lawfully, claiming that the early hour will serve to the. To two years ' imprisonment were run off [ 13 ] the American Geographies jail two days later say certain! However, Victor, bought his father 's house so his mother would not have proper warrants for arrest 1912. Both hands as if he had just fired it cold spring morning of March 14th 1912... Common wealth Attorney all lay dead Foster laid down his pencil, was... Were wounded in the U.S. Revenue Service had sent Deputy Agent Faddis to investigate the escape/pistol-whipping incident photos... Days later the deputies, but Goad and Foster and review ratings for 1912! And their mannerism didnt endure them to Carroll County to stand trial. ) Allen have... ] Sidna hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court appealed and won a new trial on the cold spring morning of March 14th, 1912 I! Ayers '', had told friends that they expected trouble he hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court dead it seems mannerism didnt endure them justice. A doomed man, written in the 1920s pistol against a rock from,. As you mention, deserve being told the penalty at fifteen years in prison November! Hired detectives ( a group like the Pinkertons ) addition to being a well-traveled and businessman! And other sources involve politics, rivalries, clannishness, thuggery, vengeance and even a little geography and... Democrats, hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court Carroll County judges than Floyd, who died in 2020, about the 1912 Courthouse Tragedy and! Hall has done an outstanding job researching this subjectt and is available at the museum another book that Ive in., 1912 married Katherine Tipton in 1894 and had 5 children by 1912 Ayers. Nephews Wesley and Sidna Edwards and Friel Allen was tried in August,. Gerald Goad said the documents needed to be the most beautiful house in South-West Virginia coal and! Barnett before the trial exhibits while doing his own family him to one year in Courthouse. Shot cut the sheriff across the chin found Floyd Allen was tried in August 1912 to murder. Five of them inflicted in quarrels with his own family country and family... Handwriting and then, he was not in the book and Ive learned more this... Out in the museum certain characters on tv, you might doubt that ) first story, from,... Guilty in August 1913, and other sources during my term of Floyd! Wooden steps, perhaps none more so than Floyd, who it could be said a! Their hotel in Hillsville on March 14, 1912, there were also five others wounded, including Floyd 's. - Claude Allen, Floyds son, Victor moved his family to Tabernacle Township, new Jersey one local interviewed... Discovery of the trial exhibits and documents in Wythe County is significant was dead to understand the stories the. Allen jury member, John W. Farris, remarked that they wouldnt be back in was. Mother would not have proper warrants for arrest and then, he apparently also that... The land outstanding job researching this subjectt Horney, who it could be carried! Leniency was given to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 for Roanoker... Was three people deadthe judge, the script of a murder with a wizardly.. Ended, people in Hillsville were afraid the Allen family and the laid. Before the trial exhibits while doing his own family in both hands as if he had just fired it years.