Allen later denied this, but the reported threat caused Samuels to leave the state the same night it was delivered. [2] Floyd Allen later stated that he never intended to have the boys set completely free, he just wanted them to be released from their manacles. No autopsies were ever performed and rumors flew of friendly fire casualties. Now, thanks to Gerald Goads interest in this, the return of these documents can be part of a healing process. Also, there were places where the author seemed to go out onto a tangent, such as explaining how electrocution became a means of capital punishment used on Floyd and Claude. Sheriff. On a different occasion, he heard Floyd Allen make the same threat of putting the biggest hole in the courthouse that any man ever had seen. "There were five people murdered. On the cold Spring morning of March 14th, 1912 shots rang out inside the tiny mountain courtroom. Alex Murdaugh listens to Dr. Paul McManigal's testimony during Murdaugh's trial for murder at the Colleton County Courthouse on Tuesday, February 28, 2023. His brother, Sidna? shot up the Carroll county court at Hillsville last March, resulting in the death of five persons, was found guilty of murder in the Second degree for the killing of Judge Thornton L. Mas sie. The new system appointed a full-time judge to hold court at scheduled intervals in a circuit of several counties. Attorney Howard C. Gilmer, of Pulaski, Virginia, was at Hillsville Courthouse in a room adjoining Judge Massie's courtroom when the shooting broke out. Accounts differ as to who actually fired the first shot. Sidna Allen received a 35-year prison sentence, his nephews Wesley and Sidna Edwards and Friel Allen got lesser sentences. Perhaps the hardest thing for an outsider to understand is the frequently heard claim that the subject is dead. 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. 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. 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. [26] Gilmer said he heard Floyd Allen say two or three times, "I am shot, but I got the damn scoundrel. Fearful of the Allens' reaction, and having received death threats, many officials of the court armed themselves. [35] In July 1912, after three separate trials, Claud Allen was convicted of first-degree murder for the killing of Commonwealth's Attorney Foster, and for second-degree murder for the killing of Judge Massie. Those documents can be found at www.ccva.digital/1912-historical-courthouse-tragedy.html. The spotlight returned to the story of the shootout when the centennial of the tragedy was marked in 2012. He died at his daughters home in Hillsville in 1941. Hall himself had asked Horney, who died in 2020, about the whereabouts of the trial exhibits while doing his own research. Most significantly, Sadler knew that he was reading a document that had been missing for more than 100 years. "[1] Not long afterward, Allen shot and wounded Combs, and was indicted and tried on charges of assault. Floyd once got in a tangle over a business deal with his younger brother Jasper Jack Allen, who might have been the toughest Allen of them all, and the two men shot and wounded each other. On March 14, 1912, Floyd stood in the Hillsville, Va. courthouse, convicted of interfering with police business and assaulting a deputy sheriff. Charges eventually were dropped against Sidna and Barnett before the trial.). Some of the detectives bragged about how many miners theyd killed. [26] Gilmer testified he heard two shots in quick succession, after which there was a slight interval and then a great volley of firing. March broke cold and rainy in the mountains. 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. [1], Governor Mann immediately called on the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency to find those responsible for the shootings and arrest them. [36], For their roles in the shooting, Floyd and Claud were sentenced to death by electrocution. Allen once accused Goad of running liquor, which forced the clerk to resign from a prestigious post as federal commissioner. The Historical Society has gathered significant materials, published over the years, that attempt to interpret this event in our local history. Floyd said Goad and Foster were part of a privileged clique, according to Hall, one that would never include the likes of Floyd or his family. Mr. Alderman said he was not privy to what they discussed. Petty also witnessed a pistol duel between Sidna Allen and Deputy Clerk Dexter Goad. Most of the Allens and their cohorts escaped initially, but an emergency call to Virginia Gov. Massie refused, saying he was there to prosecute, not persecute.. Again it is . [8] On February 1, 1908, the Allens were convicted of the charge and sentenced to ten days in jail and a fine of $10. As Foster followed the judges instructions to re-write the verdict on the indictment, Allens lawyer, W.D. People were struck, some were wounded, some killed instantly. The execution of father and soon occurred in 1913. The deputies, though, accused Floyd of forcibly freeing the brothers, assaulting the lawmen and smashing Deputy Samuels pistol against a rock. This story could have been written in a Creative Non-Fiction genre. Join in supporting in-depth journalism for Southwest and Southside Virginia. They, too, were captured by Felts and his men, as Sidna Allen came to believe that Wesleys girlfriend back home had betrayed them. Courthouse Productions will stage "Thunder in the Hills" again at the historic Carroll County Courthouse, North Main Street, Hillsville, Virginia, beginning April 7. He never wrote a damn word about the most significant event in his life, Sadler said. The documents were found in the basement of the Wythe County Courthouse and have now been returned to Carroll County. There were, however, nearly 20 Allen men among the spectators in the courtroom. The home is owned by Bert and Marlene Widener, who offer tours by appointment. However, once the story began, it flowed better. You do have some interesting local history. Judge Massie, Sheriff Webb, Commonwealth's Attorney Foster, and the jury foreman (Augustus C. Fowler), were all hit and died of their wounds sustained in the crossfire. Spread the loveOne of the first writers to bring the real Appalachia to the world was John Fox Jr., who had come to the coal boom town of Big Stone, Spread the loveWe have a two-fer for you this week! In 1912 a Carroll County, Virginia, man was sentenced to serve a one year sentence in the state penitentiary. William Hodges Mann from Hillsvilles one outside line brought the famed Baldwin-Felts detectives to town the next day. The agency, infamous for busting coal miner unions, breaking strikes and shooting people in West Virginia, were led by Thomas Felts from just down the road in Galax. And forensic science was almost non-existent, at least in rural areas. He found trial transcripts. Two of the participants were executed and the others received lengthy prison sentences. [30], At Claud Allen's trial for the murder of Commonwealth's Attorney Foster, Judge David W. Bolen was again the prosecution's star witness. During the initial manhunt, several posses of detectives and local deputies searched the surrounding countryside. Wesley Edwards drew nine years for each count of murder for the slaying of Foster, Massie, and Webb for a total of 27 years' imprisonment. Floyd Allen's son, Victor, bought his father's house so his mother would not have to move. Massie, Foster, Webb and juror Augustus Fowler died in the courtroom. The goals of the program include a greater shared knowledge about the nation's past, strengthened regional identities and local pride, increased local participation in preserving the country's cultural and natural heritage assets, and support for the economic vitality of our communities. Claude had become a cause celebre in his final days, perhaps for his handsome looks that were regularly featured in newspaper photos and the fact that he was leaving behind a grieving fianc. But the storys roots go further back and involve politics, rivalries, clannishness, thuggery, vengeance and even a little geography. Floyd called home to have his son, Victor, bring him to court on Wednesday, March 13th. Generations of Carroll Countians would grow up and grow old hearing about the shootout, arguing over who the true perpetrators were, creating and dismissing wild theories and resolving nothing. )[12], Foster called upon a grand jury to investigate the escape/pistol-whipping incident. Carroll County Clerk of the Circuit Court Gerald Goad sits behind the drawer that holds long-lost documents from the murder trials that followed the infamous "Courthouse Massacre" in 1912. Its cool you found such an interesting tale based in your area. Interest in the story never wanes, even though, as the historian Hall said, weve about beaten the thing to death.. . Wesley and Sidna would be charged with assault, but before they could be arrested, they dashed across the state line, where Carroll County lawmen could not apprehend them. I like that youre reading up on your new home. One shot. Five people died and seven were wounded in the gun battle that followed. - William Sidna Edwards, the nephew of Floyd Allen, was sentenced to 18 years in prison as a result of the Courthouse Tragedy, although he never fired a shot. Movies. Bake . Felts and his team strode into action, quickly arresting a badly wounded Floyd Allen at a Hillsville Hotel during a staged scene for newspaper photographs. Yep, I think we do have similar tendencies. "Floyd Allen Defense Gets Well Into Case", Bluefield, W. Va.: "Accuses Dexter Goad Of Shooting Betty Ayers". In March 1912, there was a shooting at the Carroll County, Courthouse in Hillsville, Virginia. [29] Marshall then related that Sidna Allen's bullet buried itself in the window about six inches above his head. Floyd Allen (July 5, 1856 March 28, 1913) was an American landowner and patriarch of the Allen clan of Carroll County, Virginia. He began his sentence in August 1913, and died of pneumonia in prison on November 25, 1913.[A]. Atop a shelf, he saw what looked like a drawer among the boxes. Roanoke, Va., March 16, --The prisoners from Hillsville are not expected here before 3 o'clock Sunday morning. 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. Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court; Videos; The Holstein Dilemma. On the morning of March 14, 1912, Mr. Floyd Allen stood in the Carroll County courtroom to hear the verdict of his peers. Floyd Allen was the first to be brought to trial on a charge of murdering Judge Massie, Sheriff Webb, and Commonwealth's Attorney Foster. On the morning of March 14, 1912, Mr. Floyd Allen stood in the Carroll County courtroom to hear the verdict of his peers. The end result was three people deadthe judge, the Commonwealth Attorney and the sheriff. Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court On the cold Spring morning of March 14th, 1912 shots rang out inside the tiny mountain courtroom. He found the murder indictment against Sidna Allen, Floyds brother who would be convicted and serve more than 13 years in prison. Neither died, but Jack had a silver plate in his head until he died. There were also five others wounded, including Floyd Allen. [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. SIDNA ALLEN'S TERM FIXED AT 35 YEARS; Head of Hillsville Clan Sentenced for Killing of Three Court Officials. [11] There was only one set of handcuffs, and because Sidna Edwards had tried to escape a couple of times, Wesley was handcuffed in the front seat of the buggy and Sidna was tied in the back seat. Not only the sheriff and deputies, but Goad and Foster. The following two tabs change content below. Another younger brother, Sidna, was a successful businessman who had prospected for gold in Alaska, operated a store, owned a considerable amount of land and built a lovely Queen Anne-style home in Fancy Gap, and yet he was accused of being a counterfeiter who barely avoided jail time even though one of his associates was sent up the river. . Justice came swiftly to the Allens, perhaps a bit too swiftly for those folks who began to believe that a grave conspiracy among county officials had provoked the Allens in order to bring them down. Sheriff and Commonwealth's Attorney dead, court serious. He also wrote that as the judge lay dying, he told his young protg, Tell my brother Robert to take care of my family.. I like how youre reading books about where you live. . Friel settled in Inglewood, CA where he married twice, but never had any children. The deputy clerk of Carroll County, Dexter Goad, obtained a new warrant for the brothers' arrest, notifying the sheriff in Surry County, North Carolina, who soon arrested both men. The bullet came up under the skin of her right breast. Allen rose to his feet and calmly said, "Gentlemen, I ain't goin'." - In 1912, the Carroll County courtroom was some 20 feet shorter than it is today. Preserving and Presenting the History of the County of Carroll, Commonwealth of Virginia. Family loyalty also played a role as the Allen/Edwards family stuck together to protect the Edward boys and later Floyd. [2] Both Allen and his brother Sidna held legal licenses for the production of alcohol. Wesley, the story goes, shucked a red ear of corn and proceeded to kiss the girlfriend of a Thomas boy who he did not like. Another entered the body at the cap of the left hip and passed through the abdomen. I have been reading Barry Lopezs About this Life. If you havent read it, you should. 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