hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court

Wow. The exciting story of the Allen family and the officials who tried to bring them to justice. Two were executed and a number went to prison for their part in the tragedy. 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. He pointed toward what appeared to Sadler to be a metal file. Tipton testified he saw Claud Allen in the courthouse with a pistol raised in both hands as if he had just fired it. There is a story of where I live now that has never been written about that I have found very fascinating and have extensive notes on it. To this day, 110 years later, nobody who has studied this notorious event can say with any assurance who fired that catastrophic first shot. -- Sidna Allen, leader of the Allen clan, which shot up the Carroll County Court at Hillsville last March, causing the death of five person, was to-day found guilty of . In several instances he escaped indictment, I am satisfied, because the witnesses were afraid to testify to the facts before the grand jury. After years of being privately owned, Sidna Allens house was given to the Carroll County Historical Society in 2014 by siblings Stanley Widener and Bonnie Wood, whose mother, Marlene, often opened the house to the public for tours. Both, Walter Scott Tipton and David Winton Bolen, were retired Carroll County judges. Two of the participants were executed and the others received lengthy prison sentences. M arch 14, 1912, arrives just as badly as the day before. 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. Sadler knew that tragic story, and he understood his familys connection to it. That verdict, those words uttered by a jury foreman and re-written by Foster, were what prompted the freshly convicted the defiant Allen to stand up and pronounce, Gentlemen, I just aint a-goin, or words to that effect, right before the courtroom filled with smoke and lead. [2], Floyd Allen met the buggy south of Sidna Allen's home as he was on the way to his own home. After all, he agreed hed have the boys in court? The announcement of. I dont know too much historical facts about where I live. 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. The documents dont answer the seemingly unsolvable questions that have lingered in the air like gun smoke for 110 years. Mob violence, the court. A nation-wide manhunt was called for by the Governor of Virginia which lasted six months. As the smoke cleared the sheriff, judge, and the common wealth attorney all lay dead. 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. And then, he apparently moved on with life. The historical societys museum resides on the first floor of the old courthouse, which no longer is a government building but still majestically commands the high ground of Main Street like it did in 1912. The animosity derived from a feud between Thomas father, George W. Thomas, and Floyd Allen. 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. Perhaps to get even, Goad charged Allen with falsifying expense reports when he worked as a county deputy. Spray bottom of pans with Pam baking spray apply the waxed paper and spray the pan, waxed paper and sides with Pam. For a while, Hillsville was at the top of the nation's newspaper. [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. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/ramblinglibrarian/41284, 28 Aussens@iten by Stefan Kartenberg (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Supposedly Floyd said, as the Sheriff and the Clerk of the Court approached to take him into custody, Im not going. The shooting then started. Most of the Allens and their cohorts escaped initially, but an emergency call to Virginia Gov. He proved to be right. "Accuses Dexter Goad of Shooting Betty Ayers". The Carroll County Historical Society, INC. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Jack came to and shot Floyd which ended the affair. [1], In his testimony at his murder trial, Floyd Allen admitted he had fired at Deputy Clerk Quesinberry and again twice more at other unknown persons once he had left the courthouse.[28]. The exciting story of the Allen family and the officials who tried to bring them to justice. Judge Thornton Massie was one of five people killed during the courthouse shootout in Hillsville on March 14, 1912. Synopsis On the cold Spring morning of March 14th, 1912 shots rang out inside the tiny mountain courtroom. [29], Another witness, Walter Petty, also testified that the first shots were fired from the courtroom's northeast corner, where Claud Allen was standing. Wow. - Carroll law officers did not cross into North Carolina to arrest the Edwards brothers as has long been claimed. S. E. Gardner, a Hillsville undertaker who prepared the body of Sheriff Webb for burial, testified that the Sheriff was shot no less than five times. Floyd spent the night at his brother Sidnas splendid new home in Fancy Gap, about 7 miles away. Sheriff. See details- ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK - HILLSVILLE 1912: A SHOOTING IN THE COURT: A FAMILY BECAME Buy It Now Add to cart Watch Sold bymoviemars (2843836)97.1% Positive feedbackContact seller About this product Product Identifiers Record Label CD Baby UPC 0884501678674 eBay Product ID (ePID) 28046038825 Product Key Features Artist Conner & Miller Format The house back in 1911 was worth 13,000.00 and was said to be the most beautiful house in South-West Virginia. View over 100 different photos - art pieces about the 1912 courthouse tragedy and Allen family from Cana, VA in this. The legend also claims that the marker was removed as a condition of Sidna Allens pardon in 1926 after he served 14 years. Airy, North Carolina where he encountered Will McGraw, a moonshine hauler. - Claude Allen did not take a gun when he went to Hillsville To Floyds trial. See production, box office & company info. 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. The defense attempted to show that Deputy Clerk Goad shot Elizabeth Ayers in his exchange of fire with the Allens, a charge Goad denied. Mr. Alderman said Friel and Dexter met privately for about half an hour and shook hands at the end of their meeting. Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. You do have some interesting local history. Even the accused, Floyd Allen, carried a pistol. What follows is a genuine effort to accurately summarize the tragedy and the events that led to the bloodshed. actually, theres a lot to read and learn even in a rural place. [1] Sentenced by the jury to an hour in jail and a $100 fine, plus costs, Allen immediately posted bail pending an appeal. [10] Rather than face arrest, the two men fled over the state line to North Carolina, where they found jobs in a granite quarry. 272 pages including sources and a few b&w photos. Most likely, someone had intentionally hidden the drawer to keep people from pawing through and perhaps removing the papers. Floyd Allen's son, Victor, bought his father's house so his mother would not have to move. Floyd, with a concealed pistol, began to shoot, but only after the mayhem began. (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. HILLSVILLE Howard Sadler held the last words of a dead man in his hands. Friel settled in Inglewood, CA where he married twice, but never had any children. The presentation will be held Sunday, March 12 at 2 p.m. at the Historic Carroll County Courthouse and will be led by Blacksburg . Not knowing all the details, I wasnt sure what to do with this information. On the morning of March 14, 1912, Mr. Floyd Allen stood in the Carroll County courtroom to hear the verdict of his peers. There are still questions to be answered, but they probably never will be answered. Menu. 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. 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. "You have no idea how much it means to me for you to be here today. Thats why the discovery of the trial exhibits and documents in Wythe County is significant. [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. Hillsville Courthouse. [1], Governor Mann immediately called on the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency to find those responsible for the shootings and arrest them. The ex On the cold Spring morning of March 14th, 1912 shots rang out inside the tiny mountain courtroom. Sadlers research took him to the Wythe County Courthouse, where he befriended Hayden H. Horney, the longtime circuit court clerk. [23], Another prosecution witness was Floyd Allen's other attorney, Walter S. Tipton. There is still question as to what happened and who shot first. 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. It lays the foundation of the events of that tragic story from March 1912.. A jury foremans handwritten verdict in blotchy ink condemns Claude Allen to death. 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. Yep, I think we do have similar tendencies. He was the patriarch of the county's most prominent family, which, in addition to owning large tracts of farmland and a prosperous general store, were also active in local politics as proud Southern Democrats. Blacksburg-based autonomous vehicle firm Torc to acquire Canadian company; more . Contact us: By Mail PO Box 937 - Hillsville, VA 24343 | By Phone (276) 728 4113 | By Email carrollmuseum@yahoo.com | On Facebook https://facebook.com/CarrollMuseum | Or come visit us in the Historic Courthouse at: 515 North Main Street - Hillsville, VA 24343. Other members of the family received long sentences. Again, no investigation was made at the scene. "Floyd Allen Defense Gets Well Into Case", Bluefield, W. Va.: "Accuses Dexter Goad Of Shooting Betty Ayers". But it turned out that he actually had left behind one document about what he saw and heard on March 14, 1912. Victor Allen also asserted that Claud had taken Victor's handgun as the two left their hotel in Hillsville on that morning. There was a massive effort for the governor to commute the sentences of Claude and Floyd, including a petition with over 100,000 signatures. Sadler also knew that, minutes after Foster laid down his pencil, he was dead. Charges eventually were dropped against Sidna and Barnett before the trial.). Seems like everybody from Carroll County has some connection to this story. Site of the Bloody Massacre Photo by Author, Thelma Raker Coffone. More by Ralph Berrier Jr. Support Cardinal News and connect with more than 13,000 of our most engaged readers by sponsoring a Cardinal News newsletter. [citation needed], On the following Monday, Wesley and Sidna Edwards were turned over to the court by Floyd Allen, and the two Edwards brothers were soon tried and convicted of their crimes. I recently learned that our town had a number of hiding spots on the Underground Railroad. [4], Judge Robert C. Jackson, an attorney in Roanoke and Judge Thornton Massie's predecessor in the Carroll County courtroom, stated that, "Floyd Allen was perhaps the worst man of the clan overbearing, vindictive, high tempered, brutal, with no respect for law and little or no regard for human life. The town's name was changed to Hillsville in the late 1820s to honor a local family. Find the cheapest option or how to watch with a free trial. Sheriff and Commonwealth's Attorney dead, court serious. At the 2020 census the population was 186247.5 Located in the Ralph Berrier Jr. is a writer who lives in Roanoke. This is another book that Ive read in order to learn about my new locale. 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. More than fifty bullets were later recovered from the shooting scene. [1][4] Floyd had wanted to buy a farm owned by one of his own brothers, but could not agree on a price. Terribly tragic. Gerald Goad said the documents needed to be back in Carroll County. He had them handcuffed and tied up with a rope. [11] On the way to the courthouse, the buggy passed by several properties owned by the Allens. 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. Howard Sadlers grandfather, Howard Gilmer, who died before Sadler was born, carried the enormity of the tragedy with him throughout his short life. "The Courthouse Massacre? 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. - After his release from prison in 1922, Friel Allen came back to Hillsville and had Attorney John Alderman arrange a meeting with Dexter Goad. As the smoke cleared the sheriff, judge, and the common wealth attorney all lay dead. B. Marshall testified that when the shooting started he turned to escape the courthouse. Such stories as you mention, deserve being told. Allen also had political run-ins with Foster, who switched parties from Democrat to Republican in order to defeat an Allen relative for the prosecutors post. When all the smoke cleared, there were five dead, seven wounded. [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. Eventually, Carroll County deputies Thomas Pink Samuels and Peter Easter nabbed the brothers in North Carolina, shackled them and loaded them on a wagon for the long ride up the mountain, passing by Sidna Allens home and store in Fancy Gap where they were met by none other than a hot-tempered Floyd Allen, who was angered that his kinfolk were hog-tied in a wagon like livestock being carted to market. [8], In 1910, Sidna Allen was tried in the United States court at Greensboro, North Carolina for making twenty-dollar counterfeit coins. Floyd Allen (July 5, 1856 March 28, 1913) was an American landowner and patriarch of the Allen clan of Carroll County, Virginia. The Carroll County prosecutor placed liens on all property owned by Floyd Allen and Sidna Allen for the heirs of the victims. In a fusillade of shots, Allen hit Jack in the head, which struck a glancing blow on Jack's scalp, while one of Jack's bullets hit Allen in the chest. When Floyd and Claude Allens bodies were brought back to the familys house in Cana, Frances Allen Floyds wife, Claudes mother entered the room dressed in black and fell across her sons coffin, embracing his body like a child. The play was still occasionally performed before the pandemic. One can wonder if that was a sign that she blamed her husband for the tragic calamity that befell the family. Samuels' departure forced Commonwealth's Attorney William M. Foster to rely on testimony from Deputy Easter. Later, the Thomas boy and others scrapped with the Edwards boys outside a church service, with the Edwards brothers getting the best of their rivals. - Floyd Allen was tried in 1903 for shooting his first cousin, Noah Combs, and was sentenced to spend 1 hour in jail and pay a fine. 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