hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court

The ex On the cold Spring morning of March 14th, 1912 shots rang out inside the tiny mountain courtroom. 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. '"[11][17] At this point, shots broke out in the courtroom. March broke cold and rainy in the mountains. Floyd? Mr. Allen stood and declared, Gentlemen, I aint a goin. Gunfire, chaos, death ensued all in a moment. . Sadler, a real estate broker in Blacksburg who lives on a family farm in Pulaski County, had taken an interest in the shootout story after looking at old scrapbooks kept by his grandmother, Howard Gilmers daughter. Published in the SW VA Enterprise, Wytheville, Virginia Tuesday, July 4, 1939. [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 even paid their bail. [4] At the next term of court, Allen produced an order of clemency from Governor Andrew J. Montague suspending the jail sentence. As the smoke cleared the sheriff, judge, and the common wealth attorney all lay dead. The significance of this event to Carroll County is profound, Sadler said. The defense attempted to show that Deputy Clerk Goad shot Elizabeth Ayers in his exchange of fire with the Allens, a charge Goad denied. 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. Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court Great Video Historical documentary of the 1912 Hillsville, VA courthouse shootout between the Allen family and the officers of the court. He said he thought Floyd's fumbling with his sweater buttons was a prelude to drawing his pistol. 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. He died there in 1953. - Commonwealths Attorney, William McDonald Foster, was a brother-in-law to one of Floyd Allens defense attorneys; Walter Scott Tipton. After the Edwards were charged with assault, they fled across the North Carolina border to Mt. There are many questions as to what led up to this event, but it seems to have begun with Wesley Edwards getting a red ear of corn at a corn shucking. 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. 10994 Hillsville Masscre Sidna Allen, No. - Thomas Franklin Pink Samuel, the deputy from whom Floyd Allen released his nephews, moved to Amelia County and never testified at the trial. Hillsville began as a trading post known as Cranberry Plains. He only lived 7 years after the trial. A second shot entered the back about four inches lower, while a third shot cut the sheriff across the chin. 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. Harry F. Byrd Sr. in the 1920s. [34] He stated that he fired back at Goad on the courthouse steps, but denied shooting at Treasurer J. [36], For their roles in the shooting, Floyd and Claud were sentenced to death by electrocution. Another entered the body at the cap of the left hip and passed through the abdomen. Airy? I enjoy learning about local history. One bullet entered the back and ranged upward, lodging directly under the collarbone. Sadler said that reading Fosters handwriting gave him chills. Recognizing the need for immediate action, assistant clerk S. Floyd Landreth sent a telegram to Democratic Governor William Hodges Mann which read: Send troops to the County of Carroll at once. Everybody was packing weapons, it seemed. Elian Gonzalez is a more recent example. Judge Bolen confirmed his prior testimony that he saw Claud Allen fire the first shot at Judge Massie from the courtroom's northeast corner, whereupon Claud advanced toward the court officers to where Commonwealth's Attorney Foster was standing. -- 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 . A Journey to and Beyond the Blackboard - Kim Johnson 2021-07-25 Kim Johnson, or 'Sir', has spent his life striving to achieve outstanding 11217 Sidna Edwards, No. We depend entirely on donations. SHREDDED WHEAT RECIPIES - CIRCA 1933 Booklet~Advertising | Collectibles, Advertising, Food & Beverage | eBay! The flood of indictments that came just days after the shootout wail with pain, the typewritten words seething on the page while claiming that the Allens unlawfully, feloniously, wickedly and maliciously killed the sheriff and others. Sadler knew that tragic story, and he understood his familys connection to it. Massie had been urged by Foster and Goad to disarm the throng before the trail began. [1], Governor Mann immediately called on the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency to find those responsible for the shootings and arrest them. After all, he agreed hed have the boys in court? Preserving and Presenting the History of the County of Carroll, Commonwealth of Virginia. B. Marshall testified that when the shooting started he turned to escape the courthouse. The announcement of. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court at Amazon.com. Mann asking either that the Allens be given clemency or be executed swiftly. Petty also witnessed a pistol duel between Sidna Allen and Deputy Clerk Dexter Goad. Floyd spent the night at his brother Sidnas splendid new home in Fancy Gap, about 7 miles away. Massie refused, saying he was there to prosecute, not persecute.. This is the sort of history that gets lost a lot the sensational, headlining tale thats at the front of everyones mind until something even more sensational comes along. Allen later denied this, but the reported threat caused Samuels to leave the state the same night it was delivered. - 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. The handwritten note, scribbled hastily in pencil on a folded piece of paper, read: We the jury find the defendant Floyd Allen guilty as charged in the within indictment and fix his punishment at confinement in the penitentiary of this state for one year., Sadler knew that William Foster, the chief prosecutor in Carroll County, had written those words at the behest of a judge. When the men were buried, it was beneath one final statement of defiance. 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. The exciting story of the Allen family and the officials who tried to bring them to justice. - Claude Allen did not take a gun when he went to Hillsville To Floyds trial. 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. Maybe so, but people just keep coming back to this story. Ralph Berrier Jr. is a writer who lives in Roanoke. How can you have seven murder trials in Wythe County and not have any exhibits whatsoever? Sadler often asked. [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]. After the shooting, because of the number of Allens in Carroll County, they housed the prisoners in Roanoke. - 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. Floyd, with a concealed pistol, began to shoot, but only after the mayhem began. [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. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, IHeart Radio or on your favorite podcast app. Commonwealth's Attorney, Sheriff, some jurors and others shot on the conviction of Floyd Allen for a felony. Victor Allen also asserted that Claud had taken Victor's handgun as the two left their hotel in Hillsville on that morning. Jack came to and shot Floyd which ended the affair. [34] Sidna Allen and Wesley Edwards then left Virginia, eventually reaching Des Moines, Iowa. 11218 The Roanoker - Hillsville Massacre Industrial Survey - Carroll County (NOTE a 1929 publication) Media The Carroll News Features three historians (two that have written books about the incident)and their interpretations of the events that led up to the shooting and the consequences. 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. Airy). I should do better and learn more about the area I call home. 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. View Map and Driving Directions Phone: (276) 728-2594 On March 28, 1913, barely a year after the bloodshed in Hillsville, Floyd and Claude Allen were executed in the same electric chair. It was Thomas and his father who swore out warrants for the Edwards brothers as a result of the fight at the schoolhouse/church the next day. In the second, a husband, Spread the loveOne hundred five years ago this month opposition against the draft was coming to a boil, including in Appalachia. Those documents can be found at www.ccva.digital/1912-historical-courthouse-tragedy.html. The play, which is. 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. He never wrote a damn word about the most significant event in his life, Sadler said. [37] Allen's death sentence was deeply unpopular with Allen supporters in the county, but many other residents were unsympathetic, surprised by the deaths of so many people over Floyd Allen's refusal to serve a year in prison. [29] Marshall also testified he had been standing near Sheriff Webb, but did not see any pistol in the Sheriff's hand. As the deputies were taking the Edwards back to Hillsville, Floyd released the boys from custody. A jury foremans handwritten verdict in blotchy ink condemns Claude Allen to death. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. When the jury returned a guilty verdict against with a sentence of one year in the penitentiary, Floyd Allen is reported to have said to Judge Massie: "If you sentence me on that verdict, I will kill you. The end result was three people deadthe judge, the Commonwealth Attorney and the sheriff. The battle of tradition against modernity seemed to be the heart of the rivalries: Would Carroll County be a 20th century civilized bastion of law, order and rules, or would the hidebound rugged frontier individualism of taking law into ones own hands and the bucking of authority prevail? The phone hasn't stopped ringing in the. Interest in the story never wanes, even though, as the historian Hall said, weve about beaten the thing to death.. What follows is a genuine effort to accurately summarize the tragedy and the events that led to the bloodshed. Samuels' departure forced Commonwealth's Attorney William M. Foster to rely on testimony from Deputy Easter. Two months after the shootout, Floyd Allen was convicted in Wytheville of killing Foster, the commonwealths attorney. Massie, Foster, Webb and juror Augustus Fowler died in the courtroom. The last and fifth shot went into the calf of the leg and when his trousers were removed, a .32 caliber bullet was discovered. Two of the participants were executed and the others received lengthy prison sentences. 1 minute, 47 seconds Read. Or the Clerk of Court Dexter Goad, who seems to have first pulled a gun? Built in 1873, the historic courthouse is the site of the tragic courtroom shooting of 1912 and is the current site of the museum. This is an interesting story of a time long past. A fight ensued and Floyd beat Samuels with his own pistol. [23], Another prosecution witness was Floyd Allen's other attorney, Walter S. Tipton. The author also hints there were issues between the Democratic Allens and the Republicans who made up much of the courthouse crowd. If thats the case, those against the Allens saw a way to get back at them. Why does Carroll County have the lowest vaccination rate in Virginia? 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! Foster was a political enemy of the Allens, who had supported Jack Allen's son, Walter, as Democratic candidate for Commonwealth's Attorney against Foster in the last election. 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. Many of Allen clan members were spectators in the courtroom, most of them armed with pistols. Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court; Videos; The Holstein Dilemma. Gerald Goad, Carroll County Clerk of the Circuit Court, engineered the transfer of the documents from Wytheville to Hillsville. "Floyd Allen Defense Gets Well Into Case", Bluefield, West Virginia: "Defense Continues Efforts To Disprove Conspiracy". The pop of a single revolver. He was tried in federal court, found guilty, and sentenced to a year in federal prison at Moundsville, West Virginia. 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. 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. To find the prized ear meant he could kiss any girl there. The last two bullets were fired by Floyd and went through two of the steps of one of the courthouse's stairways, where they can still be viewed today. [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. His brother, Sidna? 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