hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court

They were arrested by Caleb Haynes and Oscar Monday of the Mount Airy police department and brought to the state line. 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. Who fired their pistol first? [20], Sidna Allen denied that he shot Judge Massie, or that he fired at Commonwealth's Attorney Foster, Sheriff Webb, or at Juror Fowler. Bowman grew up in Hillsville, VA where the county seat is located, and has nurtured a life-long fascination with this story. The following two tabs change content below. [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. 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. - William McDonald Foster, Commonwealths Attorney in 1912, had been a Democrat but turned Republican when he ran for the post. [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 documents dont answer the seemingly unsolvable questions that have lingered in the air like gun smoke for 110 years. 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 U.S. Revenue Service had sent Deputy Agent Faddis to investigate reports of illegal liquor trafficking by the Allens. [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. 272 pages including sources and a few b&w photos. Floyd, with a concealed pistol, began to shoot, but only after the mayhem began. Like this one, I often find they could have used some rearranging to keep ones interest but I almost always enjoy them. 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. The Commonwealth of Virginia posted rewards ($1000 for Sidna Allen, $1000 for Sidna Edwards, $800 for Claud Allen, $500 for Friel Allen, and $500 for Wesley Edwards) - dead or alive. I enjoy learning about local history. Mr. Alderman said he was not privy to what they discussed. No one secured the courthouse as a crime scene. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, IHeart Radio or on your favorite podcast app. They, too, were captured by Felts and his men, as Sidna Allen came to believe that Wesleys girlfriend back home had betrayed them. The 1912 documents referred to in this story were scanned and digitally archived by Delilah Brady, a volunteer and director for the Carroll County Historical Society and Museum. 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. Its cool you found such an interesting tale based in your area. Floyd shot Jack in the head and then began to beat him in the head with a rock while he was out cold. Howard Gilmer testified during the subsequent murder trials about the judges fatal bullet wound. Published in the SW VA Enterprise, Wytheville, Virginia Tuesday, July 4, 1939. In response, the judge told the two men that if the law could not be faithfully enforced in Carroll County by the county's deputized officers he would bring in state troops if necessary to maintain order. - After his release from prison in 1922, Friel Allen came back to Hillsville and had Attorney John Alderman arrange a meeting with Dexter Goad. 10994 Hillsville Masscre Sidna Allen, No. Jack Allen lost his job as constable as a result of the Hillsville shooting, and soon his life. Much of the information was gleaned from Halls book, The Carroll County Courthouse Tragedy, and other sources. Howard Sadlers grandfather, Howard Gilmer, who died before Sadler was born, carried the enormity of the tragedy with him throughout his short life. - After the shootout ended, people in Hillsville were afraid the Allen family would come back into town and kill everyone in sight. A fight ensued and Floyd beat Samuels with his own pistol. [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. Elian Gonzalez is a more recent example. 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. Mr. Allen stood and declared, Gentlemen, I aint a goin. Gunfire, chaos, death ensued all in a moment. 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. Sheriff. "Floyd Allen Defense Gets Well Into Case", Bluefield, West Virginia: "Defense Continues Efforts To Disprove Conspiracy". There were also five others wounded, including Floyd Allen. Newport News nuprt - -prt -6 is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. Floyd called home to have his son, Victor, bring him to court on Wednesday, March 13th. Some later turned themselves in. Deputy Clerk Dexter Goad admitted firing the second shot at Floyd, striking him in the pelvis. Upon his arrest by deputies at the hotel, Floyd attempted to slash his own throat with a pocketknife, but was overpowered before he could complete the job.[19]. "[1] Not long afterward, Allen shot and wounded Combs, and was indicted and tried on charges of assault. He was not in the courthouse during the shootings, but immediately ran to his dying friend and mentor. On March 14, 1912, Floyd stood in the Hillsville, Va. courthouse, convicted of interfering with police business and assaulting a deputy sheriff. Floyd Allen's son, Victor, bought his father's house so his mother would not have to move. But it turned out that he actually had left behind one document about what he saw and heard on March 14, 1912. The play, which is. Elbert Lee Trinkle and Gov. [21] Two more illegal stills were found at Sidna Edwards' house. Convicted on capital murder, both Claude and Floyd were sentenced to death. Maybe so, but people just keep coming back to this story. [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. WYTHEVILLE, Va., Nov. 22. Jack came to and shot Floyd which ended the affair. On the cold Spring morning of March 14th, 1912 shots rang out inside the tiny mountain courtroom. Just a Presbyterian Church and a store. [34] Sidna Allen and Wesley Edwards then left Virginia, eventually reaching Des Moines, Iowa. You do have some interesting local history. As if entitled, they took what they wanted or needed. 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 - Arresting officer Oscar Monday was the step-brother of the Edwards brothers. - In 1912, the Carroll County courtroom was some 20 feet shorter than it is today. On the morning of March 14, 1912, Mr. Floyd Allen stood in the Carroll County courtroom to hear the verdict of his peers. Another of those events that have passed into history. Hall has done an outstanding job researching this subjectt. 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. The property is now listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Floyd Allen was born in 1856 and spent much of his life living in Cana, Virginia, located below Fancy Gap Mountain in Carroll County. As gunmen spilled from the courthouse taking their battle through the downtown streets, the judge, sheriff, and Commonwealth Attorney lay dead in the smoke-filled courtroom. The town's name was changed to Hillsville in the late 1820s to honor a local family. A stolen kiss. 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. 1 minute, 47 seconds Read. - 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. He lived to be the last surviving member of the jury, dying in 1963. The exciting story of the Allen family and the officials who tried to bring them to justice. The Allens were unreconstructed Democrats, the county fathers were mildly progressive, albeit still conservative, Republicans. 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. 23 school districts remove challenged books from library shelves; more . This sideline didnt add to the story. Otherwise, neither Sidna Edwards nor Victor Allen would have been present. 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. [10] Rather than face arrest, the two men fled over the state line to North Carolina, where they found jobs in a granite quarry. [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. '"[11][17] At this point, shots broke out in the courtroom. [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. 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. The Carroll County Historical Society, INC. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. [2] Wesley Edwards tried to grapple with Easter, but Easter got away and fired a shot at Floyd as he did so, wounding Floyd in the finger. Hillsville, Virginia is part of the Preserve America program. To be honest, nothing in the more than 180 pages of court papers adds any new information to the well-researched story of the shootout and its equally tragic aftermath. We dont sell ads, or block you with a paywall. So, in late 1910 when two of Floyd Allens nephews got in a little trouble with the law, the consequences would be deadly. 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. Floyd Allen was the first to be brought to trial on a charge of murdering Judge Massie, Sheriff Webb, and Commonwealth's Attorney Foster. The men were gunned down during one of the most notorious events in Southwest Virginia history. 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. As Foster followed the judges instructions to re-write the verdict on the indictment, Allens lawyer, W.D. Neither died, but Jack had a silver plate in his head until he died. )[12], Foster called upon a grand jury to investigate the escape/pistol-whipping incident. [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. [21] One local historian interviewed by Williamson for The Roanoker magazine in 1982 stated unequivocally that Claude Allen, Floyds son, fired first. [29] He testified that one of the girls pointed out some of the Allens leaving the courthouse, when Sidna Allen came toward him, pointed his pistol at him, and fired. No autopsies were performed. Roanoke, Va., March 16, --The prisoners from Hillsville are not expected here before 3 o'clock Sunday morning. Others state that Miss Iroller's father, who had never approved of his daughter's romance with Wesley Edwards, tipped off the detectives that Maude was going to Des Moines to marry him. Theres Fosters handwriting and then you realize that within five or six minutes, he was dead. - Carroll law officers did not cross into North Carolina to arrest the Edwards brothers as has long been claimed. The documents were found in the basement of the Wythe County Courthouse and have now been returned to Carroll County. While there, Wesley kissed a girl who was romantically linked to a local youth, Will Thomas, which led to an altercation between the two young men. He found the murder indictment against Sidna Allen, Floyds brother who would be convicted and serve more than 13 years in prison. B. - 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. What follows is a genuine effort to accurately summarize the tragedy and the events that led to the bloodshed. He refused them both. Again, no investigation was made at the scene. "The Courthouse Massacre? - 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. Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court - Actors and actresses. However, Goad denied firing the first shot in the fusillade. So was the judge. The identification label on the drawer bore a large A and an X. Horney pulled the label out from its slot, flipped it over and read the typed words on the other side: (Claudes name was frequently spelled with and without an E.). He died there in 1953. Director Rick Bowman Writers Rick Bowman Bill Perrine Stars Not only the sheriff and deputies, but Goad and Foster. Judge Thornton L. Massie called Constable Jack Allen (and Floyd Allen, who had been deputized by Massie about six months earlier) to the bar and proceeded to question them about the alleged intimidation. "Claude Allen First To Fire At Hillsville". [2] Sentenced to a $100 fine and one hour in jail for wounding Jack, Floyd refused to go, saying that he "would never spend a minute in jail as long as the blood flowed through his veins". Brothers Wesley and Sidna Edwards (not to be confused with their uncle, Sidna Allen, Floyds brother), attended a corn-shucking party, a country frolic where folks played music, drank liquor on the side and, yes, shucked corn. [4] His defense team included former Commonwealth's Attorney Walter Tipton and recent County Court Judge Oglesby. [8] On February 1, 1908, the Allens were convicted of the charge and sentenced to ten days in jail and a fine of $10. Baldwin-Felts detectives traveled to Des Moines, arrested the suspects, and returned them to Carroll County to stand trial. He proved to be right. The animosity derived from a feud between Thomas father, George W. Thomas, and Floyd Allen. Three trials were needed to finally convict Claude. 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. Sidna Allen was never tried for his part in the altercation, while Barnett Allen was acquitted at trial. Gerald Goad, Carroll County Clerk of the Circuit Court, engineered the transfer of the documents from Wytheville to Hillsville. This is another book that Ive read in order to learn about my new locale. . The judge refused. HILLSVILLE, Va. On a cold March morning in 1912, this Blue Ridge Mountain town would change forever when gunfire erupted in the Carroll County Courthouse. We depend entirely on donations. The jury could not agree on a verdict immediately as the trial ended, and were sequestered in a local hotel overnight. The Hillsville Massacre By Seth Williamson Nobody knows who fired the first shot that cold, gray day, but before it was over, four lay dead, one was dying, and Carroll County would never be the same again. 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. A few weeks ago, that trove of documents related to the shootout and subsequent trials made its way back to Carroll County, where the whole mess started. 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. To see this handwritten verdict, I knew it was the Holy Grail and Exhibit One in the commonwealths case against Floyd Allen, Sadler said. [20], Within a month, all suspected shooters were in custody, except Sidna Allen and Wesley Edwards. 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. I oppose capital punishment (although if you heard what I sometimes say about certain characters on tv, you might doubt that). V. Ray Bowman is known for Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court (2011). Too many other projects. Easter ran to an acquaintance's home, and he telephoned the sheriff at Hillsville. 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. However, no extradition order was issued. 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.

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