Nearly impassable muddy roads and a raw wind that carried snow flurries did not stop nearly 100 people from jamming the 1873 courthouse to see the spectacle of Floyd Allen possibly being led away in handcuffs. Jack Allen lost his job as constable as a result of the Hillsville shooting, and soon his life. Bowman grew up in Hillsville, VA where the county seat is located, and has nurtured a life-long fascination with this story. And the storys controversies, conspiracies, debates over justice and moral lessons have long outlived the verdicts and punishments that sought to settle matters more than a century ago. Find the cheapest option or how to watch with a free trial. Convicted on capital murder, both Claude and Floyd were sentenced to death. This is the actual foundation of all of the story, said Goad, whose own great-great-uncle, Dexter Goad, was a Carroll clerk of court who traded bullets with the Allens on that tragic day. I enjoy learning about local history. Some of the detectives bragged about how many miners theyd killed. Floyd freed his nephews and took them himself to the Hillsville jail two days later. 1 minute, 47 seconds Read. 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. Easter ran to an acquaintance's home, and he telephoned the sheriff at Hillsville. He had them handcuffed and tied up with a rope. [34] They returned to their homes by traveling cross-country through the farm fields rather than public roads. He asked her if she was hurt or mashed and her sister-in-law responded that she was just scared. 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. 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. Sidna Allen received a 35-year prison sentence, his nephews Wesley and Sidna Edwards and Friel Allen got lesser sentences. Far from the backward, murderous mob of hillbillies as they would later be portrayed in sensational news accounts, Floyd and his brothers were farmers, business people and even occasional lawmen who sometimes had their own run-ins with the law, usually stemming from their participation in the illegal liquor trade. Find out where you can buy, rent, or subscribe to a streaming service to watch it live or on-demand. They were arrested by Caleb Haynes and Oscar Monday of the Mount Airy police department and brought to the state line. An Allen or a member of the court? Tipton testified he saw Claud Allen in the courthouse with a pistol raised in both hands as if he had just fired it. Elian Gonzalez is a more recent example. [4][2] The next year, after the Allens complained that they could not expect justice from William Foster, the Republican Commonwealth Attorney of the county (who had recently switched parties), Judge Thornton L. Massie appointed both Floyd and H.C. as police officers for the New River section of the county. [citation needed], Floyd Allen was tried for the first-degree murder of Commonwealth's Attorney Foster. He found the murder indictment against Sidna Allen, Floyds brother who would be convicted and serve more than 13 years in prison. While the one Allens name is Floyd, there is also a town of Floyd and Floyd County to the north of Carroll County. M arch 14, 1912, arrives just as badly as the day before. He defeated the son of Jasper Jack Allen for the position. Mr. Allen stood and declared, Gentlemen, I aint a goin. Gunfire, chaos, death ensued all in a moment. Ive already read four books and have another four lined up to read!. 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 Allens were unreconstructed Democrats, the county fathers were mildly progressive, albeit still conservative, Republicans. Blacksburg-based autonomous vehicle firm Torc to acquire Canadian company; more . Katherine survived until 1960. Howard, I believe thats what youve been looking for, Horney said. 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. But the documents do bring humanity to a story often told through tintype pictures, brittle newspaper clippings, hazy memories and fables passed down through generations. Bolen, asked for bail and for Allen to be freed as they appealed the case. As the smoke cleared the sheriff, judge, and the common wealth attorney all lay dead. - 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. Allen and several members of his family immediately fled the courtroom but were later captured and convicted of murder. He lived to be the last surviving member of the jury, dying in 1963. A jury found Allen guilty, and on March 14, 1912, Allen went to his sentencing hearing before Judge Thornton L. Massie in the Hillsville courthouse. Courthouse Productions will stage "Thunder in the Hills" again at the historic Carroll County Courthouse, North Main Street, Hillsville, Virginia, beginning April 7. A recent documentary film "Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court" won an independent film award last year and will be shown this week in Hillsville. . Explore the latest videos from hashtags: #truckspottinginthe717 . You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, IHeart Radio or on your favorite podcast app. However, once the story began, it flowed better. Victor Allen also asserted that Claud had taken Victor's handgun as the two left their hotel in Hillsville on that morning. That day was March 14, 1912, the day five people were killed in a shootout between members of the Allen family and court officials on the floor of a small-town courtroom, an event forever known as The Courthouse Massacre.. Hall himself had asked Horney, who died in 2020, about the whereabouts of the trial exhibits while doing his own research. His grandfather, Howard Gilmer, was a young attorney who had been in Hillsville that day, and he was one of the last people to comfort the mortally wounded judge, Thornton Massie, Gilmers neighbor and mentor back home in Pulaski. (When Floyd fell, wounded, he landed on top of his lawyer David Bolen, who had ducked to the ground as soon as the shooting started, and who is reported to have said, "Floyd, they are going to kill me shooting at you! I have been reading Barry Lopezs About this Life. If you havent read it, you should. [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. - 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 exciting story of the Allen family and the officials who tried to bring them to justice. 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! [8] On February 1, 1908, the Allens were convicted of the charge and sentenced to ten days in jail and a fine of $10. Court testimony says she was outside throwing up on the lawn when Doctor Nuckolls came by. He told Sheriff Lewis Webb to take the prisoner. As the deputies were taking the Edwards back to Hillsville, Floyd released the boys from custody. When all the smoke cleared, there were five dead, seven wounded. The remaining prisoners received pardons (from a different governor) in the 1920s. - 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. Preserve America is a federal initiative that encourages and supports community efforts to preserve and enjoy our priceless cultural and natural heritage. Hillsville (population 3,000) is located in southwestern Virginia, in the Blue Ridge mountain range of the Appalachian Mountains. [20], Sidna Allen denied that he shot Judge Massie, or that he fired at Commonwealth's Attorney Foster, Sheriff Webb, or at Juror Fowler. "Claude Allen First To Fire At Hillsville". Matt, somewhere I have a collection of Idaho booksmostly from the Sawtooth areaI could lend. I just can't bear to see anyone drug around."[13]. 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. SIDNA ALLEN'S TERM FIXED AT 35 YEARS; Head of Hillsville Clan Sentenced for Killing of Three Court Officials. [2] His pistol empty, Allen proceeded to beat Jack with the butt of his empty revolver. He was called Pink because of a birthmark on his cheek. Mr. Alderman said he was not privy to what they discussed. However, Goad denied firing the first shot in the fusillade. Discover short videos related to Hillsville 1912 A Shooting in the Court on TikTok. B. Marshall testified that when the shooting started he turned to escape the courthouse. Attorney Howard C. Gilmer, of Pulaski, Virginia, was at Hillsville Courthouse in a room adjoining Judge Massie's courtroom when the shooting broke out. 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. [29] Marshall also testified he had been standing near Sheriff Webb, but did not see any pistol in the Sheriff's hand. Movies. According to local legend, a headstone placed atop their graves read: Sacred to the memory of Claude S. Allen and his father, who was judicially murdered in the Va. Penitentiary March 28 1913 by order of the Governor of the State over the protest of 100,000 citizens of the state of Va.. Such an interesting, but tragic, history, Jeff! 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. Why does Carroll County have the lowest vaccination rate in Virginia? The phone hasn't stopped ringing in the. (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. A nation-wide manhunt was called for by the Governor of Virginia which lasted six months. 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. "Claude Allen Convicted: He Is Found Guilty of Murdering Commonwealth's Attorney Foster", Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Allen Clan Hillsville Courthouse Shootout", The Wheeling Intelligencer March 15, 1912 p.15, Transcriptions of contemporary newspaper articles, "Mug Shot Monday Special Edition: Floyd and Claude Allen", The UncommonWealth: Voices from the Library of Virginia at the Library of Virginia, The UncommonWealth: Voices from the Library of Virginia, "Hillsville Massacre - The UncommonWealth", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Floyd_Allen&oldid=1137936144, People executed by Virginia by electric chair, 20th-century executions of American people, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2020, Articles needing additional references from October 2020, All articles needing additional references, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from October 2020, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from December 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Lewis Franklin Webb, Carroll County sheriff, William McDonald Foster, Commonwealth's Attorney, Augustus Cezar Fowler, juror (died of wounds), This page was last edited on 7 February 2023, at 04:22. Sadler looked at Fosters cursive handwriting of Floyd Allens conviction and understood the documents gravity. Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court (video) Library of Virginia "Mug Shot Special" Floyd and Claude Allen Friel Allen, No. 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. Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court (2011) Plot Showing all 1 items Jump to: Summaries (1) Summaries On the cold Spring morning of March 14th, 1912 shots rang out inside the tiny mountain courtroom. The new system appointed a full-time judge to hold court at scheduled intervals in a circuit of several counties. The home is owned by Bert and Marlene Widener, who offer tours by appointment. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. Roanoke, Va., March 16, --The prisoners from Hillsville are not expected here before 3 o'clock Sunday morning. [31], For his part, Claud Allen admitted to firing his pistol while in the courtroom. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. Horney told Sadler he decided to take one more look in the basement for the lost documents, moving more than 700 boxes. Mann asking either that the Allens be given clemency or be executed swiftly. [26] Gilmer testified he heard two shots in quick succession, after which there was a slight interval and then a great volley of firing. The words, the handwriting and the language remind us that these people long dead and seemingly characters set in stone like the Confederate statue that still stands in front of the old courthouse were human beings caught up in a cataclysmic tragedy. He also pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the shooting of Sheriff Webb, and was sentenced to 18 years' imprisonment. Airy. Site of the Bloody Massacre Photo by Author, Thelma Raker Coffone. The discovered papers do little to shed new light in the darkended corners of the tragedy. Floyd Allen grew up in a large family in southern Carroll County, raised on a farm wedged between the North Carolina border and the front wall of the Blue Ridge Mountains. [2], Deputy Samuels was left lying unconscious in a ditch, and his horses were run off. 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 And forensic science was almost non-existent, at least in rural areas. Floyd said that Commonwealth's Attorney Foster would not give him a show;[clarification needed] but that if he did not there would be a "big hole put in the court house." Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. [2], Floyd Allen met the buggy south of Sidna Allen's home as he was on the way to his own home. 272 pages including sources and a few b&w photos. The documents were found in the basement of the Wythe County Courthouse and have now been returned to Carroll County. Barely one year after the courthouse shootout, Floyd Allen and his son Claude were executed minutes apart at the Virginia State Penitentiary in Richmond. A Journey to and Beyond the Blackboard - Kim Johnson 2021-07-25 Kim Johnson, or 'Sir', has spent his life striving to achieve outstanding Now, the manner by which he freed them depended on who was telling the story. . No one secured the courthouse as a crime scene. Late in the day March 13, the jury had not reached a verdict, so Judge Massie sent them to the nearby Thornton Hotel for the night. Two bullet holes Floyd Allens final shots in the massacre are still visible in the wooden steps. So was the judge. "Floyd Allen Defense Gets Well Into Case", Bluefield, W. Va.: "Accuses Dexter Goad Of Shooting Betty Ayers". In 2015 or so, Sadler also found a .38 caliber bullet among the keepsakes. The bullet came up under the skin of her right breast. Floyd even paid their bail. [29] Marshall then related that Sidna Allen's bullet buried itself in the window about six inches above his head. I should do better and learn more about the area I call home. 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. Floyd, wounded too badly in the hip, thigh and knee to leave town, instead spent the night in the Elliott Hotel accompanied by his eldest son, Victor, who was later acquitted of involvement in the shootout. They were proud men, perhaps none more so than Floyd, who it could be said carried a log-sized chip on his shoulder. It also hired Baldwin-Felt hired detectives (a group like the Pinkertons). 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. 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. Floyd had been seriously wounded. 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. The judge refused. Mr. Alderman said Friel and Dexter met privately for about half an hour and shook hands at the end of their meeting. Gilmer accompanied the body on a short train ride from Sylvatus to Pulaski, where a throng of mourners awaited, Sadler said. 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. See production, box office & company info. 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. Allen was noted for his generosity, but also his quick temper and easily injured pride. Most significantly, Sadler knew that he was reading a document that had been missing for more than 100 years. [8], In 1910, Sidna Allen was tried in the United States court at Greensboro, North Carolina for making twenty-dollar counterfeit coins. The end result was three people deadthe judge, the Commonwealth Attorney and the sheriff. Bolen testified that Claud Allen fired the first shot, and that Claud Allen's pistol shot, together with a second shot fired by Sidna Allen, killed Judge Massie. [26] Though wounded by four bullets himself, Goad recovered. 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. 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. [2] Both Allen and his brother Sidna held legal licenses for the production of alcohol. - 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. To this day, 110 years later, nobody who has studied this notorious event can say with any assurance who fired that catastrophic first shot. 11217 Sidna Edwards, No. A handsome man who sported a whisk-broom of a mustache and carried a comb and toothbrush in his jacket pocket, Floyd frequently found himself in political squabbles with the county establishment, which he saw personified in clerk of court Dexter Goad, commonwealths attorney William Foster and leaders of the sheriffs department. On the morning of March 14, 1912, Mr. Floyd Allen stood in the Carroll County courtroom to hear the verdict of his peers. 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. As the late Roanoke writer and broadcaster Seth Williamson wrote in The Roanoker magazine in 1982, the Allen men were not a race of mild country squires.. Sheriff. The following two tabs change content below. The Stories podcast uses the following music as its opening and closing themes: I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. One local historian interviewed by Williamson for The Roanoker magazine in 1982 stated unequivocally that Claude Allen, Floyds son, fired first. The defense attempted to show that Deputy Clerk Goad shot Elizabeth Ayers in his exchange of fire with the Allens, a charge Goad denied. [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. - After his release from prison in 1922, Friel Allen came back to Hillsville and had Attorney John Alderman arrange a meeting with Dexter Goad. Howard Gilmer had traveled to Hillsville with Massie because he had a case pending in court. Witnesses said she never looked Floyds way. It lays the foundation of the events of that tragic story from March 1912.. 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. Neither died, but Jack had a silver plate in his head until he died. Floyd Allen (July 5, 1856 March 28, 1913) was an American landowner and patriarch of the Allen clan of Carroll County, Virginia. Please visit their website for more information. Airy, North Carolina. In his defense testimony, Floyd Allen stated that Sheriff Lew F. Webb fired first, but that the shot missed Allen, at which point Deputy Clerk Goad, the Clerk of Court, fired and hit Allen, causing him to fall. Did Floyd force their release or were they released into his custody? Autopsies were not conducted on the dead nor was any meaningful forensic investigation of the crime scene undertaken even though the science such studies existed in 1912 which only generated more questions, arguments, fights and conspiracy theories over the decades. Photo courtesy Carroll County Historical Society and Museum Howard Gilmer was a young attorney and protege of Judge Thornton Massie, who cradled the dying judge during his last moments in the courtroom. The book begins with character sketches of the various parties involved. "Accuses Dexter Goad of Shooting Betty Ayers". [24], Yet another lawyer who witnessed the shooting, W. A. Daugherty of Pikeville, stated that several young men were standing on court benches at the back of the room firing their pistols "like Custer's cavalrymen at the Little Big Horn". You can also see some of Sidna Allens furniture craftsmanship and Claude Allens banjo on exhibit in the museum. Other members of the family received long sentences. - 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. 12 talking about this. [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. Charges eventually were dropped against Sidna and Barnett before the trial.). 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. 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. Seems like everybody from Carroll County has some connection to this story. His mother was afraid theyd find him guilty of 1st degree murder, which carried the death penalty, so she convinced him to plead guilty to 2nd degree murder, which did not. He teased Horney about Wythe County losing such valuable historical artifacts. Photo by Ralph Berrier Jr. www.ccva.digital/1912-historical-courthouse-tragedy.html, The politics of March pressing assault chargesagainst Williams. The men were gunned down during one of the most notorious events in Southwest Virginia history. Built in 1873, the historic courthouse is the site of the tragic courtroom shooting of 1912 and is the current site of the museum. 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. He apparently also hopes that the early hour will serve to dampen the spirits of the Allens. Theres Fosters handwriting and then you realize that within five or six minutes, he was dead. The definitive history, Mr. Ron Halls Carroll County Courthouse Tragedy is still published and is available at the Museum bookstore. Two of whom, Sidna and his nephew Wesley, in Des Moines, Iowa where they were starting a new life. - 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. Was it Floyds son Claude? Burden "Byrd" Marion, a cousin and neighbor, had all charges against him dropped. Then he found the original Floyd Allen indictment that bore William Fosters final written words. After a fusillade of shots, the Allen clan left the courthouse, armed with pistols and 12-gauge pump shotguns and shooting as they ran. Sidna Allen and Claud Allen stood on benches in the courtroom's northeast corner to see over the crowd. The ex On the cold Spring morning of March 14th, 1912 shots rang out inside the tiny mountain courtroom. Soon afterwards, folks dug bullets buried in the walls as souvenirs. Much of the information was gleaned from Halls book, The Carroll County Courthouse Tragedy, and other sources. [2] Floyd then released the Edwards brothers. There were, however, nearly 20 Allen men among the spectators in the courtroom. 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. 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