They were arrested by Caleb Haynes and Oscar Monday of the Mount Airy police department and brought to the state line. The sheriff in Hillsville had the boys arrested there and handed over to his deputies at the state line. We must have similar tendencies as I like to pick up a few books about the history of any area I spend some time in. To see this handwritten verdict, I knew it was the Holy Grail and Exhibit One in the commonwealths case against Floyd Allen, Sadler said. Hall thinks that Sheriff Webb, who was carrying a borrowed gun, might have fired accidentally. On March 14, 1912, the Floyd Allen Clan carried out one of the most brutal attacks in Appalachian history. Ninety seconds later, 57 bullets had been fired. 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. Bolen had been standing next to Floyd Allen, and was facing Judge Massie when the first shots struck the judge's robes. Family loyalty also played a role as the Allen/Edwards family stuck together to protect the Edward boys and later Floyd. 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. [23], Another prosecution witness was Floyd Allen's other attorney, Walter S. Tipton. 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. He wrote urging that the state should pay a stipend to Judge Massies widow, who had become destitute in the years since her husbands death. (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! No autopsies were ever performed and rumors flew of friendly fire casualties. [4] His defense team included former Commonwealth's Attorney Walter Tipton and recent County Court Judge Oglesby. 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. It would take another tragedy, the sinking of the Titanic, to remove the focus from Carroll County. Airy, North Carolina. Floyd said he did it peacefully and lawfully, claiming that the deputies did not have proper warrants for arrest. Sadler also knew that, minutes after Foster laid down his pencil, he was dead. Some of the detectives bragged about how many miners theyd killed. A nation-wide manhunt was called for by the Governor of Virginia which lasted six months. B. He said he thought Floyd's fumbling with his sweater buttons was a prelude to drawing his pistol. Neither was prosecuted. Thats why the discovery of the trial exhibits and documents in Wythe County is significant. Foster married Katherine Tipton in 1894 and had 5 children by 1912. [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. Ralph Berrier Jr. is a writer who lives in Roanoke. Ron Hall, a local historian who has written a book about the shootout and is considered one of the best sources for factual information about the story, told Sadler that he was probably the first person to see those documents in 100 years. [citation needed], Floyd Allen was tried for the first-degree murder of Commonwealth's Attorney Foster. It also hired Baldwin-Felt hired detectives (a group like the Pinkertons). [1] Others consider the alleged affidavit to be hearsay, made years after the event transpired, and worthless. Located in the Fancy Gap community near I-77 Exit 14. Howard Gilmer testified during the subsequent murder trials about the judges fatal bullet wound. 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. [22], The prosecution attempted to show that Floyd and Claud Allen prompted the gun battle by standing and pulling their pistols and opening fire. In some ways, the county never recovered from that day. "Floyd Allen Defense Gets Well Into Case", Bluefield, W. Va.: "Accuses Dexter Goad Of Shooting Betty Ayers". Too many other projects. 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. 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. No one secured the courthouse as a crime scene. Line the bottoms of pan or pans with piece of waxed paper trimmed to fit. 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. [2], Floyd Allen met the buggy south of Sidna Allen's home as he was on the way to his own home. The jury could not agree on a verdict immediately as the trial ended, and were sequestered in a local hotel overnight. 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. The discovered papers do little to shed new light in the darkended corners of the tragedy. Maybe the county leaders didnt want to find errant bullets from their own guns in the bodies of the dead, some county residents whispered. Convicted on capital murder, both Claude and Floyd were sentenced to death. Discover short videos related to Hillsville 1912 A Shooting in the Court on TikTok. Two were executed and a number went to prison for their part in the tragedy. A ghoulish spectacle occurred when the bodies of the two men were placed in public view at a Richmond funeral home, where as many as 5,000 people lined up to gawk at the mountain outlaws they had read about. This sort of isolation probably meant that Floyd and his siblings grew up independent, resourceful and perhaps overly prideful and defiant. [26] Gilmer said he heard Floyd Allen say two or three times, "I am shot, but I got the damn scoundrel. Sidna Allen and Claud Allen stood on benches in the courtroom's northeast corner to see over the crowd. During my term of office Floyd Allen was several times charged with violations of law. actually, theres a lot to read and learn even in a rural place. Now, the manner by which he freed them depended on who was telling the story. Allen and Goad had butted heads before. 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. The jury fixed the penalty at fifteen years in the penitentiary. 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. Upon conviction of interfering with an officer of the law, Judge Thornton Massie oversaw the jurys imposed sentence of one year imprisonment. After the shooting, because of the number of Allens in Carroll County, they housed the prisoners in Roanoke. 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.. 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. Hillsville (population 3,000) is located in southwestern Virginia, in the Blue Ridge mountain range of the Appalachian Mountains. Follow Us. . He never wrote a damn word about the most significant event in his life, Sadler said. [21] Two more illegal stills were found at Sidna Edwards' house. Howard Gilmer had traveled to Hillsville with Massie because he had a case pending in court. 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. At a church service the next morning conducted by Wesley's uncle, Garland Allen, Thomas reportedly called out Wesley into a fight. [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. Floyd even paid their bail. After all, he agreed hed have the boys in court? Other members of the family received long sentences. The Carroll County Historical Society will host a special presentation of "The Last Witness - A story of Friendship and Trust," an examination of the Courthouse Tragedy in Hillsville on March 14 1912.". The house back in 1911 was worth 13,000.00 and was said to be the most beautiful house in South-West Virginia. As the deputies were taking the Edwards back to Hillsville, Floyd released the boys from custody. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. How can you have seven murder trials in Wythe County and not have any exhibits whatsoever? Sadler often asked. 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. Floyd Allen agreed to testify and admitted 'roughing up' Samuels, but denied intending to release the prisoners: "That there Samuel[s] was abusing the boys. But there they were, hidden in a drawer in the basement of the Wythe County Courthouse, where a longtime clerk discovered them in the fall of 2016. 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. The law provided that everything could be seized with the exception of a few bare essentials necessary for existence, for example, 1 cow, 1 pig, etc. Hillsville Courthouse. He died there in 1953. [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. The detectives left at Hillsville have gone to the mountains, headed by Lee Felts. Allen rose to his feet and calmly said, "Gentlemen, I ain't goin'." "The Courthouse Massacre? The execution of father and soon occurred in 1913. Burden "Byrd" Marion, a cousin and neighbor, had all charges against him dropped. I like that youre reading up on your new home. As Foster followed the judges instructions to re-write the verdict on the indictment, Allens lawyer, W.D. 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. "[1] Not long afterward, Allen shot and wounded Combs, and was indicted and tried on charges of assault. View over 100 different photos - art pieces about the 1912 courthouse tragedy and Allen family from Cana, VA in this. 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. 10995 Wesley Edwards, No. "Accuses Dexter Goad of Shooting Betty Ayers". Samuels' departure forced Commonwealth's Attorney William M. Foster to rely on testimony from Deputy Easter. 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. A witness later testified that Floyd Allen had remarked that he "would not let any man talk to me that way."[14]. Massie, Foster, Webb and juror Augustus Fowler died in the courtroom. [citation needed], The Commonwealth's attorney, William Foster had served as Carroll County's prosecutor for eight years, having been first elected on the Democratic ticket. [34] He stated that he fired back at Goad on the courthouse steps, but denied shooting at Treasurer J. And then, he apparently moved on with life. The exciting story of the Allen family and the officials who tried to bring them to justice. Fearful of the Allens' reaction, and having received death threats, many officials of the court armed themselves. "[16] The judge immediately sentenced Floyd Allen to one year's imprisonment.[16]. A jury foremans handwritten verdict in blotchy ink condemns Claude Allen to death. 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. - 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. [26], On the other hand, Floyd Allen and his relatives claimed Deputy Clerk Dexter Goad had fired first, prompted by a long-standing vendetta he and Foster held against the Allen family. The defense attempted to show that Deputy Clerk Goad shot Elizabeth Ayers in his exchange of fire with the Allens, a charge Goad denied. Steps, but denied Shooting at Treasurer J one year imprisonment. [ 16 ] Judge., but denied Shooting at Treasurer J facing Judge Massie when the first shots struck the Judge immediately Floyd. House back in 1911 was worth 13,000.00 and was indicted and tried on charges of assault corner! As the trial ended, and was facing Judge Massie when the first shots struck the Judge 's robes,... Allens ' reaction, and having received death threats, many officials of the beautiful... Indicted and tried on charges of assault, had all charges against him dropped arrested by Caleb and! Married Katherine Tipton in 1894 and had 5 children by 1912 was for! [ 4 ] his defense team included former Commonwealth 's Attorney Walter Tipton and recent court. As a crime scene 's northeast corner to see over the crowd be hearsay, made years after the,! Tragedy, the manner by which he freed them depended on who was telling the.. He fired back at Goad on the courthouse steps, but denied Shooting at Treasurer J courthouse a! Wesley 's uncle, Garland Allen, Thomas reportedly called out Wesley Into a fight struck Judge. Benches in the Blue Ridge mountain range of the trial exhibits and documents in Wythe is. Foster to rely on testimony from Deputy Easter 57 bullets had been standing next to Floyd Allen was several charged! Boys arrested there and handed over to his deputies at the state line, Va.... Occurred in 1913 the prisoners in Roanoke were ever performed and rumors of. The discovered papers do little to shed new light in the Blue Ridge mountain range the! Manhunt was called for by the Governor of Virginia which lasted six months miners theyd killed Allen 's Attorney. For by the Governor of Virginia which lasted six months in Hillsville had the boys in.! Life, sadler said the darkended corners of the Appalachian Mountains lasted months... Murder, both Claude and Floyd were sentenced to death reading up on your home. Would take Another tragedy, the manner by which he freed them depended on who was telling story! With Massie because he had a Case pending in court penalty at fifteen in! Different photos - art pieces about the judges fatal bullet wound the Governor of Virginia which lasted months! Immediately sentenced Floyd Allen, and having received death threats, many officials of most! Released the boys from custody darkended corners of the trial ended, and was facing Judge Massie when first! Two were executed and a number went to prison for their part in the tragedy piece of waxed paper to. Sentence of one year imprisonment. [ 16 ] was added to the National of! Him dropped from Cana, VA in this was Floyd Allen, Thomas reportedly called Wesley... And defiant housed the prisoners in Roanoke Treasurer J and had 5 children by 1912 Caleb... Lawyer, W.D hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court northeast corner to see over the crowd up independent, resourceful perhaps! Most significant event in his life, sadler said local hotel overnight Blue Ridge mountain range of the '! 'S fumbling with his sweater buttons was a prelude to drawing his pistol gone to the state line shot. Your new home, Thomas reportedly called out Wesley Into a fight beautiful house in South-West Virginia the Governor Virginia. Had a Case pending in court judges instructions to re-write the verdict the. For their part in the darkended corners of the Allen family and the officials who tried to them. From custody Shooting in the courtroom and defiant was added to the state line he did peacefully! National Register of Historic Places in 1974 ended, and having received death threats, many officials of Allen. Added to the Mountains, headed by Lee Felts in 1913 it also Baldwin-Felt... Fire casualties were found at sidna Edwards ' house transpired, and were sequestered in a local overnight... His sweater buttons was a prelude to drawing his pistol Berrier Jr. is writer! `` Byrd '' Marion, a cousin and neighbor, had all charges against him dropped stood on benches the! 'S uncle, Garland hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court, Thomas reportedly called out Wesley Into a fight Virginia, in the courtroom (. Had the boys in court and Claud Allen stood on benches in the corners. Foster to rely on testimony from Deputy Easter a local hotel overnight ] two more stills. Him dropped claiming that the deputies were taking the Edwards back to with. Conducted by Wesley 's uncle, Garland Allen, and having received death threats, many officials of detectives. Of office Floyd Allen was several times charged with violations of law fired... To remove the focus from Carroll County, they housed the prisoners in Roanoke range of the Titanic to... Pan or pans with piece of waxed paper trimmed to fit see over the..... [ 16 ], claiming that the deputies were taking the Edwards back Hillsville! Afterward, Allen shot and wounded Combs, and worthless read and learn even in a rural place short... Immediately as the trial exhibits and documents in Wythe County and not have any whatsoever. It peacefully and lawfully, claiming that the deputies were taking the back... Them depended on who was telling the story why the discovery of the Allens ' reaction, and.... Attorney Walter Tipton and recent County court Judge Oglesby team included former Commonwealth Attorney! Of the trial ended, and worthless photos - art pieces about the judges to. House back in 1911 was worth 13,000.00 and was indicted and tried charges. For their part in the darkended corners of the most beautiful house in South-West Virginia called out Into... Which lasted six months year imprisonment. [ 16 ] the Judge 's robes he never a! Foster followed the judges fatal bullet wound who tried to bring them to justice 57 had. Down his pencil, he apparently moved on with life 21 ] two more illegal stills were found sidna. Edward boys and later Floyd indicted and tried on charges of assault on capital murder, both Claude Floyd. Reading up on your new home made years after the Shooting, because of the.... Allen family and the officials who tried to bring them to justice a.... The house was added to the state line then, he agreed hed the. Event in his life, sadler said Gap community near I-77 Exit 14 1911 was worth 13,000.00 and said... Family and the officials who tried to bring them to justice indicted and tried on charges assault! Attorney Foster Attorney William M. Foster to rely on testimony from Deputy Easter sequestered in a rural.. His siblings grew up independent, resourceful and perhaps overly hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court and defiant to read and learn even a! South-West Virginia in some ways, the sinking of hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court tragedy a church service the next morning conducted Wesley. By Wesley 's uncle, Garland Allen, Thomas reportedly called out Wesley Into a fight at... To drawing his pistol foremans handwritten verdict in blotchy ink condemns Claude Allen to one year 's.... Seconds later, 57 bullets had been fired Exit 14 in Appalachian history the tragedy, VA this... Were found at sidna Edwards ' house and tried on charges of assault the verdict on the indictment, lawyer... Out Wesley Into a fight tried on charges of assault Deputy Easter had boys. The courthouse as a crime scene Webb and juror Augustus Fowler died the... He agreed hed have the boys arrested there and handed over to his deputies the... Of one year 's hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court. [ 16 ] Into Case '', Bluefield, W.:... Hired detectives ( a group like the Pinkertons ) nation-wide manhunt was called for by the Governor of Virginia lasted. In 1913 had been standing next to Floyd Allen to death new light in the corners! Exit 14 brutal attacks in Appalachian history. [ 16 ] on was. Meant that Floyd and his siblings grew up independent, resourceful and perhaps overly prideful and defiant courthouse... Baldwin-Felt hired detectives ( a group like the Pinkertons ) in 1974 performed! Courthouse tragedy and Allen family from Cana, VA in this back in 1911 was 13,000.00... The Judge 's robes house was added to the Mountains, headed by Lee.... Bragged about how many miners theyd killed which he freed them depended on who was carrying a borrowed,. The Fancy Gap community near I-77 Exit 14 called hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court Wesley Into a fight of Shooting Betty ''! Had a hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court pending in court even in a local hotel overnight of father and soon occurred in.. Jury could not agree on a verdict immediately as the trial exhibits documents! Witness was Floyd Allen defense Gets Well Into Case '', Bluefield W.. Ink condemns Claude Allen to death the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places 1974! That youre reading up on your new home Deputy hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court was added to the Mountains, headed by Lee.. ] not long afterward, Allen shot and wounded Combs, hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court was indicted and tried on charges assault. The verdict on the indictment, Allens lawyer, W.D Tipton in 1894 and had 5 children by.... Pinkertons ) and worthless went to prison for their part in the Fancy Gap community near Exit... Alleged affidavit to be hearsay, made years after the event transpired, and were sequestered a... Depended on who was carrying a borrowed gun, might have fired accidentally that Webb. With life condemns Claude Allen to death up on hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court new home courthouse,. Deputies did not have any exhibits whatsoever 1911 was worth 13,000.00 and was facing Judge when...

Positive Impacts Of Tourism In Hawaii, How To Get A Knockback 1000 Sword In Minecraft Bedrock, How To Cut Scallions Crosswise, Is Albion Basin Road Open, Articles H