As if entitled, they took what they wanted or needed. 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. - Arresting officer Oscar Monday was the step-brother of the Edwards brothers. Howard Gilmer testified during the subsequent murder trials about the judges fatal bullet wound. Mob violence, the court. The exciting story of the Allen family and the officials who tried to bring them to justice. Sidna Allen was never tried for his part in the altercation, while Barnett Allen was acquitted at trial. At one time, there was another store and a tannery and a number of dairies and some local micro-distilleries (before they became popular or legal). His grandfather had taken the round from the courthouse the day of the killings. Hall himself had asked Horney, who died in 2020, about the whereabouts of the trial exhibits while doing his own research. Jack Allen lost his job as constable as a result of the Hillsville shooting, and soon his life. [20], Sidna Allen denied that he shot Judge Massie, or that he fired at Commonwealth's Attorney Foster, Sheriff Webb, or at Juror Fowler. The house back in 1911 was worth 13,000.00 and was said to be the most beautiful house in South-West Virginia. ( Historic Resource | DHR | Carroll County) Hillsville (population 3,000) is located in southwestern Virginia, in the Blue Ridge mountain range of the Appalachian Mountains. [2] His pistol empty, Allen proceeded to beat Jack with the butt of his empty revolver. [36], For their roles in the shooting, Floyd and Claud were sentenced to death by electrocution. Allen and several members of his family immediately fled the courtroom but were later captured and convicted of murder. The detectives left at Hillsville have gone to the mountains, headed by Lee Felts. He defeated the son of Jasper Jack Allen for the position. We are the court of record. PARROW'S TRIAL POSTPONED Chicago Lawyer Will Not Appear Be fore Jan. 6. [21] He refused them both. Family loyalty also played a role as the Allen/Edwards family stuck together to protect the Edward boys and later Floyd. 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. She was shot on Thursday morning and lived until early the next morning. The oldest, continuously operating . 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. (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. As historian Ron Hall wrote in his book: And for a moment, the world stopped.. The Allens could be a rough bunch, who fought with and shot at enemies which they had no shortage of, apparently and even each other. The men were gunned down during one of the most notorious events in Southwest Virginia history. Hall has done an outstanding job researching this subjectt. Floyd, with a concealed pistol, began to shoot, but only after the mayhem began. [29] Marshall then related that Sidna Allen's bullet buried itself in the window about six inches above his head. 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. [8] Only a month later, their petition for executive clemency was granted by Governor Claude A. Swanson, restoring their political rights to hold office. The significance of this event to Carroll County is profound, Sadler said. Allen had been convicted of a serious offense interfering with a deputy (beating up a deputy was closer to the truth) to release his nephews from custody but nothing so serious that rose to the level of instigating a deadly shootout. SIDNA ALLEN'S TERM FIXED AT 35 YEARS; Head of Hillsville Clan Sentenced for Killing of Three Court Officials. In the space of 90 seconds, 57 bullets were fired into the Hillsville courthouse, killing five men and wounding three more. [34] They returned to their homes by traveling cross-country through the farm fields rather than public roads. On March 14, 1912, the Floyd Allen Clan carried out one of the most brutal attacks in Appalachian history. 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. Most significantly, Sadler knew that he was reading a document that had been missing for more than 100 years. Some of the detectives bragged about how many miners theyd killed. Much of the information was gleaned from Halls book, The Carroll County Courthouse Tragedy, and other sources. The courtroom buzzed. Now, thanks to Gerald Goads interest in this, the return of these documents can be part of a healing process. Carroll County Historical Society and Museum. Preserving and Presenting the History of the County of Carroll, Commonwealth of Virginia. Massie sentenced Allen to one year in prison. 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.. Burden "Byrd" Marion, a cousin and neighbor, had all charges against him dropped. They, too, were captured by Felts and his men, as Sidna Allen came to believe that Wesleys girlfriend back home had betrayed them. Wow. Contact him at ralph.berrier@gmail.com. Those documents include indictments, judges instructions, grand jury indictments, trial transcripts, letters and other courtroom exhibits all words left by ghosts. - 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. On the cold Spring morning of March 14th, 1912 shots rang out inside the tiny mountain courtroom. 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. See production, box office & company info. The sentence would have had Floyd do time. Located in the Fancy Gap community near I-77 Exit 14. 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. Friel Allen gave himself up to detectives in the company of his father, Jack Allen, who worried his son might be killed while being apprehended. Petty also witnessed a pistol duel between Sidna Allen and Deputy Clerk Dexter Goad. One shot. (Walter Allen had lost the bitterly fought race. - 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. - William Fosters daughter, Aline, married George Ellison Bud Edwards in 1917. After all, he agreed hed have the boys in court? [2] Floyd then released the Edwards brothers. The remaining prisoners received pardons (from a different governor) in the 1920s. Everybody was packing weapons, it seemed. Most of the Allens and their cohorts escaped initially, but an emergency call to Virginia Gov. After close to a year of delays, Floyd was finally brought to trial on March 13, 1912. Massie refused, saying he was there to prosecute, not persecute.. [2], Deputy Samuels was left lying unconscious in a ditch, and his horses were run off. 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. 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. 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. Charges eventually were dropped against Sidna and Barnett before the trial.). [11] On the way to the courthouse, the buggy passed by several properties owned by the Allens. 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. [13], The rumor that the Allens were intimidating witnesses was called to the attention of the court. Although some stories say she didnt know she was shot and some say she said I am killed, no documentation exists to confirm either. 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. Floyd had been seriously wounded. 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. Elian Gonzalez is a more recent example. Then a cacophony of gunfire. And then, he apparently moved on with life. He apparently also hopes that the early hour will serve to dampen the spirits of the Allens. 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. He was with his brother when the shooting occurred and was in jail with him when a vigilante mob took his brother into the jail yard and killed him. Hillsville, Virginia is part of the Preserve America program. 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. V. Ray Bowman is known for Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court (2011). 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. [citation needed]. The announcement of that sentence set off a gun battle that became one of the worst incidences of violence ever to occur in an American courtroom. Those involved on the Allen side ran away. 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. After the shooting, because of the number of Allens in Carroll County, they housed the prisoners in Roanoke. Such tampering hindered the ability to link bullets to the guns fire or the direction from which they came. Join in supporting in-depth journalism for Southwest and Southside Virginia. [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. Floyd Allen was well represented by a two-attorney team. In March 1912, there was a shooting at the Carroll County, Courthouse in Hillsville, Virginia. [4] His defense team included former Commonwealth's Attorney Walter Tipton and recent County Court Judge Oglesby. Yep, I think we do have similar tendencies. Find out where you can buy, rent, or subscribe to a streaming service to watch it live or on-demand. [6], Despite their history of violence, the Allens held considerable political power, and Allen had a reputation for courage. Ralph Berrier Jr. is a writer who lives in Roanoke. When Floyd Allen's case was set for trial, rumors arose that he had sent word to Deputy Samuels that he would kill Samuels if the deputy testified against him. On March 17, 1916, he stopped for the night in a roadhouse near Mt. 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]. 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. Did Floyd force their release or were they released into his custody? March 14, 1912 - Hillsville Massacre Hillsville's history has a bit of a dark spot within it; the dark spot is known as the 1912 Courthouse Tragedy which was rivaled in the news only by the devastation known as the Titanic. He began his sentence in August 1913, and died of pneumonia in prison on November 25, 1913.[A]. [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. 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. Director Rick Bowman Writers Rick Bowman Bill Perrine Stars 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. 11218 The Roanoker - Hillsville Massacre Industrial Survey - Carroll County (NOTE a 1929 publication) Media The Carroll News Hillsville began as a trading post known as Cranberry Plains. As gunmen spilled from the courthouse taking their battle through the downtown streets, the judge, sheriff, and the Commonwealth Attorney lay dead in the smoke-filled courtroom. One local historian interviewed by Williamson for The Roanoker magazine in 1982 stated unequivocally that Claude Allen, Floyds son, fired first. How can you have seven murder trials in Wythe County and not have any exhibits whatsoever? Sadler often asked. After getting down the steps he leaned against the window of his office when two girls, Dora and Elizabeth Ayers, passed him. Deputy Clerk Dexter Goad admitted firing the second shot at Floyd, striking him in the pelvis. 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. Otherwise, neither Sidna Edwards nor Victor Allen would have been present. Explore the latest videos from hashtags: #truckspottinginthe717 . [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 jury could not agree on a verdict immediately as the trial ended, and were sequestered in a local hotel overnight. Sidna was released from prison, but he never set foot in his fine house again. HILLSVILLE Howard Sadler held the last words of a dead man in his hands. 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. Then he found the original Floyd Allen indictment that bore William Fosters final written words. 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. 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. That said, I am glad to have read the book and Ive learned more about this area. Perhaps to get even, Goad charged Allen with falsifying expense reports when he worked as a county deputy. 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. - 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 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 Courthouse Massacre? Floyd admitted that he mightve gotten rough with Samuels. An Appalachian Feud Blows Up in 1912 Step into True Colors -- a new series of Historical Stories of Romance and American Crime In Carroll . 1 minute, 47 seconds Read. 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. - Carroll law officers did not cross into North Carolina to arrest the Edwards brothers as has long been claimed. So was the judge. Otherwise, he would not have been armed. The Carroll County prosecutor placed liens on all property owned by Floyd Allen and Sidna Allen for the heirs of the victims. B. Earle, 1866-1867. Menu. View Map and Driving Directions Phone: (276) 728-2594 This story could have been written in a Creative Non-Fiction genre. Gilmer accompanied the body on a short train ride from Sylvatus to Pulaski, where a throng of mourners awaited, Sadler said. 2023 TheTVDB.com, A Whip Media Company. For a while, Hillsville was at the top of the nations newspaper. - Claude Allen did not take a gun when he went to Hillsville To Floyds trial. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, IHeart Radio or on your favorite podcast app. Mr. Allen stood and declared, "Gentlemen, I ain't a goin'." I enjoyed the book even though it took me a while to get into it. [34] Sidna Allen claimed that when he left the courthouse, Goad followed behind him, shooting him through the left arm, the bullet lodging in his left side. This film is currently in development. [32], Sidna Edwards testified that he was not armed on the day of the shooting and that he did not like to carry guns. [4][2] Sidna promptly appealed and won a new trial on the perjury charge. [4], In another instance, while arguing over the administration of their father's estate, Allen got into a gunfight with his own brother, Jasper, known as "Jack", a local constable. Betty Ayers, an 18-year-old witness, was hit in the back while fleeing the courtroom and died the next day. Hillsville Courthouse. [1] Allen, who was before the bar for sentencing after being convicted of taking a prisoner from a deputy sheriff, allegedly triggered the shooting at the Carroll County Courthouse in Hillsville on March 14, 1912. The new system appointed a full-time judge to hold court at scheduled intervals in a circuit of several counties. - 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. You can also see some of Sidna Allens furniture craftsmanship and Claude Allens banjo on exhibit in the museum. 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. [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. The execution of father and soon occurred in 1913. Discover short videos related to Hillsville 1912 A Shooting in the Court on TikTok. About; Contact; Links; Search for: Tags. [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. All men were pardoned by Gov. 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. Eleven minutes later, his son, Claud, followed his father to death in the electric chair. Officers often had a violent past. Their trials took place in Wytheville. The exciting story of the Allen family and the officials who tried to bring them to justice. During my term of office Floyd Allen was several times charged with violations of law. 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. Floyd freed his nephews and took them himself to the Hillsville jail two days later. Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court, is a documentary feature concerning the Carroll County Courthouse shootings that occurred in Hillsville, Virginia. 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. 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. However, no extradition order was issued. The exhibits were discovered in 2016 in Wythe County's courthouse. When it was over the judge and the sheriff laid dead. Those documents can be found at www.ccva.digital/1912-historical-courthouse-tragedy.html. I enjoy learning about local history. The exciting story of the Allen family and the officials who tried to bring them to justice. Hall thinks that Sheriff Webb, who was carrying a borrowed gun, might have fired accidentally. One of these days I would like to sit down and write a book about it but just havent made the time yet. The legend also claims that the marker was removed as a condition of Sidna Allens pardon in 1926 after he served 14 years. V. Ray Bowman, Self: Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court. The U.S. Revenue Service had sent Deputy Agent Faddis to investigate reports of illegal liquor trafficking by the Allens. Edwards was one of those involved in the fight at the church with the Edwards brothers and went on to be County Sheriff for numerous terms. He found trial transcripts. 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 Howard Gilmer had traveled to Hillsville with Massie because he had a case pending in court. Friel settled in Inglewood, CA where he married twice, but never had any children. Justice came swiftly to the Allens, perhaps a bit too swiftly for those folks who began to believe that a grave conspiracy among county officials had provoked the Allens in order to bring them down. Interesting, the real Mayberry is along the Blue Ridge, in Patrick County, but just east of Carroll County. As Foster followed the judges instructions to re-write the verdict on the indictment, Allens lawyer, W.D. There are even questions as to what happened here. It would take another tragedy, the sinking of the Titanic, to remove the focus from Carroll County. 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. 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? Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court - Actors and actresses. 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. -- 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 . When all the smoke cleared, there were five dead, seven wounded. The answer would soon become obvious. "Saw Claude Allen Fire First At Judge Massie". [18], Seven others were wounded, including Deputy Clerk Goad and Floyd Allen. Because of his vision to preserve and protect these exhibits, theyll never be lost again.. Soon afterwards, folks dug bullets buried in the walls as souvenirs. - After his release from prison in 1922, Friel Allen came back to Hillsville and had Attorney John Alderman arrange a meeting with Dexter Goad. What follows is a genuine effort to accurately summarize the tragedy and the events that led to the bloodshed. Past month; Great transaction. [1] Others consider the alleged affidavit to be hearsay, made years after the event transpired, and worthless. Thousands of people wrote letters to Gov. To find the prized ear meant he could kiss any girl there. Published in the SW VA Enterprise, Wytheville, Virginia Tuesday, July 4, 1939. On March 14, 1912, Floyd stood in the Hillsville, Va. courthouse, convicted of interfering with police business and assaulting a deputy sheriff. Please visit their website for more information. 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