V. Ray Bowman, Self: Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court. WYTHEVILLE, Va., Nov. 22. Just a Presbyterian Church and a store. ")[1] Floyd Allen stated that only then did he draw his own revolver and begin shooting. To this day, 110 years later, nobody who has studied this notorious event can say with any assurance who fired that catastrophic first shot. They didnt find Andrew because the cell was dark and he had climbed up between the chimney and wall near the ceiling. Both, Walter Scott Tipton and David Winton Bolen, were retired Carroll County judges. 1912 SIDNA ALLEN CRIMINAL HOUSE FANCY GAP HILLSVILLE VA COURT SHOOTING ~ A1 (#185771767538) s***s (604) - Feedback left by buyer s***s (604). On the cold spring morning of March 14, 1912, shots rang out in the tiny, rural, mountain town of Hillsville, Virginia. 10994 Hillsville Masscre Sidna Allen, No. V. Ray Bowman is known for Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court (2011). There were also five others wounded, including Floyd Allen. Other members of the family received long sentences. 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 sentence would have had Floyd do time. Mann asking either that the Allens be given clemency or be executed swiftly. Mr. Alderman said Friel and Dexter met privately for about half an hour and shook hands at the end of their meeting. Bringing in Sheaves: The Western Revivals of the Reverend A. But a year later the Hillsvile courthouse tragedy occurred and Sidna and his wife had only lived there a year. [4], One night in December 1910 (some sources[1] say 1911), two of Floyd Allen's nephews, Wesley and Sidna Edwards, attended a corn shucking bee in Hillsville. At least two of the participants, Judge Massie and Sheriff Webb, had told friends that they expected trouble. Mr. Allen stood and declared, Gentlemen, I aint a goin. Gunfire, chaos, death ensued all in a moment. The sensational coverage and gripping photos of the characters and events surrounding the courtroom shooting captured America's imagination in 1912 and until the sinking of the Titanic a month later, the "Hillsville Massacre" took up a good deal of front page copy in newspapers . "Floyd Allen Defense Gets Well Into Case", Bluefield, West Virginia: "Defense Continues Efforts To Disprove Conspiracy". Floyd Allen was going to trial. [26] He also testified that he saw the crowd come out of the court house, and recognized Floyd and Sidna Allen as the last to leave, both of them following and firing as they backed out, apparently in response to fire coming from within the courthouse. [citation needed], Floyd Allen was tried for the first-degree murder of Commonwealth's Attorney Foster. During my term of office Floyd Allen was several times charged with violations of law. 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. Another entered the body at the cap of the left hip and passed through the abdomen. On the cold spring morning of March 14th, 1912, shots rang out in the tiny rural mountain town of Hillsville, Virginia. The exciting story of the Allen family and the officials who tried to bring them to justice. [26] Though wounded by four bullets himself, Goad recovered. Entdecke 1960er Jahre ORLANDO FLORIDA MCCOY FLUGHAFEN ~ Delta Air Lines Flugzeug Start- und Landebahn ~ Postkarte ~ A5 in groer Auswahl Vergleichen Angebote und Preise Online kaufen bei eBay Kostenlose Lieferung fr viele Artikel! - Nancy Elizabeth Betty Ayers was shot in the back just about the beltline and just to the right of her spine. Some later turned themselves in. The legend also claims that the marker was removed as a condition of Sidna Allens pardon in 1926 after he served 14 years. In several instances he escaped indictment, I am satisfied, because the witnesses were afraid to testify to the facts before the grand jury. Another of those events that have passed into history. After all, he agreed hed have the boys in court? In the confusion there was a lot of shooting. In one case, after having ridden their horses to death, two of them took a mans mules from his plow in the middle of the field. On May 18, 1912, the jury found Floyd Allen guilty. ( Historic Resource | DHR | Carroll County) [4] In September 1889, after pleading no contest to the assault, Garland and Sidna were fined $5 each plus court costs, and the prosecutor dropped the weapons charges. 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. Was it Floyds son Claude? 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. "There were five people murdered. About; Contact; Links; Search for: Tags. View Map and Driving Directions Phone: (276) 728-2594 Floyd stood up, his hands fidgeting with the bottom of his sweater, and he spoke his defiant words. . A witness later testified that Floyd Allen had remarked that he "would not let any man talk to me that way."[14]. 1 minute, 47 seconds Read. Was Clerk of Carroll County Circuit Court During the Famous Allen Trial. 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. 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. In some ways, the county never recovered from that day. - In 1912, the Carroll County courtroom was some 20 feet shorter than it is today. That verdict, those words uttered by a jury foreman and re-written by Foster, were what prompted the freshly convicted the defiant Allen to stand up and pronounce, Gentlemen, I just aint a-goin, or words to that effect, right before the courtroom filled with smoke and lead. In March 1912, there was a shooting at the Carroll County, Courthouse in Hillsville, Virginia. [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. Contact him at ralph.berrier@gmail.com. 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. He was not in the courthouse during the shootings, but immediately ran to his dying friend and mentor. Educational video on the history of Western medicine presented by the University of South Carolina's College of Library and Information Science as part of a workshop created by th One of these days I would like to sit down and write a book about it but just havent made the time yet. - 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. He also pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the shooting of Sheriff Webb, and was sentenced to 18 years' imprisonment. During the initial manhunt, several posses of detectives and local deputies searched the surrounding countryside. Floyd freed his nephews and took them himself to the Hillsville jail two days later. Eleven minutes later, his son, Claud, followed his father to death in the electric chair. The exhibits were discovered in 2016 in Wythe County's courthouse. For example, Betty Ayers, who was killed in the courthouse tragedy, was a 4th cousin to Dexter Goad (clerk of court), 4th cousin, twice removed, from Woodson Quesenberry (deputy clerk), 2nd cousin, twice removed, from Floyd Allens wife and a 3rd cousin to the Edwards brothers, Wesley and Sidna. 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. As the smoke cleared the sheriff, judge, and the common wealth attorney all lay dead. - J. Sidna Allen, in addition to being a well-traveled and successful businessman, had been a newspaper editor and a schoolteacher. Commonwealth's Attorney, Sheriff, some jurors and others shot on the conviction of Floyd Allen for a felony. Upon conviction of interfering with an officer of the law, Judge Thornton Massie oversaw the jurys imposed sentence of one year imprisonment. Fearful of the Allens' reaction, and having received death threats, many officials of the court armed themselves. Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. On the cold spring morning of March 14th, 1912, shots rang out in the tiny rural mountain town of Hillsville, Virginia. [4] His defense team included former Commonwealth's Attorney Walter Tipton and recent County Court Judge Oglesby. I enjoy learning about local history. Soon afterwards, folks dug bullets buried in the walls as souvenirs. - Arresting officer Oscar Monday was the step-brother of the Edwards brothers. This is an interesting story of a time long past. Neither died, but Jack had a silver plate in his head until he died. Sidna Allen and Claud Allen stood on benches in the courtroom's northeast corner to see over the crowd. We dont sell ads, or block you with a paywall. You do have some interesting local history. He was tried in federal court, found guilty, and sentenced to a year in federal prison at Moundsville, West Virginia. 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. There was a massive effort for the governor to commute the sentences of Claude and Floyd, including a petition with over 100,000 signatures. For a while, Hillsville was at the top of the nations newspaper. 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. Howard, I believe thats what youve been looking for, Horney said. An Appalachian Feud Blows Up in 1912 Step into True Colors -- a new series of Historical Stories of Romance and American Crime In Carroll . [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. Two of whom, Sidna and his nephew Wesley, in Des Moines, Iowa where they were starting a new life. In our first story, from Pennsylvania, we tell of a murder with a wizardly twist. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Although some stories say she didnt know she was shot and some say she said I am killed, no documentation exists to confirm either. Again, no thorough investigation of the courtroom happened, and the scene was almost immediately compromised by people who dug bullets out of the walls with pocketknives to keep as souvenirs. [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. Katherine survived until 1960. 12 talking about this. [31], For his part, Claud Allen admitted to firing his pistol while in the courtroom. 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. 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. In a fusillade of shots, Allen hit Jack in the head, which struck a glancing blow on Jack's scalp, while one of Jack's bullets hit Allen in the chest. What follows is a genuine effort to accurately summarize the tragedy and the events that led to the bloodshed. Governor Mann, who had received death threats in the same handwriting as the threats previously delivered to the trial judge, had to cut short a trip to Pennsylvania after learning his Lieutenant Governor, James Taylor Ellyson (18471919), had attempted to commute the Allens' sentences in his absence, instigating a brief constitutional power struggle between the two men. [10] Rather than face arrest, the two men fled over the state line to North Carolina, where they found jobs in a granite quarry. 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. [11] On the way to the courthouse, the buggy passed by several properties owned by the Allens. Maybe so, but people just keep coming back to this story. Airy, North Carolina. Carroll County Historical Society and Museum. One bullet entered the back and ranged upward, lodging directly under the collarbone. One can wonder if that was a sign that she blamed her husband for the tragic calamity that befell the family. He had them handcuffed and tied up with a rope. We are the court of record. Family loyalty also played a role as the Allen/Edwards family stuck together to protect the Edward boys and later Floyd. Airy. The historical society held a symposium that featured several speakers, and a play about the tragedy called Thunder in the Hills, written by Carroll County author/playwright/orchardist Frank Levering, was performed before sold-out audiences in the courtroom of the old courthouse where the shootout happened. Sadler also knew that, minutes after Foster laid down his pencil, he was dead. [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. When all the smoke cleared, there were five dead, seven wounded. He wrote a memoir, made beautiful furniture from delicately inlaid wooden pieces and spent the rest of his life telling people that the Allens did not shoot first. - 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. Jack Allen lost his job as constable as a result of the Hillsville shooting, and soon his life. Harry F. Byrd Sr. in the 1920s. Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court On the cold Spring morning of March 14th, 1912 shots rang out inside the tiny mountain courtroom. Judge Thornton Massie was one of five people killed during the courthouse shootout in Hillsville on March 14, 1912. Court testimony says she was outside throwing up on the lawn when Doctor Nuckolls came by. - After the shootout ended, people in Hillsville were afraid the Allen family would come back into town and kill everyone in sight. 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. Airy). - 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. [21] Agent Faddis and four men raided Floyd Allen's property, seizing illegal stills and fifty gallons of moonshine. PARROW'S TRIAL POSTPONED Chicago Lawyer Will Not Appear Be fore Jan. 6. Allen once accused Goad of running liquor, which forced the clerk to resign from a prestigious post as federal commissioner. On the morning of March 14, 1912, Mr. Floyd Allen stood in the Carroll County courtroom to hear the verdict of his peers. That said, I am glad to have read the book and Ive learned more about this area. Those documents can be found at www.ccva.digital/1912-historical-courthouse-tragedy.html. Three trials were needed to finally convict Claude. After a fusillade of shots, the Allen clan left the courthouse, armed with pistols and 12-gauge pump shotguns and shooting as they ran. Preserving and Presenting the History of the County of Carroll, Commonwealth of Virginia. 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. Elian Gonzalez is a more recent example. Director Rick Bowman Writers Rick Bowman Bill Perrine Stars Seems like everybody from Carroll County has some connection to this story. Roanoke, Va., March 16, --The prisoners from Hillsville are not expected here before 3 o'clock Sunday morning. In 1912 a Carroll County, Virginia, man was sentenced to serve a one year sentence in the state penitentiary. As Sadler studied his grandmothers old scrapbooks, he found a copy of a letter that he had written to state legislators nearly 20 years after the shootout. Floyd even paid their bail. The historical societys museum resides on the first floor of the old courthouse, which no longer is a government building but still majestically commands the high ground of Main Street like it did in 1912. 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hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court