Massie sentenced Allen to one year in prison. 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. The jury could not agree on a verdict immediately as the trial ended, and were sequestered in a local hotel overnight. Elbert Lee Trinkle and Gov. But the storys roots go further back and involve politics, rivalries, clannishness, thuggery, vengeance and even a little geography. [8] On February 1, 1908, the Allens were convicted of the charge and sentenced to ten days in jail and a fine of $10. 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. Now, thanks to Gerald Goads interest in this, the return of these documents can be part of a healing process. 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! Mr. Alderman said Friel and Dexter met privately for about half an hour and shook hands at the end of their meeting. He was called Pink because of a birthmark on his cheek. 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. Betty Ayers, an 18-year-old witness, was hit in the back while fleeing the courtroom and died the next day. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. V. Ray Bowman is known for Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court (2011). 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. Wesley Edwards drew nine years for each count of murder for the slaying of Foster, Massie, and Webb for a total of 27 years' imprisonment. In March 1912, there was a shooting at the Carroll County, Courthouse in Hillsville, Virginia. 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 trials happened quickly in 1912 and early 1913. I just can't bear to see anyone drug around."[13]. Floyd had been seriously wounded. ")[1] Floyd Allen stated that only then did he draw his own revolver and begin shooting. Airy). 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. He never carried a gun as a matter of course, but on his way to court, the first day of Floyd Allens trial, his cousin, Allan Webb, advised him to borrow a pistol. Virginia law held that when a sheriff died his deputies lost all legal powers, so the shooting left Carroll County without law enforcement. Recognizing the need for immediate action, assistant clerk S. Floyd Landreth sent a telegram to Democratic Governor William Hodges Mann which read: Send troops to the County of Carroll at once. The exciting story of the Allen family and the officials who tried to bring them to justice. The last and fifth shot went into the calf of the leg and when his trousers were removed, a .32 caliber bullet was discovered. October 2, 2022. "Claude Allen First To Fire At Hillsville". However, no extradition order was issued. At a church service the next morning conducted by Wesley's uncle, Garland Allen, Thomas reportedly called out Wesley into a fight. ( Historic Resource | DHR | Carroll County) The Allen clan believed that Goad shot first. During the initial manhunt, several posses of detectives and local deputies searched the surrounding countryside. [2] Sentenced to a $100 fine and one hour in jail for wounding Jack, Floyd refused to go, saying that he "would never spend a minute in jail as long as the blood flowed through his veins". Sadler pored over available documents from the murder trials, but he lamented that many original 1912 exhibits were lost. Harry F. Byrd Sr. in the 1920s. The Carroll County prosecutor placed liens on all property owned by Floyd Allen and Sidna Allen for the heirs of the victims. [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. 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. The girl he chose to kiss led to a later fight at a church and resulted in a warrant for his arrest. About; Contact; Links; Search for: Tags. The remaining prisoners received pardons (from a different governor) in the 1920s. 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. As the smoke cleared the sheriff, judge, and the common wealth attorney all lay dead. Jack Allen lost his job as constable as a result of the Hillsville shooting, and soon his life. The museum has extensive archive and reference materials in its resource section, as well as exhibits and artifacts that reflect the heritage of Carroll County. 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. 11217 Sidna Edwards, No. 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. I dont know too much historical facts about where I live. 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. On March 14, 1912, the Floyd Allen Clan carried out one of the most brutal attacks in Appalachian history. Like this one, I often find they could have used some rearranging to keep ones interest but I almost always enjoy them. [5] Floyd's body bore the scars of thirteen bullet wounds, five of them inflicted in quarrels with his own family. [10] Rather than face arrest, the two men fled over the state line to North Carolina, where they found jobs in a granite quarry. Thousands of people wrote letters to Gov. - 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. Hall himself had asked Horney, who died in 2020, about the whereabouts of the trial exhibits while doing his own research. [29] Marshall also testified he had been standing near Sheriff Webb, but did not see any pistol in the Sheriff's hand. -- 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 . [34] They returned to their homes by traveling cross-country through the farm fields rather than public roads. [34] Allen claimed that when the shooting began, he drew his own revolver and fired five times at Deputy Clerk Goad and Deputy Sheriff Gillespie, because both men were firing at him. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. I recently learned that our town had a number of hiding spots on the Underground Railroad. Those old papers were lost or stolen, Horney replied. 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. To find the prized ear meant he could kiss any girl there. The identification label on the drawer bore a large A and an X. Horney pulled the label out from its slot, flipped it over and read the typed words on the other side: (Claudes name was frequently spelled with and without an E.). 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. More than fifty bullets were later recovered from the shooting scene. Those involved on the Allen side ran away. Thats why the discovery of the trial exhibits and documents in Wythe County is significant. Democratic Governor Elbert Lee Trinkle pardoned Friel Allen and Sidna Edwards in 1922. This story could have been written in a Creative Non-Fiction genre. Floyd Allen jury member, John W. Farris, remarked that they wouldnt be back until they were brought back. Sheriff and Commonwealth's Attorney dead, court serious. He worked for the Edison Lighting Company. Neither died, but Jack had a silver plate in his head until he died. It lays the foundation of the events of that tragic story from March 1912.. 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. [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. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, IHeart Radio or on your favorite podcast app. 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. The sheriff in Hillsville had the boys arrested there and handed over to his deputies at the state line. Jack came to and shot Floyd which ended the affair. (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. 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! They, too, were captured by Felts and his men, as Sidna Allen came to believe that Wesleys girlfriend back home had betrayed them. Contents 1 Early life and activities 2 Arrest of the Edwards brothers 3 Indictment 4 Trial and shooting 5 Manhunt 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. More leniency was given to the other Allens and their family members. 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. [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". All men were pardoned by Gov. WYTHEVILLE, Va., Nov. 22. [3] He had a history of violent altercations, including shooting a black man in North Carolina, beating a police officer in Mount Airy and later shooting his own cousin. Atop a shelf, he saw what looked like a drawer among the boxes. Built in 1873, the historic courthouse is the site of the tragic courtroom shooting of 1912 and is the current site of the museum. V. Ray Bowman, Self: Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court. 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). Allen rose to his feet and calmly said, "Gentlemen, I ain't goin'." Two others had been shot and would soon diethe jury foreman and a 19-year-old girl who had testified against Allen. The judge refused. He defeated the son of Jasper Jack Allen for the position. The Hillsville Courthouse Shootout 1,426 views Jul 30, 2021 In 1912 a Carroll County, Virginia, man was sentenced to serve a one year sentence in the state penitentiary. He began his sentence in August 1913, and died of pneumonia in prison on November 25, 1913.[A]. 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. [2] His pistol empty, Allen proceeded to beat Jack with the butt of his empty revolver. actually, theres a lot to read and learn even in a rural place. Site of the Bloody Massacre Photo by Author, Thelma Raker Coffone. Not only the sheriff and deputies, but Goad and Foster. 272 pages including sources and a few b&w photos. [35] In July 1912, after three separate trials, Claud Allen was convicted of first-degree murder for the killing of Commonwealth's Attorney Foster, and for second-degree murder for the killing of Judge Massie. - Thomas Franklin Pink Samuel, the deputy from whom Floyd Allen released his nephews, moved to Amelia County and never testified at the trial. And forensic science was almost non-existent, at least in rural areas. Mr. Alderman said he was not privy to what they discussed. He found trial transcripts. Watch popular content from the following creators: RealAppalachia(@realappalachia), KK(@hillsvillehillbilly), Simon(@simonogrinc), Deitrich Cribbs(@big_tipper), VIVI SHARMA(@srvsharma81) . The courtroom buzzed. (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! As the smoke cleared the sheriff, judge, and the common wealth attorney all lay dead. The exciting story of the Allen family and the officials who tried to bring them to justice. The phone hasn't stopped ringing in the. Howard Sadlers grandfather, Howard Gilmer, who died before Sadler was born, carried the enormity of the tragedy with him throughout his short life. 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.. - Sidna Edwards presence at Floyd Allens trial was requested by Floyds lawyers. However, Goad denied firing the first shot in the fusillade. [21] Again, no investigation was made at the scene. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Published in the SW VA Enterprise, Wytheville, Virginia Tuesday, July 4, 1939. - 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. For a while, Hillsville was at the top of the nation's newspaper. Line the bottoms of pan or pans with piece of waxed paper trimmed to fit. B. He was convicted and executed for murder in 1913 after a sensational courthouse shootout the previous year that left a judge, prosecutor, sheriff, and two others dead, although the validity of the conviction has been a source of debate within Carroll County for decades. - 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 was not in the courthouse during the shootings, but immediately ran to his dying friend and mentor. 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