[2] His pistol empty, Allen proceeded to beat Jack with the butt of his empty revolver. 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. [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. After a fusillade of shots, the Allen clan left the courthouse, armed with pistols and 12-gauge pump shotguns and shooting as they ran. Mt. The defense attempted to show that Deputy Clerk Goad shot Elizabeth Ayers in his exchange of fire with the Allens, a charge Goad denied. People who have researched the shootout long knew that Judge Massie had instructed Foster to re-write the jury verdict in proper legal language just minutes after it had been handed down, but no one knew precisely what Foster had actually written until the discovery of the Allen documents. Why does Carroll County have the lowest vaccination rate in Virginia? Steep Canyon Rangers, Amythyst Kiah, Sam Bush highlight Blue Ridge Music Center season; more Former Fieldale High School in Henry County is being turned into housing. [2] Samuels again pulled his gun on Floyd. Two were executed and a number went to prison for their part in the tragedy. I find myself more and more drawn to history. [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. I like that youre reading up on your new home. Now, the manner by which he freed them depended on who was telling the story. Floyd Allens case had been continued a couple of times before he finally appeared in court for a two-day trial that started on March 12, 1912. Friel Allen sat in the back of the room, and the Edwards boys stood on benches next to the north wall. But a year later the Hillsvile courthouse tragedy occurred and Sidna and his wife had only lived there a year. Those documents include indictments, judges instructions, grand jury indictments, trial transcripts, letters and other courtroom exhibits all words left by ghosts. Eleven minutes later, his son, Claud, followed his father to death in the electric chair. 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. 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. actually, theres a lot to read and learn even in a rural place. 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. It lays the foundation of the events of that tragic story from March 1912.. He never wrote a damn word about the most significant event in his life, Sadler said. The documents were found in the basement of the Wythe County Courthouse and have now been returned to Carroll County. About; Contact; Links; Search for: Tags. 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! 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. The sheriff in Hillsville had the boys arrested there and handed over to his deputies at the state line. 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. [29] Marshall then related that Sidna Allen's bullet buried itself in the window about six inches above his head. Sadler looked at Fosters cursive handwriting of Floyd Allens conviction and understood the documents gravity. Many accounts claim that Allen initiated the confrontation by pulling a gun in court. Interesting story. As the smoke cleared the sheriff, judge, and the common wealth attorney all lay dead. As Foster followed the judges instructions to re-write the verdict on the indictment, Allens lawyer, W.D. . At least two of the participants, Judge Massie and Sheriff Webb, had told friends that they expected trouble. Attorney Howard C. Gilmer, of Pulaski, Virginia, was at Hillsville Courthouse in a room adjoining Judge Massie's courtroom when the shooting broke out. 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. Its cool you found such an interesting tale based in your area. 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. Sheriff. [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. Contact him at ralph.berrier@gmail.com. [10] Rather than face arrest, the two men fled over the state line to North Carolina, where they found jobs in a granite quarry. Floyd? [34] He stated that he fired back at Goad on the courthouse steps, but denied shooting at Treasurer J. As I always read about where I am living and I spent several summers directing a church camp that was about a dozen miles north of Ketchum. One can wonder if that was a sign that she blamed her husband for the tragic calamity that befell the family. The deputies, though, accused Floyd of forcibly freeing the brothers, assaulting the lawmen and smashing Deputy Samuels pistol against a rock. Just a Presbyterian Church and a store. 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. Friel settled in Inglewood, CA where he married twice, but never had any children. Floyd Allen was going to trial. [21] Agent Faddis and four men raided Floyd Allen's property, seizing illegal stills and fifty gallons of moonshine. Gerald Goad, Carroll County Clerk of the Circuit Court, engineered the transfer of the documents from Wytheville to Hillsville. 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. 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. 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. Spray bottom of pans with Pam baking spray apply the waxed paper and spray the pan, waxed paper and sides with Pam. Witnesses said she never looked Floyds way. The phone hasn't stopped ringing in the. [33] He denied firing a gun during the courthouse shootings, and stated that he did not see who fired the first shot, but thought that it came from the vicinity of Deputy Clerk Goad's desk. [2] Floyd Allen later stated that he never intended to have the boys set completely free, he just wanted them to be released from their manacles. [11] On the way to the courthouse, the buggy passed by several properties owned by the Allens. Floyd shot Jack in the head and then began to beat him in the head with a rock while he was out cold. Howard Sadlers grandfather, Howard Gilmer, who died before Sadler was born, carried the enormity of the tragedy with him throughout his short life. He defeated the son of Jasper Jack Allen for the position. And then, he apparently moved on with life. The Carroll County prosecutor placed liens on all property owned by Floyd Allen and Sidna Allen for the heirs of the victims. After getting down the steps he leaned against the window of his office when two girls, Dora and Elizabeth Ayers, passed him. For a while, Hillsville was at the top of the nations newspaper. I was distraught over the recent rush to execute in our country. 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. Carroll County Clerk of Circuit Court Gerald Goad opened the formal transfer of the papers from Wythe County in the very room where the shootout occurred - a circle completed some 100 years, nine months and six days since traveling to Wythe County. Virginia law held that when a sheriff died his deputies lost all legal powers, so the shooting left Carroll County without law enforcement. We dont sell ads, or block you with a paywall. Those involved on the Allen side ran away. 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. Sadler pored over available documents from the murder trials, but he lamented that many original 1912 exhibits were lost. 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. Did Floyd force their release or were they released into his custody? Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court; Videos; The Holstein Dilemma. 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. [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 Courthouse Massacre? Ralph Berrier Jr. is a writer who lives in Roanoke. "Floyd Allen Defense Gets Well Into Case", Bluefield, W. Va.: "Accuses Dexter Goad Of Shooting Betty Ayers". Now, thanks to Gerald Goads interest in this, the return of these documents can be part of a healing process. [32] Claud testified that he saw Sidna Allen firing just about the time he saw Deputy Clerk Goad fire. On 13 March 1912, in the Carroll County Circuit Court, . Airy, North Carolina. Howard Gilmer testified during the subsequent murder trials about the judges fatal bullet wound. View over 100 different photos - art pieces about the 1912 courthouse tragedy and Allen family from Cana, VA in this. WYTHEVILLE, Va., Nov. 22. [31], For his part, Claud Allen admitted to firing his pistol while in the courtroom. The end result was three people deadthe judge, the Commonwealth Attorney and the sheriff. Perhaps the hardest thing for an outsider to understand is the frequently heard claim that the subject is dead. I bet there are lots of tales about Rochester, NY and the surrounding area that would make good reads as well. "There were five people murdered. M arch 14, 1912, arrives just as badly as the day before. Floyd Allen jury member, John W. Farris, remarked that they wouldnt be back until they were brought back. [1], In his testimony at his murder trial, Floyd Allen admitted he had fired at Deputy Clerk Quesinberry and again twice more at other unknown persons once he had left the courthouse.[28]. Maybe the county leaders didnt want to find errant bullets from their own guns in the bodies of the dead, some county residents whispered. Floyd, with a concealed pistol, began to shoot, but only after the mayhem began. When all the smoke cleared, there were five dead, seven wounded. He refused them both. There was a massive effort for the governor to commute the sentences of Claude and Floyd, including a petition with over 100,000 signatures. Again it is . Thats why the discovery of the trial exhibits and documents in Wythe County is significant. [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. 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. Located in the Fancy Gap community near I-77 Exit 14. [1], Governor Mann immediately called on the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency to find those responsible for the shootings and arrest them. Sadler took the file drawer to a vault in the courthouse and dove into the trove. Interest in the story never wanes, even though, as the historian Hall said, weve about beaten the thing to death.. So, in late 1910 when two of Floyd Allens nephews got in a little trouble with the law, the consequences would be deadly. A fight ensued and Floyd beat Samuels with his own pistol. - Commonwealths Attorney, William McDonald Foster, was a brother-in-law to one of Floyd Allens defense attorneys; Walter Scott Tipton. 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. 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. [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". The play, which is. The Allen clan believed that Goad shot first. Barry Lopezs book (above) sounds good. Convicted on capital murder, both Claude and Floyd were sentenced to death. 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