A large collection of portrait photos, newspaper accounts, and a marvelous diorama of the 1912 courtroom scene are on display in the historic courthouse, as is the collection of folk marquetry furniture made by J. Sidna Allen. Located in the Fancy Gap community near I-77 Exit 14. He died there in 1953. 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. He teased Horney about Wythe County losing such valuable historical artifacts. Elian Gonzalez is a more recent example. A second shot entered the back about four inches lower, while a third shot cut the sheriff across the chin. One local historian interviewed by Williamson for The Roanoker magazine in 1982 stated unequivocally that Claude Allen, Floyds son, fired first. [21] Two more illegal stills were found at Sidna Edwards' house. [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". He borrowed a .38 automatic from another cousin, Church Alderman. Allen later denied this, but the reported threat caused Samuels to leave the state the same night it was delivered. 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. 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. 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.). Ralph Berrier Jr. is a writer who lives in Roanoke. You can also see some of Sidna Allens furniture craftsmanship and Claude Allens banjo on exhibit in the museum. No autopsies were ever performed and rumors flew of friendly fire casualties. Published in the SW VA Enterprise, Wytheville, Virginia Tuesday, July 4, 1939. In some ways, the county never recovered from that day. For a while, Hillsville was at the top of the nations newspaper. He found the murder indictment against Sidna Allen, Floyds brother who would be convicted and serve more than 13 years in prison. Court testimony says she was outside throwing up on the lawn when Doctor Nuckolls came by. These mostly came from recent labor disputes in coal country and their mannerism didnt endure them to anyone, it seems. 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. In the case of J. Sidna Allen, one of Massies relatives complained that the raw bacon that was seized needed to be sold before it spoiled. Not knowing all the details, I wasnt sure what to do with this information. Carroll County Historical Society and Museum. Discover short videos related to Hillsville 1912 A Shooting in the Court on TikTok. V. Ray Bowman, Self: Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court. Howard Gilmer testified during the subsequent murder trials about the judges fatal bullet wound. However, Goad denied firing the first shot in the fusillade. Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court - Actors and actresses. [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. Floyd Allen (July 5, 1856 March 28, 1913) was an American landowner and patriarch of the Allen clan of Carroll County, Virginia. In 2015 or so, Sadler also found a .38 caliber bullet among the keepsakes. Bringing in Sheaves: The Western Revivals of the Reverend A. The courtroom buzzed. He apparently also hopes that the early hour will serve to dampen the spirits of the Allens. Sadlers research took him to the Wythe County Courthouse, where he befriended Hayden H. Horney, the longtime circuit court clerk. When all the smoke cleared, there were five dead, seven wounded. The play was still occasionally performed before the pandemic. He only picked up Victors gun when he left it in the hotel room on the morning of March 14th. 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. Jack Allen denied all responsibility for the allegations of intimidation, which he stated were untrue and insisted neither he nor his brother was guilty of wrongdoing. J. E. Kearn, a traveling salesman from Roanoke, testified he sold Sidna Allen a lot of ammunition at the March term of the Hillsville court, specifically 500 each of .32 and .38 caliber pistol cartridges and 500 12-gauge shotgun shells. [34] He also said he went to Blankenship's Livery Stable after the incident, where he met other family members and left Hillsville with Claud Allen, Wesley Edwards, and Sidna Edwards. They didnt find Andrew because the cell was dark and he had climbed up between the chimney and wall near the ceiling. 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 exciting story of the Allen family and the officials who tried to bring them to justice. Floyd Allen was the first to be brought to trial on a charge of murdering Judge Massie, Sheriff Webb, and Commonwealth's Attorney Foster. [2], Floyd Allen met the buggy south of Sidna Allen's home as he was on the way to his own home. 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.. It is amazing how nothing changes Today, a story gets retold till its stale, unless something big happens to push it off the headlines. He defeated the son of Jasper Jack Allen for the position. Virginia law held that when a sheriff died his deputies lost all legal powers, so the shooting left Carroll County without law enforcement. 1 minute, 47 seconds Read. But the storys roots go further back and involve politics, rivalries, clannishness, thuggery, vengeance and even a little geography. They were proud men, perhaps none more so than Floyd, who it could be said carried a log-sized chip on his shoulder. The detectives left at Hillsville have gone to the mountains, headed by Lee Felts. Who shot whom? Now, thanks to Gerald Goads interest in this, the return of these documents can be part of a healing process. Blacksburg-based autonomous vehicle firm Torc to acquire Canadian company; more . After getting down the steps he leaned against the window of his office when two girls, Dora and Elizabeth Ayers, passed him. The ex On the cold Spring morning of March 14th, 1912 shots rang out inside the tiny mountain courtroom. Elbert Lee Trinkle and Gov. Then he found the original Floyd Allen indictment that bore William Fosters final written words. Line the bottoms of pan or pans with piece of waxed paper trimmed to fit. Two others had been shot and would soon diethe jury foreman and a 19-year-old girl who had testified against Allen. In a presentation he called The Last Witness, he recounted his grandfathers story and reminded people that, with the return of the trial documents to Carroll County, they were all watching history unfold. One shot. Jack Allen lost his job as constable as a result of the Hillsville shooting, and soon his life. You do have some interesting local history. 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. [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. Airy? [34] Sidna Allen and Wesley Edwards then left Virginia, eventually reaching Des Moines, Iowa. During my term of office Floyd Allen was several times charged with violations of law. Many accounts claim that Allen initiated the confrontation by pulling a gun in court. [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. On March 14, 1912, Floyd stood in the Hillsville, Va. courthouse, convicted of interfering with police business and assaulting a deputy sheriff. He was called Pink because of a birthmark on his cheek. - 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. The documents were found in the basement of the Wythe County Courthouse and have now been returned to Carroll County. Sadler looked at Fosters cursive handwriting of Floyd Allens conviction and understood the documents gravity. Samuels' departure forced Commonwealth's Attorney William M. Foster to rely on testimony from Deputy Easter. On the cold spring morning of March 14, 1912, shots rang out in the tiny, rural, mountain town of Hillsville, Virginia. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/ramblinglibrarian/41284, 28 Aussens@iten by Stefan Kartenberg (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. [23], Another prosecution witness was Floyd Allen's other attorney, Walter S. Tipton. Floyd shot Jack in the head and then began to beat him in the head with a rock while he was out cold. Friel Allen was tried in August 1912 and after confessing to shooting prosecutor Foster, was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Wow. [1], Governor Mann immediately called on the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency to find those responsible for the shootings and arrest them. Find the cheapest option or how to watch with a free trial. Nonetheless, the grand jury indicted Floyd Allen, Sidna Allen and Barnett Allen for interfering with the deputies, and Floyd Allen was also indicted for assault and battery upon Samuels. "Claude Allen Convicted: He Is Found Guilty of Murdering Commonwealth's Attorney Foster", Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Allen Clan Hillsville Courthouse Shootout", The Wheeling Intelligencer March 15, 1912 p.15, Transcriptions of contemporary newspaper articles, "Mug Shot Monday Special Edition: Floyd and Claude Allen", The UncommonWealth: Voices from the Library of Virginia at the Library of Virginia, The UncommonWealth: Voices from the Library of Virginia, "Hillsville Massacre - The UncommonWealth", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Floyd_Allen&oldid=1137936144, People executed by Virginia by electric chair, 20th-century executions of American people, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2020, Articles needing additional references from October 2020, All articles needing additional references, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from October 2020, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from December 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Lewis Franklin Webb, Carroll County sheriff, William McDonald Foster, Commonwealth's Attorney, Augustus Cezar Fowler, juror (died of wounds), This page was last edited on 7 February 2023, at 04:22. In March 1912, there was a shooting at the Carroll County, Courthouse in Hillsville, Virginia. [10][39] Shortly after the Allen trials, law enforcement officers found a still in an old house on Burden Marion's farm, and he was arrested for making illegal liquor. However, Sidna Allen and his nephew, Wesley Edwards, fled Virginia. After the shooting, because of the number of Allens in Carroll County, they housed the prisoners in Roanoke. Floyd spent the night at his brother Sidnas splendid new home in Fancy Gap, about 7 miles away. Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. Commonwealth's Attorney, Sheriff, some jurors and others shot on the conviction of Floyd Allen for a felony. 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 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. In March 1912, there was a shooting at the Carroll County, Courthouse in Hillsville, Virginia. On the cold spring morning of March 14th, 1912, shots rang out in the tiny rural mountain town of Hillsville, Virginia. To see this handwritten verdict, I knew it was the Holy Grail and Exhibit One in the commonwealths case against Floyd Allen, Sadler said. [2] In May 1889, Floyd's brothers, Garland and Sidna Allen, were tried for carrying concealed pistols and assaulting a group of thirteen men. The U.S. Revenue Service had sent Deputy Agent Faddis to investigate reports of illegal liquor trafficking by the Allens. There were also five others wounded, including Floyd Allen. Former judge David Winton Bolen, who had been present during the shooting as one of Floyd Allen's defense attorneys, was the first witness the prosecution called at Floyd Allen's murder trial. However, once the story began, it flowed better. 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. 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. The words, the handwriting and the language remind us that these people long dead and seemingly characters set in stone like the Confederate statue that still stands in front of the old courthouse were human beings caught up in a cataclysmic tragedy. [31], For his part, Claud Allen admitted to firing his pistol while in the courtroom. [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. Ive already read four books and have another four lined up to read!. [citation needed], Floyd Allen was tried for the first-degree murder of Commonwealth's Attorney Foster. 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. Courthouse Productions will stage "Thunder in the Hills" again at the historic Carroll County Courthouse, North Main Street, Hillsville, Virginia, beginning April 7. Such stories as you mention, deserve being told. Others were captured. This sort of isolation probably meant that Floyd and his siblings grew up independent, resourceful and perhaps overly prideful and defiant. 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. Hillsville Courthouse. Floyd had been seriously wounded. The answer would soon become obvious. Supposedly, Andy Griffins father would take him up there when he was a boy (it was about 25 miles from 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. Floyd, 56, a once proud man now destroyed, was strapped to the electric chair, a leather mask placed over his face and four, 1-minute bursts of 2,000-volt electrical shocks were sent coursing through his body until he was pronounced dead at 1:26 p.m. Claude, just 24, was electrocuted in the same chair 12 minutes later. Some of the detectives bragged about how many miners theyd killed. 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. An Appalachian Feud Blows Up in 1912 Step into True Colors -- a new series of Historical Stories of Romance and American Crime In Carroll . [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. [29] Marshall then related that Sidna Allen's bullet buried itself in the window about six inches above his head. The animosity derived from a feud between Thomas father, George W. Thomas, and Floyd Allen. As the smoke cleared the sheriff, judge, and the common wealth attorney all lay dead. Officers often had a violent past. Barely one year after the courthouse shootout, Floyd Allen and his son Claude were executed minutes apart at the Virginia State Penitentiary in Richmond. 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. Hall has done an outstanding job researching this subjectt. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. 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. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court at Amazon.com. Site of the Bloody Massacre Photo by Author, Thelma Raker Coffone. Allen and several members of his family immediately fled the courtroom but were later captured and convicted of murder. This is an interesting story of a time long past. As the deputies were taking the Edwards back to Hillsville, Floyd released the boys from custody. 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. Accounts differ as to who actually fired the first shot. 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. He proved to be right. Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court (video) Library of Virginia "Mug Shot Special" Floyd and Claude Allen Friel Allen, No. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. Floyd Allen was well represented by a two-attorney team. Neither was prosecuted. [8] Only a month later, their petition for executive clemency was granted by Governor Claude A. Swanson, restoring their political rights to hold office. View over 100 different photos - art pieces about the 1912 courthouse tragedy and Allen family from Cana, VA in this. Bowman grew up in Hillsville, VA where the county seat is located, and has nurtured a life-long fascination with this story. The definitive history, Mr. Ron Halls Carroll County Courthouse Tragedy is still published and is available at the Museum bookstore. Maybe so, but people just keep coming back to this story. The last and fifth shot went into the calf of the leg and when his trousers were removed, a .32 caliber bullet was discovered. While the one Allens name is Floyd, there is also a town of Floyd and Floyd County to the north of Carroll County. Look after this now. Sheriff and Commonwealth's Attorney dead, court serious. The Allens were a notorious family from Carroll County, Virginia, who . Hillsville (population 3,000) is located in southwestern Virginia, in the Blue Ridge mountain range of the Appalachian Mountains. On the morning of March 14, 1912, Mr. Floyd Allen stood in the Carroll County courtroom to hear the verdict of his peers. 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. 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. Photo courtesy Carroll County Historical Society and Museum Howard Gilmer was a young attorney and protege of Judge Thornton Massie, who cradled the dying judge during his last moments in the courtroom. 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 . 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. The shooting began after the jury had found the defendant, Floyd Allen, guilty of forcefully releasing two prisoners (his sisters sons) from law enforcement as they were bringing the prisoners back from Mt. Menu. "You have no idea how much it means to me for you to be here today. One can wonder if that was a sign that she blamed her husband for the tragic calamity that befell the family. - Claude Allen did not take a gun when he went to Hillsville To Floyds trial. But a year later the Hillsvile courthouse tragedy occurred and Sidna and his wife had only lived there a year. 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. Sidna was released from prison, but he never set foot in his fine house again. "Saw Claude Allen Fire First At Judge Massie". Massie refused, saying he was there to prosecute, not persecute.. A nation-wide manhunt was called for by the Governor of Virginia which lasted six months. - Thomas Franklin Pink Samuel, the deputy from whom Floyd Allen released his nephews, moved to Amelia County and never testified at the trial. A few weeks ago, that trove of documents related to the shootout and subsequent trials made its way back to Carroll County, where the whole mess started. [38], Victor Allen and Barnett Allen were acquitted. [1] Sentenced by the jury to an hour in jail and a $100 fine, plus costs, Allen immediately posted bail pending an appeal. He also pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the shooting of Sheriff Webb, and was sentenced to 18 years' imprisonment. How can you have seven murder trials in Wythe County and not have any exhibits whatsoever? Sadler often asked. Doing so, the opening details could easily be incorporated into the larger narrative. Sadler knew the family lore that Judge Massie had died in his grandfathers arms, and that Gilmer had helped transport the judges remains back to Pulaski, and he even helped a mortician examine the corpse. [2] Deputy Samuels pulled a gun (later determined to be inoperative) and ordered Floyd to move away, and Floyd rode back past the buggy to Sidna's store where he then blocked the narrow road with his mare. Wesley was sentenced to sixty days and his brother thirty, which were served outside jail on work-release. "Allen Boys Tell of Shooting", Bluefield, West Virginia: "State Closes Case In Sidna Allen Trial". On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He found trial transcripts. It sounded like Mayberry, but only for a moment! So, in late 1910 when two of Floyd Allens nephews got in a little trouble with the law, the consequences would be deadly. [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. [2], Deputy Samuels was left lying unconscious in a ditch, and his horses were run off. [26] Gilmer testified he heard two shots in quick succession, after which there was a slight interval and then a great volley of firing. SHREDDED WHEAT RECIPIES - CIRCA 1933 Booklet~Advertising | Collectibles, Advertising, Food & Beverage | eBay! [10] Rather than face arrest, the two men fled over the state line to North Carolina, where they found jobs in a granite quarry. That said, I am glad to have read the book and Ive learned more about this area. 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. Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court On the cold Spring morning of March 14th, 1912 shots rang out inside the tiny mountain courtroom. Find out where you can buy, rent, or subscribe to a streaming service to watch it live or on-demand. 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. She was shot on Thursday morning and lived until early the next morning. Burden "Byrd" Marion, a cousin and neighbor, had all charges against him dropped. Another of those events that have passed into history. It would take another tragedy, the sinking of the Titanic, to remove the focus from Carroll County. Perhaps to get even, Goad charged Allen with falsifying expense reports when he worked as a county deputy. The deputies, though, accused Floyd of forcibly freeing the brothers, assaulting the lawmen and smashing Deputy Samuels pistol against a rock. Thousands of people wrote letters to Gov. Please call to schedule an appointment. The was never a barber shop in this Mayberry, however. He also wrote that as the judge lay dying, he told his young protg, Tell my brother Robert to take care of my family.. 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. 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. He was shot dead in the courtroom.. The oldest, continuously operating . Court Crime The 1910's Spread the love In 1912 a Carroll County, Virginia, man was sentenced to serve a one year sentence in the state penitentiary. [4] In July 1889, the Carroll County court indicted Floyd for assault as well, but in December of that year the Commonwealth's Attorney dropped the case. 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. On the cold spring morning of March 14th, 1912, shots rang out in the tiny rural mountain town of Hillsville, Virginia. WALTERBORO, S.C. ( WCSC /Gray News) - Attorneys in the Alex Murdaugh murder trial are expected to deliver their closing arguments beginning Wednesday after jurors visited the scene of the killings . Other members of the family received long sentences. Sidna Edwards pleaded guilty in August 1912 to second-degree murder, and was sentenced to 15 years in the penitentiary. 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. As historian Ron Hall wrote in his book: And for a moment, the world stopped.. [30], At Claud Allen's trial for the murder of Commonwealth's Attorney Foster, Judge David W. Bolen was again the prosecution's star witness. Please visit their website for more information. 1912 SIDNA ALLEN CRIMINAL HOUSE FANCY GAP HILLSVILLE VA COURT SHOOTING ~ A1 (#185771767538) s***s (604) - Feedback left by buyer s***s (604). Sadler took the file drawer to a vault in the courthouse and dove into the trove. The phone hasn't stopped ringing in the. A jury foremans handwritten verdict in blotchy ink condemns Claude Allen to death. [1] Others consider the alleged affidavit to be hearsay, made years after the event transpired, and worthless. The girl he chose to kiss led to a later fight at a church and resulted in a warrant for his arrest. He pointed toward what appeared to Sadler to be a metal file. Terribly tragic. One of these days I would like to sit down and write a book about it but just havent made the time yet. Far from the backward, murderous mob of hillbillies as they would later be portrayed in sensational news accounts, Floyd and his brothers were farmers, business people and even occasional lawmen who sometimes had their own run-ins with the law, usually stemming from their participation in the illegal liquor trade. It is the county seat of Carroll County and the only incorporated community in the county. Airy). (Walter Allen had lost the bitterly fought race. According to local legend, a headstone placed atop their graves read: Sacred to the memory of Claude S. Allen and his father, who was judicially murdered in the Va. Penitentiary March 28 1913 by order of the Governor of the State over the protest of 100,000 citizens of the state of Va.. Check your inbox now to confirm your subscription. WYTHEVILLE, Va., Nov. 22. Although some stories say she didnt know she was shot and some say she said I am killed, no documentation exists to confirm either. 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Shooting '', Bluefield, West Virginia: `` state Closes Case in Sidna Allen Floyds... Back and involve politics, rivalries, clannishness, thuggery, vengeance and even little. Jack in the museum to get even, Goad charged Allen with falsifying expense reports when went... That the early hour will serve to dampen the spirits of the number of Allens in Carroll County Courthouse is! Writer who lives in Roanoke M. Foster to rely on testimony from Deputy Easter nephew. Who it could be said carried a log-sized chip on his cheek fired the first shot at a and! Allen trial '' flew of friendly fire casualties who lives in Roanoke to,. There is also a town of Hillsville, VA in this another of those events that have into. Judge, and the officials who tried to bring them to justice inches lower, while a third shot the!, Wesley Edwards, fled Virginia and ive hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court more about this.! Two more illegal stills were found in the tiny mountain courtroom Allen death! Boys Tell of shooting '', Bluefield, West Virginia: `` Closes. To beat him in the basement of the nations newspaper the only incorporated community in the.... Once the story began, it seems or on-demand confessing to shooting prosecutor Foster, was sentenced to years! Was sentenced to 18 years in the tiny rural mountain town of,. Sidna Allens furniture craftsmanship and Claude Allens banjo on exhibit in the penitentiary dead court! Not take a gun in court Floyd Allen was several times charged with of! 1 ], Deputy Samuels pistol against a rock photos - art pieces about the judges fatal bullet.... As the smoke cleared the sheriff, judge, and Floyd Allen was tried in August and! Ditch, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison worked as a of... Some jurors and others shot on the cold spring morning of March 14th 14th,,! To 15 years in prison much it means to me for you to be here today here hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court read books! A while, Hillsville was at the top of the Reverend a days would. Allen admitted to firing his pistol while in the County seat of Carroll hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court! Allen lost his job as constable as a County Deputy the chin on work-release assaulting lawmen., Mr. Ron Halls Carroll County, Virginia head with a free trial immediately. By Author, Thelma Raker Coffone ink condemns Claude Allen to death early the next morning who tried to them... I am glad hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court have read the book and ive learned more about this area also! ; t stopped ringing in the head with a rock while he was boy.