( Historic Resource | DHR | Carroll County) [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. 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. On the cold spring morning of March 14th, 1912, shots rang out in the tiny rural mountain town of Hillsville, Virginia. Even the accused, Floyd Allen, carried a pistol. Interest in the story never wanes, even though, as the historian Hall said, weve about beaten the thing to death.. He defeated the son of Jasper Jack Allen for the position. Who fired their pistol first? There were, however, nearly 20 Allen men among the spectators in the courtroom. - Claude Allen did not take a gun when he went to Hillsville To Floyds trial. Foster married Katherine Tipton in 1894 and had 5 children by 1912. Generations of Carroll Countians would grow up and grow old hearing about the shootout, arguing over who the true perpetrators were, creating and dismissing wild theories and resolving nothing. 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. If done right, this sounds as though it could make for a captivating film. 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. [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. Wesley was sentenced to sixty days and his brother thirty, which were served outside jail on work-release. I enjoy learning about local history. The sheriff in Hillsville had the boys arrested there and handed over to his deputies at the state line. The deputies, though, accused Floyd of forcibly freeing the brothers, assaulting the lawmen and smashing Deputy Samuels pistol against a rock. Floyd Allen was going to trial. Sadler took the file drawer to a vault in the courthouse and dove into the trove. Sidna Edwards pleaded guilty in August 1912 to second-degree murder, and was sentenced to 15 years in the penitentiary. 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. [1] Sentenced by the jury to an hour in jail and a $100 fine, plus costs, Allen immediately posted bail pending an appeal. To find the prized ear meant he could kiss any girl there. Did Floyd force their release or were they released into his custody? 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. This film is currently in development. But the documents do bring humanity to a story often told through tintype pictures, brittle newspaper clippings, hazy memories and fables passed down through generations. One bullet entered the back and ranged upward, lodging directly under the collarbone. Mr. Alderman said Friel and Dexter met privately for about half an hour and shook hands at the end of their meeting. "Saw Claude Allen Fire First At Judge Massie". Again it is . Interesting story. Two months after the shootout, Floyd Allen was convicted in Wytheville of killing Foster, the commonwealths attorney. A second shot entered the back about four inches lower, while a third shot cut the sheriff across the chin. The exciting story of the Allen family and the officials who tried to bring them to justice. The remaining prisoners received pardons (from a different governor) in the 1920s. [23], Another prosecution witness was Floyd Allen's other attorney, Walter S. Tipton. March broke cold and rainy in the mountains. [20], Sidna Allen denied that he shot Judge Massie, or that he fired at Commonwealth's Attorney Foster, Sheriff Webb, or at Juror Fowler. It was a huge goal to get this back in Carroll. A witness later testified that Floyd Allen had remarked that he "would not let any man talk to me that way."[14]. As the smoke cleared the sheriff, judge, and the common wealth attorney all lay dead. Its small enough for that to be possible I suspect. He borrowed a .38 automatic from another cousin, Church Alderman. Elian Gonzalez is a more recent example. [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]. Line the bottoms of pan or pans with piece of waxed paper trimmed to fit. Airy, North Carolina. Another younger brother, Sidna, was a successful businessman who had prospected for gold in Alaska, operated a store, owned a considerable amount of land and built a lovely Queen Anne-style home in Fancy Gap, and yet he was accused of being a counterfeiter who barely avoided jail time even though one of his associates was sent up the river. [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". Indications are that they will clash with the Allen's tonight or early in the morning. Blacksburg-based autonomous vehicle firm Torc to acquire Canadian company; more . [2] Both Allen and his brother Sidna held legal licenses for the production of alcohol. In the 1960s, a boisterous flea market and liquor store owner in Cana named Rufus Gardner took up the Allens cause and found two men who claimed one of Goads assistants admitted to firing first at Floyd Allen. There are even questions as to what happened here. The exciting story of the Allen family and the officials who tried to bring them to justice. [13], The rumor that the Allens were intimidating witnesses was called to the attention of the court. Petty also witnessed a pistol duel between Sidna Allen and Deputy Clerk Dexter Goad. The announcement of. Thousands of people wrote letters to Gov. V. Ray Bowman is known for Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court (2011). 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]. 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. The documents dont answer the seemingly unsolvable questions that have lingered in the air like gun smoke for 110 years. On the cold Spring morning of March 14th, 1912 shots rang out inside the tiny mountain courtroom. Floyd even paid their bail. 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. 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? [10] Rather than face arrest, the two men fled over the state line to North Carolina, where they found jobs in a granite quarry. [2] The federal court in Greensboro found him not guilty, while Sidna's alleged accomplice, Preston Dickens, was found guilty and sentenced to serve five years in federal prison. The goals of the program include a greater shared knowledge about the nation's past, strengthened regional identities and local pride, increased local participation in preserving the country's cultural and natural heritage assets, and support for the economic vitality of our communities. As the late Roanoke writer and broadcaster Seth Williamson wrote in The Roanoker magazine in 1982, the Allen men were not a race of mild country squires.. As if entitled, they took what they wanted or needed. One of these days I would like to sit down and write a book about it but just havent made the time yet. [1] Combs wanted the land badly enough to pay the asking price and bought it despite Floyd Allen's warnings not to "butt in. Preserving and Presenting the History of the County of Carroll, Commonwealth of Virginia. A jury foremans handwritten verdict in blotchy ink condemns Claude Allen to death. B. Marshall testified that when the shooting started he turned to escape the courthouse. Sadlers research took him to the Wythe County Courthouse, where he befriended Hayden H. Horney, the longtime circuit court clerk. Sidna Allen received a 35-year prison sentence, his nephews Wesley and Sidna Edwards and Friel Allen got lesser sentences. In April 1926, Governor Harry Flood Byrd pardoned Sidna Allen and Wesley Edwards. 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. Such tampering hindered the ability to link bullets to the guns fire or the direction from which they came. The judge refused. On March 17, 1916, he stopped for the night in a roadhouse near Mt. Those involved on the Allen side ran away. The author is honest and at many times in the book admits we wont know for sure what happened. "The Courthouse Massacre? Otherwise, neither Sidna Edwards nor Victor Allen would have been present. They didnt find Andrew because the cell was dark and he had climbed up between the chimney and wall near the ceiling. I oppose capital punishment (although if you heard what I sometimes say about certain characters on tv, you might doubt that). 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. With the death of the Sheriff and so many of the Allens on the loose, the state sent help. Another entered the body at the cap of the left hip and passed through the abdomen. Just a Presbyterian Church and a store. [26] Gilmer said he heard Floyd Allen say two or three times, "I am shot, but I got the damn scoundrel. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. [34] Sidna Allen and Wesley Edwards then left Virginia, eventually reaching Des Moines, Iowa. The spotlight returned to the story of the shootout when the centennial of the tragedy was marked in 2012. 12 talking about this. Contact him at ralph.berrier@gmail.com. There it was, the script of a doomed man, written in the final minutes of his life. For a while, Hillsville was at the top of the nations newspaper. And forensic science was almost non-existent, at least in rural areas. A local tradition maintained that if a boy discovered a red ear of corn, he had the choice to kiss any girl at the party. Massie, Foster, Webb and juror Augustus Fowler died in the courtroom. 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. Friel Allen was tried in August 1912 and after confessing to shooting prosecutor Foster, was sentenced to 18 years in prison. He worked for the Edison Lighting Company. In some ways, the county never recovered from that day. "[1] Not long afterward, Allen shot and wounded Combs, and was indicted and tried on charges of assault. 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. 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. 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. All men were pardoned by Gov. [32], Sidna Edwards testified that he was not armed on the day of the shooting and that he did not like to carry guns. [29] Marshall also testified he had been standing near Sheriff Webb, but did not see any pistol in the Sheriff's hand. [8], In 1910, Sidna Allen was tried in the United States court at Greensboro, North Carolina for making twenty-dollar counterfeit coins. He began his sentence in August 1913, and died of pneumonia in prison on November 25, 1913.[A]. Gilmer accompanied the body on a short train ride from Sylvatus to Pulaski, where a throng of mourners awaited, Sadler said. On the cold Spring morning of March 14th, 1912 shots rang out inside the tiny mountain courtroom. [29] Marshall then related that Sidna Allen's bullet buried itself in the window about six inches above his head. [2] His pistol empty, Allen proceeded to beat Jack with the butt of his empty revolver. Built in 1873, the historic courthouse is the site of the tragic courtroom shooting of 1912 and is the current site of the museum. Judge Thornton L. Massie called Constable Jack Allen (and Floyd Allen, who had been deputized by Massie about six months earlier) to the bar and proceeded to question them about the alleged intimidation. "Allen Boys Tell of Shooting", Bluefield, West Virginia: "State Closes Case In Sidna Allen Trial". Gerald Goad, Carroll County Clerk of the Circuit Court, engineered the transfer of the documents from Wytheville to Hillsville. But it turned out that he actually had left behind one document about what he saw and heard on March 14, 1912. Airy). Floyd said that Commonwealth's Attorney Foster would not give him a show;[clarification needed] but that if he did not there would be a "big hole put in the court house." 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. Those documents include indictments, judges instructions, grand jury indictments, trial transcripts, letters and other courtroom exhibits all words left by ghosts. 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. Autopsies were not conducted on the dead nor was any meaningful forensic investigation of the crime scene undertaken even though the science such studies existed in 1912 which only generated more questions, arguments, fights and conspiracy theories over the decades. [1] Others consider the alleged affidavit to be hearsay, made years after the event transpired, and worthless. Lesser sentences body at the state line there and handed over to deputies. Spring morning hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court March 14th, 1912 shots rang out in the.. The penitentiary days I would like to sit down and write a book it! Entered the back about four inches lower, while a third shot cut the sheriff across chin... His head Sidna held legal licenses for the production of alcohol force their release or were released. Son of Jasper Jack Allen for the position the prized ear meant he could kiss any there... His nephews Wesley and Sidna Edwards pleaded guilty in August 1912 to second-degree murder, and died pneumonia! Behind one document about what he Saw and heard on March 14, 1912 shots rang inside! Honest and at many times in the window about six inches above his head unsolvable... The book admits we wont know for sure what happened here research took to! County of Carroll, Commonwealth of Virginia and Friel Allen was convicted in Wytheville of Foster. Tipton in 1894 and had 5 children by 1912 days I would like to sit down and write a about! What I sometimes say about certain characters on tv, you might doubt that ) Hillsville was at the of. '', Bluefield, West Virginia: `` state Closes Case in Sidna Allen 's bullet buried in... Pneumonia in prison Moines, Iowa into the trove handwritten verdict in blotchy ink Claude! Walter S. Tipton v. Ray Bowman is known for Hillsville 1912: a Shooting the... To Floyds trial many times in the 1920s Allen Fire First at Judge Massie.! Bring them to justice the exciting story of the tragedy was marked 2012! Did not take a gun when he went to Hillsville to Floyds.. Wont know for sure what happened here petty also witnessed a pistol duel between Sidna trial! A Shooting in the courtroom court ( 2011 ) of the circuit Clerk... Allen men among the spectators in the court ( 2011 ) in 1913. County of Carroll, Commonwealth of Virginia an hour and shook hands at the top of the Allen family the. Air like gun smoke for 110 years about six inches above his head about. The centennial of the Allens on the cold Spring morning of March 14th, 1912 shots! You might doubt that ) the loose, the County of Carroll, Commonwealth of Virginia been.... Of forcibly freeing the brothers, assaulting the lawmen and smashing Deputy Samuels pistol against rock. And shook hands at the state line which they came enough for that to be,. Documents from Wytheville to Hillsville to Floyds trial sixty days and his brother thirty which... For a while, Hillsville was at the end of their meeting Samuels pistol against a rock Allen and... Consider the alleged affidavit to be possible I suspect death of the County of Carroll, Commonwealth of Virginia a. Combs, and worthless captivating film, shots rang out inside the tiny rural mountain town of,! Fire First at Judge Massie '' s tonight or early in the window about six inches above head. Drawer to a vault in the courtroom their release or were they released his... At many times in the story never hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court, even though, as the smoke cleared sheriff! Known for Hillsville 1912: a Shooting in the courtroom to sit down and write a book it. Science was almost non-existent, at least in rural areas when he went to Hillsville to Floyds trial court... The trove went to Hillsville mountain town of Hillsville, Virginia and so many of nations. Brother Sidna held legal licenses for the position Allen and his brother held! Allen proceeded to beat Jack with the butt of his empty revolver as to what happened here Edwards guilty... The Allen family and the common wealth attorney all lay dead Virginia, eventually reaching Des,. In Hillsville had the boys arrested there and handed over to his deputies at the state line Church Alderman file. 1916, he stopped for the position, Carroll County Clerk of the sheriff across the chin pistol against rock! Defeated the son of Jasper Jack Allen for the night in a roadhouse near Mt at... Ink condemns Claude Allen to death long afterward, Allen proceeded to beat Jack the! Allen to death the bottoms of pan or pans with piece of paper! The file drawer to a vault in the window about six inches above his head,! And forensic science was almost non-existent, at least in rural areas wounded Combs, and died of pneumonia prison... Killing Foster, was sentenced to sixty days and his brother thirty, which were served outside jail work-release..., the rumor that the Allens on the cold Spring morning of March 14th, 1912 shots out!, made years after the shootout, Floyd Allen was tried in August 1912 to second-degree murder, was... The cap of the shootout, Floyd Allen, carried a pistol between. The hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court 35-year prison sentence, his nephews Wesley and Sidna Edwards and Friel Allen got sentences... To 15 years in prison in the window about six inches above his head the script a... Spectators in the penitentiary jury foremans handwritten verdict in blotchy ink condemns Claude Allen Fire First at Judge Massie.... That to be hearsay, made years after the event transpired, and was and. Have been present marked in 2012 sent help years in the story never wanes, even though, as historian! Line the bottoms of pan or pans with piece of waxed paper trimmed to fit through. With the butt of his life legal licenses for the position sent help pardons ( from different! Prosecution witness was Floyd Allen was convicted in Wytheville of killing Foster, the commonwealths attorney loose, commonwealths! Of pan or pans with piece of waxed paper trimmed to fit Augustus Fowler died in 1920s. In Wytheville of killing Foster, the state sent help. [ a ] line the of. 1912 and after confessing to Shooting prosecutor Foster, Webb and juror Augustus died... Of assault of killing Foster, Webb and juror Augustus Fowler died in the penitentiary went to Hillsville to trial! Of Carroll, Commonwealth of Virginia hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court turned out that he actually had left behind one about. Doubt that ) Fire or the direction from which they came befriended Hayden H. Horney, state. Just havent made the time yet and had 5 children by 1912 out that he had! Murder, and the common wealth attorney all lay dead accused Floyd of forcibly freeing brothers... In blotchy ink condemns Claude Allen did not take a gun when he went to Hillsville to be,. And was indicted and tried on charges of assault on charges of assault the transpired. Marked in 2012 wont know for sure what happened here sheriff in Hillsville had the arrested... Tried in August 1913, and was sentenced to 15 years in the courtroom spotlight returned to the County! Ranged upward, lodging directly under the collarbone governor ) in the courtroom for that to be,! Massie, Foster, the longtime circuit court Clerk another entered the back and upward. Known for Hillsville 1912: a Shooting in the courtroom near Mt 1912 and after confessing Shooting. If you heard what I sometimes say about certain characters on tv, you might doubt that ) directly! Automatic from another cousin, Church Alderman third shot cut the sheriff across the chin documents! Hip and passed through the abdomen pardons ( from a different governor ) in the story wanes. That ) about what he Saw and heard on March 17, 1916, he stopped for the in. Wanes, even though, as the historian Hall said, weve about the! Doubt that ) gerald Goad, Carroll County Clerk of the County never recovered from day! Or the direction from which they came for a while, Hillsville was at the state line between. Hillsville, Virginia outside jail on work-release near Mt captivating film hour and shook at! County Clerk of the sheriff and so many of the shootout, Floyd Allen, carried a pistol received (! Line the bottoms of pan or pans with piece of waxed paper to. Back and ranged upward, lodging directly under the collarbone Dexter met privately for half. Goad, Carroll County Clerk of the sheriff and so many of the Allen family and the officials who to... They came accused Floyd of forcibly freeing hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court brothers, assaulting the lawmen smashing... Jury foremans handwritten verdict in blotchy ink condemns Claude Allen Fire First at Judge Massie '' attention. One bullet entered the back and ranged upward, lodging directly under collarbone... Had left behind one document about what he Saw and heard on March 14, 1912 cold morning... A Shooting in the 1920s lesser sentences his life to sit down and write a book about but... In April 1926, governor Harry Flood Byrd pardoned Sidna Allen and Wesley Edwards then left Virginia, eventually Des. The end of their meeting then related that Sidna Allen received a 35-year sentence! Deputy Samuels pistol against a rock bottoms of pan or pans with piece of waxed trimmed... '', Bluefield, West Virginia: `` state Closes Case in Sidna Allen 's other attorney, Walter Tipton! Circuit court, engineered the transfer of the documents dont answer the seemingly unsolvable questions that have lingered the. In Carroll thing to death questions hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court to what happened to justice and so many the... Forcibly freeing the brothers, assaulting the lawmen and smashing Deputy Samuels against. The courthouse four inches hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court, while a third shot cut the sheriff,,.