The judge refused. Ninety seconds later, 57 bullets had been fired. Even the accused, Floyd Allen, carried a pistol. Maybe so, but people just keep coming back to this story. They didnt find Andrew because the cell was dark and he had climbed up between the chimney and wall near the ceiling. And the storys controversies, conspiracies, debates over justice and moral lessons have long outlived the verdicts and punishments that sought to settle matters more than a century ago. Some of the detectives bragged about how many miners theyd killed. Otherwise, he would not have been armed. "[1] Not long afterward, Allen shot and wounded Combs, and was indicted and tried on charges of assault. On 13 March 1912, in the Carroll County Circuit Court, . One of these days I would like to sit down and write a book about it but just havent made the time yet. 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.". Howard, I believe thats what youve been looking for, Horney said. The next morning, the jury quickly returned a guilty verdict and a sentence of a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. This film is currently in development. The Historical Society has gathered significant materials, published over the years, that attempt to interpret this event in our local history. To be honest, nothing in the more than 180 pages of court papers adds any new information to the well-researched story of the shootout and its equally tragic aftermath. 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. [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. In the great Carroll County shootout in Hillsville on March 14, 1912, a judge, a sheriff, a commonwealth's attorney, a juror, and a spectator were all killed by shots fired by Allen and others after Allen was convicted of assault. Wow. On the morning of March 14, 1912, Mr. Floyd Allen stood in the Carroll County courtroom to hear the verdict of his peers. 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. It was a huge goal to get this back in Carroll. 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. B. Earle, 1866-1867. 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 Massie refused, saying he was there to prosecute, not persecute.. Bringing in Sheaves: The Western Revivals of the Reverend A. The agency, infamous for busting coal miner unions, breaking strikes and shooting people in West Virginia, were led by Thomas Felts from just down the road in Galax. When Floyd and Claude Allens bodies were brought back to the familys house in Cana, Frances Allen Floyds wife, Claudes mother entered the room dressed in black and fell across her sons coffin, embracing his body like a child. 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. Or the Clerk of Court Dexter Goad, who seems to have first pulled a gun? Upon conviction of interfering with an officer of the law, Judge Thornton Massie oversaw the jury's imposed sentence of one year imprisonment. Floyd spent the night at his brother Sidnas splendid new home in Fancy Gap, about 7 miles away. - 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. 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. Built in 1873, the historic courthouse is the site of the tragic courtroom shooting of 1912 and is the current site of the museum. Hillsville Diner. An Appalachian Feud Blows Up in 1912 Step into True Colors -- a new series of Historical Stories of Romance and American Crime In Carroll . "Allen Boys Tell of Shooting", Bluefield, West Virginia: "State Closes Case In Sidna Allen Trial". [34] Sidna Allen claimed that when he left the courthouse, Goad followed behind him, shooting him through the left arm, the bullet lodging in his left side. Mann asking either that the Allens be given clemency or be executed swiftly. Later, Foster changed to the Republican party, and by 1912 was a prominent leader in the GOP in Carroll County, being elected the last time on the Republican ticket. 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. I enjoy learning about local history. 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. There are even questions as to what happened here. Two others had been shot and would soon diethe jury foreman and a 19-year-old girl who had testified against Allen. Was it Floyds son Claude? Also, there were places where the author seemed to go out onto a tangent, such as explaining how electrocution became a means of capital punishment used on Floyd and Claude. On March 14, 1912, Floyd stood in the Hillsville, Va. courthouse, convicted of interfering with police business and assaulting a deputy sheriff. Another of those events that have passed into history. Most likely, someone had intentionally hidden the drawer to keep people from pawing through and perhaps removing the papers. [1] Combs wanted the land badly enough to pay the asking price and bought it despite Floyd Allen's warnings not to "butt in. Synopsis On the cold Spring morning of March 14th, 1912 shots rang out inside the tiny mountain courtroom. Not only the sheriff and deputies, but Goad and Foster. Hillsville began as a trading post known as Cranberry Plains. In response, the judge told the two men that if the law could not be faithfully enforced in Carroll County by the county's deputized officers he would bring in state troops if necessary to maintain order. Sidna Allen received a 35-year prison sentence, his nephews Wesley and Sidna Edwards and Friel Allen got lesser sentences. Allen and Goad had butted heads before. His grandfather had taken the round from the courthouse the day of the killings. 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. There is still question as to what happened and who shot first. But the storys roots go further back and involve politics, rivalries, clannishness, thuggery, vengeance and even a little geography. Elbert Lee Trinkle and Gov. Justice came swiftly to the Allens, perhaps a bit too swiftly for those folks who began to believe that a grave conspiracy among county officials had provoked the Allens in order to bring them down. However, no extradition order was issued. 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. It is the county seat of Carroll County and the only incorporated community in the county. Edwards was one of those involved in the fight at the church with the Edwards brothers and went on to be County Sheriff for numerous terms. [34] He stated that he fired back at Goad on the courthouse steps, but denied shooting at Treasurer J. Published in the SW VA Enterprise, Wytheville, Virginia Tuesday, July 4, 1939. - Commonwealths Attorney, William McDonald Foster, was a brother-in-law to one of Floyd Allens defense attorneys; Walter Scott Tipton. Floyd said he did it peacefully and lawfully, claiming that the deputies did not have proper warrants for arrest. This sideline didnt add to the story. The defense attempted to show that Deputy Clerk Goad shot Elizabeth Ayers in his exchange of fire with the Allens, a charge Goad denied. Officers often had a violent past. 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. He began his sentence in August 1913, and died of pneumonia in prison on November 25, 1913.[A]. Bake . View over 100 different photos - art pieces about the 1912 courthouse tragedy and Allen family from Cana, VA in this. Foster married Katherine Tipton in 1894 and had 5 children by 1912. The phone hasn't stopped ringing in the. He proved to be right. He apparently also hopes that the early hour will serve to dampen the spirits of the Allens. Too many other projects. Was Clerk of Carroll County Circuit Court During the Famous Allen Trial. [2] In May 1889, Floyd's brothers, Garland and Sidna Allen, were tried for carrying concealed pistols and assaulting a group of thirteen men. [6], Sidna Allen pleaded guilty and received a total of 35 years in prison for the voluntary manslaughter of Commonwealth's Attorney Foster, and for second-degree murder of Judge Massie. He has a wonderful essay in there titled The American Geographies. He speaks of the need to understand the stories, the voices of memory over the land. I think that is why I always insist on exploring my neighborhoods by walking (or on bicycle) and reading about them. Jack Allen lost his job as constable as a result of the Hillsville shooting, and soon his life. Neither was prosecuted. Friel settled in Inglewood, CA where he married twice, but never had any children. He wept freely as the verdict was read. Check your inbox now to confirm your subscription. 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]. The detectives left at Hillsville have gone to the mountains, headed by Lee Felts. This sort of isolation probably meant that Floyd and his siblings grew up independent, resourceful and perhaps overly prideful and defiant. Carroll County Historical Society and Museum. The historical society has raised thousands of dollars and conducted much-needed remodeling work in order to resume free tours, with the next public opening happening June 4-5. The spirits of the Hillsville shooting, and died of hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court in prison on November,... Jury foreman and a sentence of a year in jail and a sentence of a year in jail and 19-year-old! Jack Allen lost his job as hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court as a result of the detectives bragged about how many miners theyd.! The time yet he had climbed up between the chimney and wall near ceiling... Sentence in August 1913, and soon his life & # x27 t! Va in this, Allen shot and would soon diethe jury foreman and a $ 1,000 fine was dark he. New home in Fancy Gap, about 7 miles away howard, I thats. 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