Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court 7,494 views Jan 8, 2011 42 Dislike Share Save Bill Perrine 320 subscribers A brief trailer for the upcoming documentary about the 1912 Hillsville. [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. Floyd stood up, his hands fidgeting with the bottom of his sweater, and he spoke his defiant words. They didnt find Andrew because the cell was dark and he had climbed up between the chimney and wall near the ceiling. [34] Sidna Allen and Wesley Edwards then left Virginia, eventually reaching Des Moines, Iowa. Find the cheapest option or how to watch with a free trial. To find the prized ear meant he could kiss any girl there. Thousands of people wrote letters to Gov. 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. On March 17, 1916, he stopped for the night in a roadhouse near Mt. Atop a shelf, he saw what looked like a drawer among the boxes. The ex On the cold Spring morning of March 14th, 1912 shots rang out inside the tiny mountain courtroom. Theres Fosters handwriting and then you realize that within five or six minutes, he was dead. On 13 March 1912, in the Carroll County Circuit Court, Floyd Allen was tried for attacking two deputies who had arrested two of his nephews for fighting and disturbing a religious meeting. The execution of father and soon occurred in 1913. Katherine survived until 1960. - J. Sidna Allen, in addition to being a well-traveled and successful businessman, had been a newspaper editor and a schoolteacher. 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.". Movies. Massie refused, saying he was there to prosecute, not persecute.. 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. To this day, 110 years later, nobody who has studied this notorious event can say with any assurance who fired that catastrophic first shot. No one secured the courthouse as a crime scene. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Hillsville Courthouse. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. Much of the information was gleaned from Halls book, The Carroll County Courthouse Tragedy, and other sources. 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 . Betty Ayers, an 18-year-old witness, was hit in the back while fleeing the courtroom and died the next day. [4] At the next term of court, Allen produced an order of clemency from Governor Andrew J. Montague suspending the jail sentence. 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. [4], In another instance, while arguing over the administration of their father's estate, Allen got into a gunfight with his own brother, Jasper, known as "Jack", a local constable. On a different occasion, he heard Floyd Allen make the same threat of putting the biggest hole in the courthouse that any man ever had seen. Those documents can be found at www.ccva.digital/1912-historical-courthouse-tragedy.html. 11217 Sidna Edwards, No. Allen, who was before the bar for sentencing after being convicted of taking a prisoner from a deputy sheriff, allegedly triggered the shooting at the Carroll County Courthouse in Hillsville on March 14, 1912. 2023 TheTVDB.com, A Whip Media Company. Floyd had been seriously wounded. However, no extradition order was issued. He apparently also hopes that the early hour will serve to dampen the spirits of the Allens. Harry F. Byrd Sr. in the 1920s. He found the murder indictment against Sidna Allen, Floyds brother who would be convicted and serve more than 13 years in prison. He defeated the son of Jasper Jack Allen for the position. Sadlers research took him to the Wythe County Courthouse, where he befriended Hayden H. Horney, the longtime circuit court clerk. The author also hints there were issues between the Democratic Allens and the Republicans who made up much of the courthouse crowd. If thats the case, those against the Allens saw a way to get back at them. B. Marshall testified that when the shooting started he turned to escape the courthouse. The pop of a single revolver. "[16] The judge immediately sentenced Floyd Allen to one year's imprisonment.[16]. 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. The trouble started with a kiss. Those involved on the Allen side ran away. Sidna Allen received a 35-year prison sentence, his nephews Wesley and Sidna Edwards and Friel Allen got lesser sentences. - 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. -- 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 . 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. Newport News nuprt - -prt -6 is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. For a while, Hillsville was at the top of the nations newspaper. But the governor refused. Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court Great Video Historical documentary of the 1912 Hillsville, VA courthouse shootout between the Allen family and the officers of the court. He found trial transcripts. 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. Its small enough for that to be possible I suspect. March broke cold and rainy in the mountains. 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. I was distraught over the recent rush to execute in our country. It would take another tragedy, the sinking of the Titanic, to remove the focus from Carroll County. Sadler, who said he spent more than 1,700 hours researching the story, spoke to a gathering in March that commemorated the 110th anniversary of the tragedy. Interest in the story never wanes, even though, as the historian Hall said, weve about beaten the thing to death.. 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. Neither died, but Jack had a silver plate in his head until he died. - Floyd Allen was tried in 1903 for shooting his first cousin, Noah Combs, and was sentenced to spend 1 hour in jail and pay a fine. Floyd even paid their bail. [36], For their roles in the shooting, Floyd and Claud were sentenced to death by electrocution. Petty also witnessed a pistol duel between Sidna Allen and Deputy Clerk Dexter Goad. 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. "[4], Judge Jackson recalled a trial in 1904 in which Allen was convicted of assaulting a neighbor, Noah Combs. [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. 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. In several instances he escaped indictment, I am satisfied, because the witnesses were afraid to testify to the facts before the grand jury. 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. Not knowing all the details, I wasnt sure what to do with this information. 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. - Commonwealths Attorney, William McDonald Foster, was a brother-in-law to one of Floyd Allens defense attorneys; Walter Scott Tipton. Even the accused, Floyd Allen, carried a pistol. 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. The legend also claims that the marker was removed as a condition of Sidna Allens pardon in 1926 after he served 14 years. The documents found their way to Wytheville because that was the site of the ensuing trials that followed the shootout, the venue having been moved from Hillsville where anger against the defendants boiled. Howard, I believe thats what youve been looking for, Horney said. 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. 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. As gunmen spilled from the courthouse taking their battle through the downtown streets, the judge, sheriff, and Commonwealth Attorney lay dead in the smoke-filled courtroom. However, once the story began, it flowed better. After several months' chase, Baldwin-Felts detectives located them in Iowa after an informant's tip. Too many other projects. Two of the participants were executed and the others received lengthy prison sentences. Floyd called home to have his son, Victor, bring him to court on Wednesday, March 13th. The judge refused. [29] Marshall then related that Sidna Allen's bullet buried itself in the window about six inches above his head. 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. 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. 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. Floyd Allen's son, Victor, bought his father's house so his mother would not have to move. 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. [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]. Tipton testified he saw Claud Allen in the courthouse with a pistol raised in both hands as if he had just fired it. 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. In the space of 90 seconds, 57 bullets were fired into the Hillsville courthouse, killing five men and wounding three more. So, in late 1910 when two of Floyd Allens nephews got in a little trouble with the law, the consequences would be deadly. 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. Elizabeth Ayers, a 19-year-old subpoenaed witness who had testified against Floyd Allen, was shot in the back while trying to leave the courtroom, and died at home the next day. Wesley was sentenced to sixty days and his brother thirty, which were served outside jail on work-release. We are the court of record. V. Ray Bowman is known for Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court (2011). 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. He was the patriarch of the county's most prominent family, which, in addition to owning large tracts of farmland and a prosperous general store, were also active in local politics as proud Southern Democrats. He also pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the shooting of Sheriff Webb, and was sentenced to 18 years' imprisonment. 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. Courthouse Productions will stage "Thunder in the Hills" again at the historic Carroll County Courthouse, North Main Street, Hillsville, Virginia, beginning April 7. 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. Eleven minutes later, his son, Claud, followed his father to death in the electric chair. He was tried in federal court, found guilty, and sentenced to a year in federal prison at Moundsville, West Virginia. - Sidna Edwards presence at Floyd Allens trial was requested by Floyds lawyers. 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. Perhaps to get even, Goad charged Allen with falsifying expense reports when he worked as a county deputy. Upon conviction of interfering with an officer of the law, Judge Thornton Massie oversaw the jury's imposed sentence of one year imprisonment. Perhaps the hardest thing for an outsider to understand is the frequently heard claim that the subject is dead. Two of whom, Sidna and his nephew Wesley, in Des Moines, Iowa where they were starting a new life. The Historical Society has gathered significant materials, published over the years, that attempt to interpret this event in our local history. On March 14, 1912, the Floyd Allen Clan carried out one of the most brutal attacks in Appalachian history. Ive already read four books and have another four lined up to read!. [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. After getting down the steps he leaned against the window of his office when two girls, Dora and Elizabeth Ayers, passed him. I have been reading Barry Lopezs About this Life. If you havent read it, you should. When all the smoke cleared, there were five dead, seven wounded. Fearful of the Allens' reaction, and having received death threats, many officials of the court armed themselves. Is Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court (2011) streaming on Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Peacock, or 50+ other streaming services? Judge Massie, Sheriff Webb, Commonwealth's Attorney Foster, and the jury foreman (Augustus C. Fowler), were all hit and died of their wounds sustained in the crossfire. 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.. He was called Pink because of a birthmark on his cheek. Hillsville Diner. Allen and several members of his family immediately fled the courtroom but were later captured and convicted of murder. Sheriff. [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. In his defense testimony, Floyd Allen stated that Sheriff Lew F. Webb fired first, but that the shot missed Allen, at which point Deputy Clerk Goad, the Clerk of Court, fired and hit Allen, causing him to fall. 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]. Mr. Alderman said Friel and Dexter met privately for about half an hour and shook hands at the end of their meeting. Such an interesting, but tragic, history, Jeff! )[12], Foster called upon a grand jury to investigate the escape/pistol-whipping incident. But the storys roots go further back and involve politics, rivalries, clannishness, thuggery, vengeance and even a little geography. 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. On the morning of March 14, 1912, Mr. Floyd Allen stood in the Carroll County courtroom to hear the verdict of his peers. According to Wesley, Thomas and three friends assaulted him, and he defended himself with the help of his brother Sidna, who rushed to join the fight. An Allen or a member of the court? Soon afterwards, folks dug bullets buried in the walls as souvenirs. Howard Gilmer had traveled to Hillsville with Massie because he had a case pending in court. The Allens were unreconstructed Democrats, the county fathers were mildly progressive, albeit still conservative, Republicans. I should do better and learn more about the area I call home. The tale of the courthouse massacre is lengthy and complicated, covering more than two years beginning with a fight in 1910, followed by Floyd Allens trial and the shootout and culminating in Floyd and Claude Allens executions in 1913. 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. [27] Years later, an allegation surfaced that Deputy Clerk H.C. Quesinberry had confessed on his deathbed to starting the shooting; two men swore an affidavit to that effect in 1967 (for which each man was reportedly paid $25). Explore the latest videos from hashtags: #truckspottinginthe717 . 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. Its cool you found such an interesting tale based in your area. Ninety seconds later, 57 bullets had been fired. He borrowed a .38 automatic from another cousin, Church Alderman. "Accuses Dexter Goad of Shooting Betty Ayers". - Carroll law officers did not cross into North Carolina to arrest the Edwards brothers as has long been claimed. Watch popular content from the following creators: RealAppalachia(@realappalachia), KK(@hillsvillehillbilly), Simon(@simonogrinc), Deitrich Cribbs(@big_tipper), VIVI SHARMA(@srvsharma81) . Three trials were needed to finally convict Claude. The home is owned by Bert and Marlene Widener, who offer tours by appointment. [11] There was only one set of handcuffs, and because Sidna Edwards had tried to escape a couple of times, Wesley was handcuffed in the front seat of the buggy and Sidna was tied in the back seat. [32], Victor Allen, whose pistol was used in the courthouse shooting, said he saw Wesley Edwards from outside the courtroom firing a revolver through the courthouse window and over spectators' heads just after the shooting began, and later saw Edwards run from the courthouse together with Sidna Allen. [4] His defense team included former Commonwealth's Attorney Walter Tipton and recent County Court Judge Oglesby. Convicted on capital murder, both Claude and Floyd were sentenced to death. I bet there are lots of tales about Rochester, NY and the surrounding area that would make good reads as well. Upon conviction of interfering with an officer of the law, Judge Thornton Massie oversaw the jurys imposed sentence of one year imprisonment. Jack came to and shot Floyd which ended the affair. Past month; Great transaction. The documents dont answer the seemingly unsolvable questions that have lingered in the air like gun smoke for 110 years. "Claude Allen First To Fire At Hillsville". [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. [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. [2], Floyd Allen met the buggy south of Sidna Allen's home as he was on the way to his own home. Officers often had a violent past. 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. Carroll County Historical Society and Museum. Gilmer accompanied the body on a short train ride from Sylvatus to Pulaski, where a throng of mourners awaited, Sadler said. The announcement of. [29], Another witness, Walter Petty, also testified that the first shots were fired from the courtroom's northeast corner, where Claud Allen was standing. 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. One can wonder if that was a sign that she blamed her husband for the tragic calamity that befell the family. [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. One local historian interviewed by Williamson for The Roanoker magazine in 1982 stated unequivocally that Claude Allen, Floyds son, fired first. One shot. For a while, Hillsville was at the top of the nation's newspaper. Everybody was packing weapons, it seemed. I enjoy learning about local history. The new system appointed a full-time judge to hold court at scheduled intervals in a circuit of several counties. Floyd Allen jury member, John W. Farris, remarked that they wouldnt be back until they were brought back. During the initial manhunt, several posses of detectives and local deputies searched the surrounding countryside. Elbert Lee Trinkle and Gov. Two bullet holes Floyd Allens final shots in the massacre are still visible in the wooden steps. Wesley and Sidna were charged with disorderly conduct, assault with a deadly weapon, disturbing a public worship service, and other violations. 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. - In 1912, the Carroll County courtroom was some 20 feet shorter than it is today. In 1921, however, Victor moved his family to Tabernacle Township, New Jersey. As the smoke cleared the sheriff, judge, and the common wealth attorney all lay dead. Most likely, someone had intentionally hidden the drawer to keep people from pawing through and perhaps removing the papers. Carroll County Clerk of the Circuit Court Gerald Goad sits behind the drawer that holds long-lost documents from the murder trials that followed the infamous "Courthouse Massacre" in 1912. "There were five people murdered. 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. Allen and Goad had butted heads before. We depend entirely on donations. On the cold spring morning of March 14th, 1912, shots rang out in the tiny rural mountain town of Hillsville, Virginia. The Commonwealth of Virginia posted rewards ($1000 for Sidna Allen, $1000 for Sidna Edwards, $800 for Claud Allen, $500 for Friel Allen, and $500 for Wesley Edwards) - dead or alive. Such tampering hindered the ability to link bullets to the guns fire or the direction from which they came. As historian Ron Hall wrote in his book: And for a moment, the world stopped.. 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