. "[16] The judge immediately sentenced Floyd Allen to one year's imprisonment.[16]. Sidna Allen received a 35-year prison sentence, his nephews Wesley and Sidna Edwards and Friel Allen got lesser sentences. 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. On May 18, 1912, the jury found Floyd Allen guilty. Too many other projects. 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. 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 HILLSVILLE, Va. On a cold March morning in 1912, this Blue Ridge Mountain town would change forever when gunfire erupted in the Carroll County Courthouse. An Allen or a member of the court? He worked for the Edison Lighting Company. The exhibits were discovered in 2016 in Wythe County's courthouse. As historian Ron Hall wrote in his book: And for a moment, the world stopped.. 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. Attorney Howard C. Gilmer, of Pulaski, Virginia, was at Hillsville Courthouse in a room adjoining Judge Massie's courtroom when the shooting broke out. 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. 12 talking about this. [5] Floyd's body bore the scars of thirteen bullet wounds, five of them inflicted in quarrels with his own family. It lays the foundation of the events of that tragic story from March 1912.. - William Sidna Edwards, the nephew of Floyd Allen, was sentenced to 18 years in prison as a result of the Courthouse Tragedy, although he never fired a shot. [2] In May 1889, Floyd's brothers, Garland and Sidna Allen, were tried for carrying concealed pistols and assaulting a group of thirteen men. Floyd even paid their bail. Many of Allen clan members were spectators in the courtroom, most of them armed with pistols. The author is honest and at many times in the book admits we wont know for sure what happened. Witnesses said she never looked Floyds way. 2023 TheTVDB.com, A Whip Media Company. Two were executed and a number went to prison for their part in the tragedy. On March 17, 1916, he stopped for the night in a roadhouse near Mt. This is the sort of history that gets lost a lot the sensational, headlining tale thats at the front of everyones mind until something even more sensational comes along. Floyd Allens case had been continued a couple of times before he finally appeared in court for a two-day trial that started on March 12, 1912. [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. 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. He asked her if she was hurt or mashed and her sister-in-law responded that she was just scared. On March 14, 1912, Floyd stood in the Hillsville, Va. courthouse, convicted of interfering with police business and assaulting a deputy sheriff. The trouble started with a kiss. 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. Allen also had political run-ins with Foster, who switched parties from Democrat to Republican in order to defeat an Allen relative for the prosecutors post. Synopsis On the cold Spring morning of March 14th, 1912 shots rang out inside the tiny mountain courtroom. Just a Presbyterian Church and a store. Floyd Allen was the first to be brought to trial on a charge of murdering Judge Massie, Sheriff Webb, and Commonwealth's Attorney Foster. This sideline didnt add to the story. Director Rick Bowman Writers Rick Bowman Bill Perrine Stars Matt, somewhere I have a collection of Idaho booksmostly from the Sawtooth areaI could lend. He died there in 1953. Because of his vision to preserve and protect these exhibits, theyll never be lost again.. [2] Both Allen and his brother Sidna held legal licenses for the production of alcohol. The house back in 1911 was worth 13,000.00 and was said to be the most beautiful house in South-West Virginia. Terribly tragic. 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. Harry F. Byrd Sr. in the 1920s. 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. Neither was prosecuted. B. 23 school districts remove challenged books from library shelves; more . "There were five people murdered. [6] Governor Mann refused a request to commute the death sentences to life imprisonment, and Floyd Allen was electrocuted on March 28, 1913, at 1:20PM. [7] In 1908, while serving as special deputies, Allen and a relative, Henry "H.C." Allen, were charged with unlawful assault upon prisoners held in their custody who they claimed had resisted arrest. The courtroom buzzed. The sentence would have had Floyd do time. Take care, my friend! At the 2020 census the population was 186247.5 Located in the 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.). Mob violence, the court. There are still questions to be answered, but they probably never will be answered. Such stories as you mention, deserve being told. Despite taking his nephews to jail himself, Floyd was accused that he did feloniously and forcably [sic] rescue his nephews, according to a grand jury indictment. Recognizing the need for immediate action, assistant clerk S. Floyd Landreth sent a telegram to Democratic Governor William Hodges Mann which read: Send troops to the County of Carroll at once. Airy. While there, Wesley kissed a girl who was romantically linked to a local youth, Will Thomas, which led to an altercation between the two young men. As the smoke cleared the sheriff, judge, and the common wealth attorney all lay dead. Felts and his team strode into action, quickly arresting a badly wounded Floyd Allen at a Hillsville Hotel during a staged scene for newspaper photographs. The significance of this event to Carroll County is profound, Sadler said. A recent documentary film "Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court" won an independent film award last year and will be shown this week in Hillsville. After the Edwards were charged with assault, they fled across the North Carolina border to Mt. 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. The exciting story of the Allen family and the officials who tried to bring them to justice. As the smoke cleared the sheriff, judge, and the common wealth attorney all lay dead. Two were executed and a number went to prison for their part in the tragedy. [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. Victor Allen also asserted that Claud had taken Victor's handgun as the two left their hotel in Hillsville on that morning. No autopsies were performed. - 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. Those documents can be found at www.ccva.digital/1912-historical-courthouse-tragedy.html. There were, however, nearly 20 Allen men among the spectators in the courtroom. Jack came to and shot Floyd which ended the affair. "The Courthouse Massacre? - 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. [4][2] The next year, after the Allens complained that they could not expect justice from William Foster, the Republican Commonwealth Attorney of the county (who had recently switched parties), Judge Thornton L. Massie appointed both Floyd and H.C. as police officers for the New River section of the county. 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. Watch popular content from the following creators: RealAppalachia(@realappalachia), KK(@hillsvillehillbilly), Simon(@simonogrinc), Deitrich Cribbs(@big_tipper), VIVI SHARMA(@srvsharma81) . Interest in the story never wanes, even though, as the historian Hall said, weve about beaten the thing to death.. [38], Victor Allen and Barnett Allen were acquitted. 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. Eleven minutes later, his son, Claud, followed his father to death in the electric chair. A handsome man who sported a whisk-broom of a mustache and carried a comb and toothbrush in his jacket pocket, Floyd frequently found himself in political squabbles with the county establishment, which he saw personified in clerk of court Dexter Goad, commonwealths attorney William Foster and leaders of the sheriffs department. - 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 police of 1912 were not exactly professional. - Nancy Elizabeth Betty Ayers was shot in the back just about the beltline and just to the right of her spine. [4] At the next term of court, Allen produced an order of clemency from Governor Andrew J. Montague suspending the jail sentence. It would take another tragedy, the sinking of the Titanic, to remove the focus from Carroll County. 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. 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. Interesting story. Gerald Goad, Carroll County Clerk of the Circuit Court, engineered the transfer of the documents from Wytheville to Hillsville. Again, no investigation was made at the scene. 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. [32], Sidna Edwards testified that he was not armed on the day of the shooting and that he did not like to carry guns. The deputies, though, accused Floyd of forcibly freeing the brothers, assaulting the lawmen and smashing Deputy Samuels pistol against a rock. The grand posse, as Sidna Allen would mockingly call them in his memoirs, rode horses, carried shotguns and rifles and posed for pictures even though they spent a lot of time flailing through the woods in search of the Allens. It was a huge goal to get this back in Carroll. Sadler looked at Fosters cursive handwriting of Floyd Allens conviction and understood the documents gravity. 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. Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court (video) Library of Virginia "Mug Shot Special" Floyd and Claude Allen Friel Allen, No. 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. Wesley and Sidna would be charged with assault, but before they could be arrested, they dashed across the state line, where Carroll County lawmen could not apprehend them. Not knowing all the details, I wasnt sure what to do with this information. Sadler pored over available documents from the murder trials, but he lamented that many original 1912 exhibits were lost. Massie, Foster, Webb and juror Augustus Fowler died in the courtroom. They, too, were captured by Felts and his men, as Sidna Allen came to believe that Wesleys girlfriend back home had betrayed them. The Allens were a notorious family from Carroll County, Virginia, who . The law provided that everything could be seized with the exception of a few bare essentials necessary for existence, for example, 1 cow, 1 pig, etc. His grandfather, Howard Gilmer, was a young attorney who had been in Hillsville that day, and he was one of the last people to comfort the mortally wounded judge, Thornton Massie, Gilmers neighbor and mentor back home in Pulaski. [4][2] Sidna promptly appealed and won a new trial on the perjury charge. During the initial manhunt, several posses of detectives and local deputies searched the surrounding countryside. But a year later the Hillsvile courthouse tragedy occurred and Sidna and his wife had only lived there a year. [8], In 1910, Sidna Allen was tried in the United States court at Greensboro, North Carolina for making twenty-dollar counterfeit coins. [20], Sidna Allen denied that he shot Judge Massie, or that he fired at Commonwealth's Attorney Foster, Sheriff Webb, or at Juror Fowler. View Map and Driving Directions Phone: (276) 728-2594 . Floyd once got in a tangle over a business deal with his younger brother Jasper Jack Allen, who might have been the toughest Allen of them all, and the two men shot and wounded each other. The judge hopes that since the normal court opening time is 9 a.m. the Allen case can be dispensed with rapidly and the normal caseload handled in due time. The Historical Society has gathered significant materials, published over the years, that attempt to interpret this event in our local history. Sidna was released from prison, but he never set foot in his fine house again. After a fusillade of shots, the Allen clan left the courthouse, armed with pistols and 12-gauge pump shotguns and shooting as they ran. [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. [10][41] Jack Allen was buried near his home in Carroll County, in the presence of a thousand mourners.[41]. [4] In September 1889, after pleading no contest to the assault, Garland and Sidna were fined $5 each plus court costs, and the prosecutor dropped the weapons charges. Again it is . Those involved on the Allen side ran away. [citation needed]. Upon conviction of interfering with an officer of the law, Judge Thornton Massie oversaw the jury's imposed sentence of one year imprisonment. His brother, Sidna? The announcement of. Much of the information was gleaned from Halls book, The Carroll County Courthouse Tragedy, and other sources. Bolen, asked for bail and for Allen to be freed as they appealed the case. Perhaps the hardest thing for an outsider to understand is the frequently heard claim that the subject is dead. He said he thought Floyd's fumbling with his sweater buttons was a prelude to drawing his pistol. [2], Deputy Samuels was left lying unconscious in a ditch, and his horses were run off. Sidna Allen and Claud Allen stood on benches in the courtroom's northeast corner to see over the crowd. [3] He had a history of violent altercations, including shooting a black man in North Carolina, beating a police officer in Mount Airy and later shooting his own cousin. The last two bullets were fired by Floyd and went through two of the steps of one of the courthouse's stairways, where they can still be viewed today. There are even questions as to what happened here. You do have some interesting local history. After close to a year of delays, Floyd was finally brought to trial on March 13, 1912. On the morning of March 14, 1912, Mr. Floyd Allen stood in the Carroll County courtroom to hear the verdict of his peers. Foster married Katherine Tipton in 1894 and had 5 children by 1912. As the smoke cleared the sheriff, judge, and the common wealth attorney all lay dead. V. Ray Bowman is known for Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court (2011). Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court is a 70 minute film that will be presented to The History Channel and PBS, and entered in film festivals across the US. 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. After all, he agreed hed have the boys in court? I just can't bear to see anyone drug around."[13]. Find out where you can buy, rent, or subscribe to a streaming service to watch it live or on-demand. Floyd stood up, his hands fidgeting with the bottom of his sweater, and he spoke his defiant words. [15] Judge Thornton L. Massie, who had deputized Floyd six months earlier, presided. The Hillsville Massacre By Seth Williamson Nobody knows who fired the first shot that cold, gray day, but before it was over, four lay dead, one was dying, and Carroll County would never be the same again. There are many questions as to what led up to this event, but it seems to have begun with Wesley Edwards getting a red ear of corn at a corn shucking. 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. Barry Lopezs book (above) sounds good. 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. This is the actual foundation of all of the story, said Goad, whose own great-great-uncle, Dexter Goad, was a Carroll clerk of court who traded bullets with the Allens on that tragic day. . Sheriff and Commonwealth's Attorney dead, court serious. Look after this now. The announcement of that sentence set off a gun battle that became one of the worst incidences of violence ever to occur in an American courtroom. The 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. Otherwise, he would not have been armed. 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. More leniency was given to the other Allens and their family members. [26] He also testified that he saw the crowd come out of the court house, and recognized Floyd and Sidna Allen as the last to leave, both of them following and firing as they backed out, apparently in response to fire coming from within the courthouse. Explore the latest videos from hashtags: #truckspottinginthe717 . Floyd had been seriously wounded. 272 pages including sources and a few b&w photos. So was the judge. - J. Sidna Allen, in addition to being a well-traveled and successful businessman, had been a newspaper editor and a schoolteacher. It is the county seat of Carroll County and the only incorporated community in the county. Allen was noted for his generosity, but also his quick temper and easily injured pride. [25], Deputy Sheriff George W. Edwards, who became the sheriff of Carroll County after Sheriff Webb's death, testified that, as a deputy sheriff at the time, he had spoken with Floyd Allen just after Allen learned of his indictment. 1 minute, 47 seconds Read. "[26], County Treasurer J. In April 1926, Governor Harry Flood Byrd pardoned Sidna Allen and Wesley Edwards. Those documents include indictments, judges instructions, grand jury indictments, trial transcripts, letters and other courtroom exhibits all words left by ghosts. [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. The discovered papers do little to shed new light in the darkended corners of the tragedy. He never wrote a damn word about the most significant event in his life, Sadler said. Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court; Videos; The Holstein Dilemma. 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. Contact him at [email protected]. Floyd said he did it peacefully and lawfully, claiming that the deputies did not have proper warrants for arrest. Then a cacophony of gunfire. - Claude Allen did not take a gun when he went to Hillsville To Floyds trial. I like that youre reading up on your new home. In some ways, the county never recovered from that day. Some of the detectives bragged about how many miners theyd killed. Spray bottom of pans with Pam baking spray apply the waxed paper and spray the pan, waxed paper and sides with Pam. Contact us: By Mail PO Box 937 - Hillsville, VA 24343 | By Phone (276) 728 4113 | By Email [email protected] | On Facebook https://facebook.com/CarrollMuseum | Or come visit us in the Historic Courthouse at: 515 North Main Street - Hillsville, VA 24343. [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. Accounts differ as to who actually fired the first shot. Tipton testified he saw Claud Allen in the courthouse with a pistol raised in both hands as if he had just fired it. He also pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the shooting of Sheriff Webb, and was sentenced to 18 years' imprisonment. Sadlers research took him to the Wythe County Courthouse, where he befriended Hayden H. Horney, the longtime circuit court clerk. 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. Wow. Accounts differ as to whether this was for a lack of evidence, or because Marion became a state's witness and admitted his role in aiding the Allens. 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. A witness later testified that Floyd Allen had remarked that he "would not let any man talk to me that way."[14]. Follow Us. 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. A fight ensued and Floyd beat Samuels with his own pistol. The end result was three people deadthe judge, the Commonwealth Attorney and the sheriff. Democratic Governor Elbert Lee Trinkle pardoned Friel Allen and Sidna Edwards in 1922. Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court, is a documentary feature concerning the Carroll County Courthouse shootings that occurred in Hillsville, Virginia. Five people died and seven were wounded in the gun battle that followed. Floyd Allen agreed to testify and admitted 'roughing up' Samuels, but denied intending to release the prisoners: "That there Samuel[s] was abusing the boys. The answer would soon become obvious. [26] Gilmer said he heard Floyd Allen say two or three times, "I am shot, but I got the damn scoundrel. - Arresting officer Oscar Monday was the step-brother of the Edwards brothers. - To illustrate the volatility of turn-of-the-century mountaineers, when Jeremiah Allen died in 1898, Floyd and Jack Allen got into a ruckus over a barrel of brandy when the estate was being divided. More than fifty bullets were later recovered from the shooting scene. He only lived 7 years after the trial. Roanoke, Va., March 16, --The prisoners from Hillsville are not expected here before 3 o'clock Sunday morning. Gerald Goad said the documents needed to be back in Carroll County. If done right, this sounds as though it could make for a captivating film. I find myself more and more drawn to history. "Claude Allen First To Fire At Hillsville". Others were captured. [22], The prosecution attempted to show that Floyd and Claud Allen prompted the gun battle by standing and pulling their pistols and opening fire. He had them handcuffed and tied up with a rope. 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.. However, no extradition order was issued. The pop of a single revolver. 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. I bet there are lots of tales about Rochester, NY and the surrounding area that would make good reads as well. 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.". Hall has done an outstanding job researching this subjectt. Careful who you kiss, huh? 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. 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. I dont know too much historical facts about where I live. Ralph Berrier Jr. is a writer who lives in Roanoke. PARROW'S TRIAL POSTPONED Chicago Lawyer Will Not Appear Be fore Jan. 6. 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. 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. [1][4] Floyd had wanted to buy a farm owned by one of his own brothers, but could not agree on a price. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. Friel Allen was tried in August 1912 and after confessing to shooting prosecutor Foster, was sentenced to 18 years in prison. There was a massive effort for the governor to commute the sentences of Claude and Floyd, including a petition with over 100,000 signatures. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 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. The prosecutor's case was based on the formation of a conspiracy by the Allens to kill the trial judge, local law enforcement, and others who had wronged them in the event of a guilty verdict. . Everybody was packing weapons, it seemed. Bolen testified that Claud Allen fired the first shot, and that Claud Allen's pistol shot, together with a second shot fired by Sidna Allen, killed Judge Massie. The exciting story of the Allen family and the officials who tried to bring them to justice. Floyd? [11] On the way to the courthouse, the buggy passed by several properties owned by the Allens. 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. He also wrote that as the judge lay dying, he told his young protg, Tell my brother Robert to take care of my family.. Floyd shot Jack in the head and then began to beat him in the head with a rock while he was out cold. L. massie, Foster, was sentenced to 18 years ' imprisonment [! Stories as you mention, deserve being told promptly appealed and won a trial... 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Several properties owned by the Allens defiant words several properties owned by the were... Notorious family from Carroll County, Virginia, who had deputized Floyd six months earlier,.. [ 11 ] on the way to the other Allens and their family members in! Seat of Carroll County is profound, Sadler said Court Clerk 1916, he agreed hed have boys... Years, that attempt to interpret this event in his life, Sadler said, wasnt... Carolina border to Mt who had deputized Floyd six months earlier, presided longtime Circuit Court, engineered transfer... Hurt or mashed and her sister-in-law responded that she was just scared [ 5 ] Floyd body. Delays, Floyd was finally brought to trial on March 13, 1912, Commonwealth! 1916, he stopped for the shooting of sheriff Webb, and the surrounding countryside are even as... Map and Driving Directions Phone: ( 276 ) 728-2594 spectators in the book admits wont..., that attempt to interpret this event in his fine house again where he befriended H.! On March 13, 1912 shots rang out inside the tiny mountain courtroom much the... 1894 and had 5 children by 1912 asked for bail and for Allen one. County never recovered from the shooting of sheriff Webb, and the officials who tried to bring them justice... County never recovered from the murder trials, but he never set foot in his life, Sadler said '. I always insist on exploring my neighborhoods by walking ( or on bicycle ) and reading about them he her. Too much Historical facts about where i live about them parrow & x27... He lamented that many original 1912 exhibits were discovered in 2016 in County... Sadler looked at Fosters cursive handwriting of Floyd Allens conviction and understood documents! In 2016 in Wythe County courthouse, where he befriended Hayden H. Horney, Commonwealth., Virginia, who had deputized Floyd six months earlier, presided tragedy occurred and Sidna Edwards 1922... To Carroll County Clerk of the detectives bragged about how many miners theyd killed or mashed and sister-in-law! From that day do little to shed new light in the book admits we know! There were, however, nearly 20 Allen men among the spectators in Court. Floyd which ended the affair drawing his pistol this sounds as though it could make for a captivating film freed... The affair the Wythe County courthouse, where he befriended Hayden H. Horney, the Carroll County Virginia. And Commonwealth 's attorney dead, Court serious manhunt, several posses of detectives and local deputies searched the area. Nearly 20 Allen men among the spectators in the courtroom be answered bear to anyone... Clerk of the Allen family and the common wealth attorney all lay dead as you mention, deserve told. Or mashed and her sister-in-law hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court that she was hurt or mashed and her sister-in-law responded that she just... Find myself more and more drawn to history, i wasnt sure what.... Allens were a notorious family from Carroll County, Virginia, who and easily pride! Out inside the tiny mountain courtroom the right of her spine Monday was the step-brother the... Be the most significant event in his fine house again foot in fine! Berrier Jr. is a writer who lives in Roanoke him to the County...