Howard Gilmer testified during the subsequent murder trials about the judges fatal bullet wound. To this day, 110 years later, nobody who has studied this notorious event can say with any assurance who fired that catastrophic first shot. 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. In our first story, from Pennsylvania, we tell of a murder with a wizardly twist. [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. 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. Find out where you can buy, rent, or subscribe to a streaming service to watch it live or on-demand. The Carroll County prosecutor placed liens on all property owned by Floyd Allen and Sidna Allen for the heirs of the victims. March broke cold and rainy in the mountains. Sidna Allen and Claud Allen stood on benches in the courtroom's northeast corner to see over the crowd. In some ways, the county never recovered from that day. [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. [4] His defense team included former Commonwealth's Attorney Walter Tipton and recent County Court Judge Oglesby. Three trials were needed to finally convict Claude. The exciting story of the Allen family and the officials who tried to bring them to justice. Sadler pored over available documents from the murder trials, but he lamented that many original 1912 exhibits were lost. [5] Floyd's body bore the scars of thirteen bullet wounds, five of them inflicted in quarrels with his own family. 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. Their trials took place in Wytheville. 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. Those involved on the Allen side ran away. After a fusillade of shots, the Allen clan left the courthouse, armed with pistols and 12-gauge pump shotguns and shooting as they ran. At the 2020 census the population was 186247.5 Located in the 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. The courtroom buzzed. He pointed toward what appeared to Sadler to be a metal file. 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. - After the shootout ended, people in Hillsville were afraid the Allen family would come back into town and kill everyone in sight. At one time, there was another store and a tannery and a number of dairies and some local micro-distilleries (before they became popular or legal). "[26], County Treasurer J. "Claude Allen First To Fire At Hillsville". As the smoke cleared the sheriff, judge, and the common wealth attorney all lay dead. Airy, North Carolina. Two months after the shootout, Floyd Allen was convicted in Wytheville of killing Foster, the commonwealths attorney. He only lived 7 years after the trial. The book begins with character sketches of the various parties involved. COOPERSTOWN NEW YORK POSTCARD~Orphanage Building/House~Cart 1911 (#185750574261) l***n (1544) - Feedback left by buyer l***n (1544). It lays the foundation of the events of that tragic story from March 1912.. Family loyalty also played a role as the Allen/Edwards family stuck together to protect the Edward boys and later Floyd. One day in the fall of 2016, when Sadler was in Wytheville doing more research on a Friday afternoon, Horney called him into his office. Mt. The presentation will be held Sunday, March 12 at 2 p.m. at the Historic Carroll County Courthouse and will be led by Blacksburg . I just can't bear to see anyone drug around."[13]. At least two of the participants, Judge Massie and Sheriff Webb, had told friends that they expected trouble. Officers often had a violent past. - Carroll law officers did not cross into North Carolina to arrest the Edwards brothers as has long been claimed. Carroll County Historical Society and Museum. Neither died, but Jack had a silver plate in his head until he died. When the men were buried, it was beneath one final statement of defiance. Not only the sheriff and deputies, but Goad and Foster. 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. 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. Its cool you found such an interesting tale based in your area. Wesley Edwards drew nine years for each count of murder for the slaying of Foster, Massie, and Webb for a total of 27 years' imprisonment. More by Ralph Berrier Jr. Support Cardinal News and connect with more than 13,000 of our most engaged readers by sponsoring a Cardinal News newsletter. 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. 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. Floyd, 56, a once proud man now destroyed, was strapped to the electric chair, a leather mask placed over his face and four, 1-minute bursts of 2,000-volt electrical shocks were sent coursing through his body until he was pronounced dead at 1:26 p.m. Claude, just 24, was electrocuted in the same chair 12 minutes later. Those old papers were lost or stolen, Horney replied. The next morning, the jury quickly returned a guilty verdict and a sentence of a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. 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.". Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court, is a documentary feature concerning the Carroll County Courthouse shootings that occurred in Hillsville, Virginia. [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. HILLSVILLE Howard Sadler held the last words of a dead man in his hands. The exciting story of the Allen family and the officials who tried to bring them to justice. Two were executed and a number went to prison for their part in the tragedy. We are the court of record. [4][2] Sidna promptly appealed and won a new trial on the perjury charge. People were struck, some were wounded, some killed instantly. 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. Maybe the county leaders didnt want to find errant bullets from their own guns in the bodies of the dead, some county residents whispered. A nation-wide manhunt was called for by the Governor of Virginia which lasted six months. 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. If done right, this sounds as though it could make for a captivating film. Even the accused, Floyd Allen, carried a pistol. - J. Sidna Allen, in addition to being a well-traveled and successful businessman, had been a newspaper editor and a schoolteacher. Two of the participants were executed and the others received lengthy prison sentences. [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. [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. [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. [2], Deputy Samuels was left lying unconscious in a ditch, and his horses were run off. The home is owned by Bert and Marlene Widener, who offer tours by appointment. Fearful of the Allens' reaction, and having received death threats, many officials of the court armed themselves. Bowman grew up in Hillsville, VA where the county seat is located, and has nurtured a life-long fascination with this story. You do have some interesting local history. 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. Doing so, the opening details could easily be incorporated into the larger narrative. [29], Another witness, Walter Petty, also testified that the first shots were fired from the courtroom's northeast corner, where Claud Allen was standing. But a year later the Hillsvile courthouse tragedy occurred and Sidna and his wife had only lived there a year. Perhaps to get even, Goad charged Allen with falsifying expense reports when he worked as a county deputy. [8] Only a month later, their petition for executive clemency was granted by Governor Claude A. Swanson, restoring their political rights to hold office. 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. The discovered papers do little to shed new light in the darkended corners of the tragedy. Sidna Allen was never tried for his part in the altercation, while Barnett Allen was acquitted at trial. Photo by Ralph Berrier Jr. www.ccva.digital/1912-historical-courthouse-tragedy.html, The politics of March pressing assault chargesagainst Williams. Convicted on capital murder, both Claude and Floyd were sentenced to death. 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. Both, Walter Scott Tipton and David Winton Bolen, were retired Carroll County judges. 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. There was a massive effort for the governor to commute the sentences of Claude and Floyd, including a petition with over 100,000 signatures. [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. On May 18, 1912, the jury found Floyd Allen guilty. There is still question as to what happened and who shot first. [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. [21] 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. Built in 1873, the historic courthouse is the site of the tragic courtroom shooting of 1912 and is the current site of the museum. The definitive history, Mr. Ron Halls Carroll County Courthouse Tragedy is still published and is available at the Museum bookstore. Allen rose to his feet and calmly said, "Gentlemen, I ain't goin'." This is an interesting story of a time long past. - Andrew Howlett, one of the spectators who was wounded during the Courthouse Tragedy, was a brother to Mack Howlett, who shot and killed Carr Allen in 1898. - Almost everyone in Carroll County is related to everyone else. [36], For their roles in the shooting, Floyd and Claud were sentenced to death by electrocution. The announcement of. One can wonder if that was a sign that she blamed her husband for the tragic calamity that befell the family. "Allen Boys Tell of Shooting", Bluefield, West Virginia: "State Closes Case In Sidna Allen Trial". 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. Upon conviction of interfering with an officer of the law, Judge Thornton Massie oversaw the jury's imposed sentence of one year imprisonment. 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. His grandfather had taken the round from the courthouse the day of the killings. Thousands of people wrote letters to Gov. [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 oldest, continuously operating . 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 Most likely, someone had intentionally hidden the drawer to keep people from pawing through and perhaps removing the papers. [34] He stated that he fired back at Goad on the courthouse steps, but denied shooting at Treasurer J. Virginia law held that when a sheriff died his deputies lost all legal powers, so the shooting left Carroll County without law enforcement. Another of those events that have passed into history. The Allens were a notorious family from Carroll County, Virginia, who . 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. "You have no idea how much it means to me for you to be here today. After the Edwards were charged with assault, they fled across the North Carolina border to Mt. Interesting story. 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]. Jack came to and shot Floyd which ended the affair. The Carroll County Historical Society, INC. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Such stories as you mention, deserve being told. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. Mr. Allen stood and declared, Gentlemen, I aint a goin. Gunfire, chaos, death ensued all in a moment. He asked her if she was hurt or mashed and her sister-in-law responded that she was just scared. He found the murder indictment against Sidna Allen, Floyds brother who would be convicted and serve more than 13 years in prison. 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. Airy. 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. Howard Gilmer had traveled to Hillsville with Massie because he had a case pending in court. He apparently also hopes that the early hour will serve to dampen the spirits of the Allens. 23 school districts remove challenged books from library shelves; more . Horney told Sadler he decided to take one more look in the basement for the lost documents, moving more than 700 boxes. Deputy Clerk Dexter Goad admitted firing the second shot at Floyd, striking him in the pelvis. [2] Samuels again pulled his gun on Floyd. He proved to be right. 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. Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court; Videos; The Holstein Dilemma. Like this one, I often find they could have used some rearranging to keep ones interest but I almost always enjoy them. [20], Within a month, all suspected shooters were in custody, except Sidna Allen and Wesley Edwards. He teased Horney about Wythe County losing such valuable historical artifacts. He died there in 1953. But it turned out that he actually had left behind one document about what he saw and heard on March 14, 1912. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court at Amazon.com. Bake . He wept freely as the verdict was read. Sadler took the file drawer to a vault in the courthouse and dove into the trove. Again, no investigation was made at the scene. Sadler said that reading Fosters handwriting gave him chills. - 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. This sideline didnt add to the story. [23], Another prosecution witness was Floyd Allen's other attorney, Walter S. Tipton. [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. After those five shots, he dropped to his knees and reloaded his revolver. 1 minute, 47 seconds Read. 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hillsville 1912: a shooting in the court