Courthouse Productions will stage "Thunder in the Hills" again at the historic Carroll County Courthouse, North Main Street, Hillsville, Virginia, beginning April 7. [26] Though wounded by four bullets himself, Goad recovered. Much of the information was gleaned from Halls book, The Carroll County Courthouse Tragedy, and other sources. It lays the foundation of the events of that tragic story from March 1912.. Allen and several members of his family immediately fled the courtroom but were later captured and convicted of murder. No autopsies were ever performed and rumors flew of friendly fire casualties. 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. As the smoke cleared the sheriff, judge, and the common wealth attorney all lay dead. This story could have been written in a Creative Non-Fiction genre. The exciting story of the Allen family and the officials who tried to bring them to justice. During the initial manhunt, several posses of detectives and local deputies searched the surrounding countryside. "There were five people murdered. Most of the Allens and their cohorts escaped initially, but an emergency call to Virginia Gov. However, Sidna Allen and his nephew, Wesley Edwards, fled Virginia. Airy? [34] They returned to their homes by traveling cross-country through the farm fields rather than public roads. I have been reading Barry Lopezs About this Life. If you havent read it, you should. 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. On the cold spring morning of March 14, 1912, shots rang out in the tiny, rural, mountain town of Hillsville, Virginia. 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. (Walter Allen had lost the bitterly fought race. Sadlers research took him to the Wythe County Courthouse, where he befriended Hayden H. Horney, the longtime circuit court clerk. [21] Agent Faddis and four men raided Floyd Allen's property, seizing illegal stills and fifty gallons of moonshine. Newport News nuprt - -prt -6 is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. 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. . Floyd called home to have his son, Victor, bring him to court on Wednesday, March 13th. - Nancy Elizabeth Betty Ayers was shot in the back just about the beltline and just to the right of her spine. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. Join in supporting in-depth journalism for Southwest and Southside Virginia. Ralph Berrier Jr. is a writer who lives in Roanoke. According to Floyd Allen's defense attorney, David Winton Bolen, "[Floyd] hesitated a moment, and then he aroseHe looked to me like a man who was about to say something, and had hardly made up his mind what he was going to say, but as he got straight, he moved off to my left, I would say five or six feet, and he seemed to gain his speech, and he said something like this, 'I just tell you, I ain't a'going. - Thomas Franklin Pink Samuel, the deputy from whom Floyd Allen released his nephews, moved to Amelia County and never testified at the trial. 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? The play, which is. See details- ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK - HILLSVILLE 1912: A SHOOTING IN THE COURT: A FAMILY BECAME Buy It Now Add to cart Watch Sold bymoviemars (2843836)97.1% Positive feedbackContact seller About this product Product Identifiers Record Label CD Baby UPC 0884501678674 eBay Product ID (ePID) 28046038825 Product Key Features Artist Conner & Miller Format [2] His pistol empty, Allen proceeded to beat Jack with the butt of his empty revolver. What follows is a genuine effort to accurately summarize the tragedy and the events that led to the bloodshed. October 2, 2022. Contact him at ralph.berrier@gmail.com. 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. Democratic Governor Elbert Lee Trinkle pardoned Friel Allen and Sidna Edwards in 1922. Follow Us. 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. [34] Sidna Allen and Wesley Edwards then left Virginia, eventually reaching Des Moines, Iowa. With the death of the Sheriff and so many of the Allens on the loose, the state sent help. There are still questions to be answered, but they probably never will be answered. He wept freely as the verdict was read. See production, box office & company info. When the jury returned a guilty verdict against with a sentence of one year in the penitentiary, Floyd Allen is reported to have said to Judge Massie: "If you sentence me on that verdict, I will kill you. On the cold Spring morning of March 14th, 1912 shots rang out inside the tiny mountain courtroom. [35] In July 1912, after three separate trials, Claud Allen was convicted of first-degree murder for the killing of Commonwealth's Attorney Foster, and for second-degree murder for the killing of Judge Massie. Not knowing all the details, I wasnt sure what to do with this information. He refused them both. Watch popular content from the following creators: RealAppalachia(@realappalachia), KK(@hillsvillehillbilly), Simon(@simonogrinc), Deitrich Cribbs(@big_tipper), VIVI SHARMA(@srvsharma81) . They, too, were captured by Felts and his men, as Sidna Allen came to believe that Wesleys girlfriend back home had betrayed them. Late in the day March 13, the jury had not reached a verdict, so Judge Massie sent them to the nearby Thornton Hotel for the night. . Witnesses said she never looked Floyds way. Preserving and Presenting the History of the County of Carroll, Commonwealth of Virginia. 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. The next witness was Sidney Towe, who largely corroborated the testimony of Sheriff Edwards. Harry F. Byrd Sr. in the 1920s. 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. Sadler knew that tragic story, and he understood his familys connection to it. The handwritten note, scribbled hastily in pencil on a folded piece of paper, read: We the jury find the defendant Floyd Allen guilty as charged in the within indictment and fix his punishment at confinement in the penitentiary of this state for one year., Sadler knew that William Foster, the chief prosecutor in Carroll County, had written those words at the behest of a judge. [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. Wesley was sentenced to sixty days and his brother thirty, which were served outside jail on work-release. 2023 TheTVDB.com, A Whip Media Company. 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. [1] Sentenced by the jury to an hour in jail and a $100 fine, plus costs, Allen immediately posted bail pending an appeal. The answer would soon become obvious. The shooting began after the jury had found the defendant, Floyd Allen, guilty of forcefully releasing two prisoners (his sisters sons) from law enforcement as they were bringing the prisoners back from Mt. - In 1912, the Carroll County courtroom was some 20 feet shorter than it is today. Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court - Actors and actresses. Family loyalty also played a role as the Allen/Edwards family stuck together to protect the Edward boys and later Floyd. COOPERSTOWN NEW YORK POSTCARD~Orphanage Building/House~Cart 1911 (#185750574261) l***n (1544) - Feedback left by buyer l***n (1544). 12 talking about this. 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. Neither was prosecuted. Sadler, a real estate broker in Blacksburg who lives on a family farm in Pulaski County, had taken an interest in the shootout story after looking at old scrapbooks kept by his grandmother, Howard Gilmers daughter. Its small enough for that to be possible I suspect. I enjoy learning about local history. "[1] Not long afterward, Allen shot and wounded Combs, and was indicted and tried on charges of assault. B. - J. Sidna Allen, in addition to being a well-traveled and successful businessman, had been a newspaper editor and a schoolteacher. [29] Marshall then related that Sidna Allen's bullet buried itself in the window about six inches above his head. 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). Bolen, asked for bail and for Allen to be freed as they appealed the case. Roanoke, Va., March 16, --The prisoners from Hillsville are not expected here before 3 o'clock Sunday morning. [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. Allen was noted for his generosity, but also his quick temper and easily injured pride. 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. 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. [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. I bet there are lots of tales about Rochester, NY and the surrounding area that would make good reads as well. One can wonder if that was a sign that she blamed her husband for the tragic calamity that befell the family. [11] On the way to the courthouse, the buggy passed by several properties owned by the Allens. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The trouble started with a kiss. 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. It sounded like Mayberry, but only for a moment! After the shooting, because of the number of Allens in Carroll County, they housed the prisoners in Roanoke. Upon conviction of interfering with an officer of the law, Judge Thornton Massie oversaw the jury's imposed sentence of one year imprisonment. As if entitled, they took what they wanted or needed. It was Thomas and his father who swore out warrants for the Edwards brothers as a result of the fight at the schoolhouse/church the next day. Everybody was packing weapons, it seemed. 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. - Almost everyone in Carroll County is related to everyone else. Floyd shot Jack in the head and then began to beat him in the head with a rock while he was out cold. These mostly came from recent labor disputes in coal country and their mannerism didnt endure them to anyone, it seems. (When Floyd fell, wounded, he landed on top of his lawyer David Bolen, who had ducked to the ground as soon as the shooting started, and who is reported to have said, "Floyd, they are going to kill me shooting at you! Howard Gilmer had traveled to Hillsville with Massie because he had a case pending in court. In several instances he escaped indictment, I am satisfied, because the witnesses were afraid to testify to the facts before the grand jury. [citation needed]. 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. Convicted on capital murder, both Claude and Floyd were sentenced to death. [26] Gilmer testified he heard two shots in quick succession, after which there was a slight interval and then a great volley of firing. Blacksburg-based autonomous vehicle firm Torc to acquire Canadian company; more . Now, thanks to Gerald Goads interest in this, the return of these documents can be part of a healing process. This is another book that Ive read in order to learn about my new locale. 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. The author is honest and at many times in the book admits we wont know for sure what happened. As historian Ron Hall wrote in his book: And for a moment, the world stopped.. Katherine survived until 1960. This sideline didnt add to the story. Wow. Thats why the discovery of the trial exhibits and documents in Wythe County is significant. [citation needed], A Carroll County deputy sheriff, Thomas Samuels, and his driver, Peter Easter, traveled in Easter's four-seater buggy to the state line and received the brothers from Sheriff Haynes and Deputy Oscar Monday, who had arrested the brothers at work. Attorney Howard C. Gilmer, of Pulaski, Virginia, was at Hillsville Courthouse in a room adjoining Judge Massie's courtroom when the shooting broke out. [5] Floyd's body bore the scars of thirteen bullet wounds, five of them inflicted in quarrels with his own family. Floyd? [38], Victor Allen and Barnett Allen were acquitted. [2] Samuels again pulled his gun on Floyd. [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. Spray bottom of pans with Pam baking spray apply the waxed paper and spray the pan, waxed paper and sides with Pam. Because of his vision to preserve and protect these exhibits, theyll never be lost again.. The new system appointed a full-time judge to hold court at scheduled intervals in a circuit of several counties. Another entered the body at the cap of the left hip and passed through the abdomen. Howard Gilmer testified during the subsequent murder trials about the judges fatal bullet wound. And then, he apparently moved on with life. [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. Bringing in Sheaves: The Western Revivals of the Reverend A. Even the accused, Floyd Allen, carried a pistol. He borrowed a .38 automatic from another cousin, Church Alderman. 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. The next morning, the jury quickly returned a guilty verdict and a sentence of a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. [8] Only a month later, their petition for executive clemency was granted by Governor Claude A. Swanson, restoring their political rights to hold office. 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