The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1912-03-21
the lead found him.
Back to the Hills.

jurors and on-lookers at bay, al
though that probably was not neces-
sary, the assassins slowly backed out
! of the court house and across the
green to their troop of ponies. In
| a second they were galloping like
mad men through the aroused vii
lage and off to the hills.
Town Thrown Into Panic.
The quiet of Hillsville had never
been disturbed by such roar of
firing, and 800 men women and chill
dren rushed to the court house. Webb
and Foster were stone dead. Judge
Massie died in less than an hour.
When semblance of order came
out of the chaos that followed, some
horsemen hurried down into Beaver
dam Valley to spread the news and
get help. More intrepid men rode
off toward Betty Baker, where there
! is railroad station and telegraph
wire. Word of the tragedy was slow
in getting to points from which help
! could be asked, but the machinery
of the law once started, worked
quickly.
Preparations for Pursuit.
Governor Mann ordered the State
companies of militia at Roanoke and
Lynchburg ready to go to Hillsville,
| if there aid should be necessary. Po-
lice, detectives and volunteers from
nearby places took all possible means
of transportation to get to Hillsville.
Late to-day Governor Mann tele-
graphed to Judge W. R. Staples, of
the Roanoke corporation court, to go
to Hillsville and take charge of ju-
dicial proceedings there. Attorney
General Williams, of the State of
Virginia, has also been ordered to
Hillsville. He and Judge Staples
will meet at Pulaski tomorrow and
proceed together.
Almost Inaccessible.
The town is awkWardly situated
for such an emergency as this. 1t is
the county seat of Carroll county,
and lies in the Beaver Dam Valley,
four miles from the top of the Blue
Ridge Mountains across the valley,
and strip of indigo along the sky
on a clear day shows the Allegha-
neys. The country is rough, the
roads are bad and at this time of
year with spring thaws, nearly i'm
passable. Illicit stills are said to be
many.
Floyd Allen lived on one side of
the town and his two brothers on
the other. All the men of the family
have been known as bad characters
and were feared by many in the
county. The deputy sheriff who
would serve warrant or summons
on one of them was accounted a
brave man.
Judge Massie Prominent.
Judge Massie was one of the most
prominent jurists of the State. He
was appointed to the bench by Gov
ernor Swanson, in 1908, was 4S
years old and is survived by wife,
two sons and a daughter. Judge
Massie has been considered recently
for promotion to the State supreme
bench.
Commonwealth Attorney Foster
had held his office for eight years. He
was 40 years of age and known as
fearless prosecutor. He was a Re-
publican leader in the county. Sher-
iff Webb had been a deputy for
fifteen or twenty years before elect
ed sheriff last November.
At 10 o'clock tonight the detec-
tives from Roanoke had not arrived
and everything was quiet.
Others Badly Wounded.
The three jurors, Fowler, 'Faddiss
and Kane, were seriously wounded,
and A. T. Hewlett, Brue Marshall
and Stuart Woorrell, by-standers,
were more or less seriously injured.
Floyd Allen, the prisoner at the bar,
was shot several times, probably not
fatally. Sidney Allen, his brother,
who killed Judge Massie, was wound
ed, but left town with his friends.
Sheriff Webb's deputy, with county
people, is guarding Floyd Allen. 1t
is reported that friends of Allen will
attempt to rescue him tonight.
The final obstacle to getting news
of the tragedy to the outside world
presented itself tonight when Miss
Ella Wilcox. the telephone operator,
collapsed from the days nervous en-
citement and closed Up the office.
Muddy roads over steep grades, with
few vehicles, will be Hillsville's only