Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1912-03-22
OUTLAWS WIPE OUT
COURT OFFICIALS
Judge, Commemorative At
torney and Sheriff In
stantly Killed While
Holding Court

Holding Court
In fame of wellnigh unprece-
denied outlawry nearly the whole
human machinery of the Carroll
County Circuit Court, in session at
Hillsville on the 14th, was either
wiped out or laid low by assissins'
bullets.
Just as Judge Thornton Massie
had sentenced Floyd Allen to one
year in prison for aiding in the es-
cape of a county prisoner, two of
Aliens nephews and their friends
opened fire with revolvers Judge
Massie fell dead in his pla e on he
bench at the first volley.
Then the weapons wee turned
on commemorative Alto ney Viii
lams Foster and he sank to the
floor with several bullets in his
brains, death being instantaneous.
Sheriff Lewis Webb, making Il fran
tic effort to reach the rinsleaders,
was shot dead before he had taken
10 steps Two of the jurors who
had tried the ease were seriously
wounded and the clerk of the court
as we'll as a spectator, were badly
injured.
80 dead are:
Judge Massie.
Commonwealth Attorney Foster.
Sheriff Webb.
Miss Bette Ayres.
Augustus Fowler
The Aliens, including the prison,
er and their friends, after the kill
ing of the three officials, backed
slowly out of the courtroom. hold
ing all would-be pursuers in cheek
at the point of revolvers. Once
outsid: some of them made a dash
| for the mountains on hors s5ack.
Judge Massie went about the
sentencing of the prisoner in the
usual matter-of-fact way, but the
sentence had scarcely passed his
lips when there came crack of
revolver. In an instant this was
followed by a volley of shots anc
the Judge who had partly risen al
the first shot lay dead and bleeding
on the bench. Commonwealth :
Attorney Foster was sitting direct
ly in front of the bench and was
next to succumb to the well-direct'
ed shots of the suddenly turned
outlaws, who had taken what they
deemed justiceinto their own hands
The brothers and their friends
must have been we'll armed, for il
seemed to spectators who escaped
from the bloody courtroom that
fully 100 shots were fired. Sheriff
Webb, whipping out his own weap.
on, made for the prisoner, who had
joined in the shooting with an oath
and a declaration that he woulo
never go to Jail, but the officer was
stopped by several shots and crum-
pied into a lifeless heap on the floor
By this time the shooting in the
courtroom had become general
and there was a wild rush of the
unarmed for windows and doors.
Dexter Goad, clerk of the court,
received a bullet wound in the
neck.
WHAT HAPPENED SINCE THE ABOVE
Governor Man increased the re-
ward for the arrest of the murder.
ers of the highest three officials of
Carroll county from $1,000 to $4,000
in the hope of more speedily bring
ing the guilty parties to justice.
Judge Staples, of Roanoke, was
designated by Governor man to
hold the remainder of the term of
court and he arrived together with
Acknowledgement Samuel W. Will
liams, at Hillsville Friday.
Flovd Allen, Victor Allen and
Bud Marion were taken to Roanoke
for safe keeping, preceded
and followed by Baldwin detectives
and special constables. The party
left Hillsville at 4 o'clock bound
for Galax, where a special train
awaited it.
Hillsville, Va, March 16-In-
dictments were retured by the
special grand jury after 3 o'clock
this afternoon against the follow
ing persons charged with the MUIR
der of Judge Thornton L. Massie;
Commonwealth Attorney, William
H. Foster; Sheriff, Lee F. Webb
and Miss Elizabeth Ayers:
Floyd Allen, wounded prisoner.
Victor Allen and Claude Allen,
sons of Floyd Allen.
Sidney Allen, brother of Floyd.
Friel Allen; Wesley Edwards, and
Sidney Edwards, nephews of Floyd
Allen.
Bud Marion and John F. Moore.
Four true bills were found against
each of the above named all charg-
ng murder, except that one of
hose against Moore, simply charg-
ng felony, the supposition being
lis offense was assisting the Aliens
o escape