The Washington herald., 1912-05-04
SWEAR ALIENS
MADE THREATS.
Told Friends "He Would Put
Biggest Hole in Court
that Ever Was"
OFFICIALS GUNLEsS

wytheyilIe. Va. May 2.-In less than
a minutes time hfty-seven bullets were
fred and seventeen of them found
human marks, when Floyd Allen ana
his gang shot up the Carroll County
Courthouse at Hillsyille. killing Judge
Massie and four others. Clerk Dexter
Goad, who was seriously wounded. was
in the path of no less than twelve OF
the bullets. He was hit In the cheek.
On the witness stand to-day ne showed
eleven bullet holes In HIS clothes.
Cyrus Phibbs. a surveyor, was per-
haps the most important witness OF the
day At the trial Of Floyd Allen, charged
with the murder OF Commemorative
Attorney Foster. Phibbs had made
several maps of the court room In
which the tragedy took place. Small
models were used to indicate the fur
niture in the room and the path of
every bullet was marked. He showed
that thIrty-eight bullets went wild.
Most of the shooting. and the quickest,
the witness said, came from the direc-
tion OF Sidna Allen and wesley Ed
wards.
Phibbs surprised the defense by declar-
ing that when the verdict finding Allen
guilty was announced he saw Sidna and
Victor Allen walk up to the bar, In the
meantime putting their hands In their
rear pockets and grasp hold Of Of their
pistols.
Dexter Goad TestIhes.
Dexter Goad testified that the shooting
commenced Immediately after the Sheriff
took charge Of Allen.
THE first shots came from the direc-
ton of sidna and Claud Allen" he said.
. .knN l., ska -fuk rhaaIr hyT
OF the early bullets. l reached for my
own pistol and began firing. exchanged
possibly six shots with Sidna Allen"
Goad said he received three other
slight wounds about the hips. He wore
the same suit in which he was attired
on the day OF the shooting, and at the
request OF counsel displayed eleven holes
through which bullets had passed. He
would not say that he saw Floyd Allen
do any shooting.
He declared that he saw neither Judge
Massie, Commonwealth Attorney Foster,
nor Sheriff webb-aII OF whom were kill
ed-with pistols. He denied that Sheriff
Webb drew I revolver when he advanced
to take charge OF Allen.
Floyd Made Threat.
George Edwards. a resident Of the
Fancy Gap district. and a lifelong
Grlend OF floyu Allen' testlueu lual lhe
latter told him he did not think "Bill'
Foster would give him a fair trial. and
IL he didn't he intended to put the.
biggest hole in the court that ever was
Sid Towe. another close friend Of Aliens,
declared he heard Allen make the same
statement. That Allen made such
threat was also testified to by still
another witness yesterday.
/, H. C. Gilmer, a lawyer, who was in
the courtroom on the day of the Apen
trial up to within five minutes Of when
the shooting began, said he saw Floyd
and Sidna Allen emerging from the court
with the crowd.
They were both firing" said Gilmer.
Il heard Floyd exclaIm that he had
been shot in the bowels, but he added.
but 1 got a damned scoundrel, anyway.
In all saw four firing-Sidna and Floyd,
and two others whom I did not know"
Floyd Allen spent another agonizing
day in court to-day. He slept but little
last night and at one time became so
wrought up that he asked the prison at
tendant TO cut his throat or to give him
a weapon with which ne might do il.