Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1913-04-02
The Aliens, Crime.

On n morning OF March IA, 1912,
Floyd Allen stood before the bar of.
the Carroll county court house at
HlllsVllle, to receive sentence for his
part in aiding the escape OF another
mountaineer from the custody of the
shertr. A crowd packed the little
court room, for the character of the
prisoner was well known. Members
Of the Allen family were known to
be in court and trouble was thought
imminent.
The jury having announced a YER
dict of guilty, Judge Thornton l..
MaSsie sentenced the prisoner to one
year at hard labor. With the last
word Of the sentence, a crash of fire
arms broke from the spectators
benches. Floyd Allen, the prisoner,
with a smoking revolver in his hand,
leaped from the prisoners dock and
joined the rush of the gang toward
the door.
When the court oom was cleared
the body of Judge Massie, riddlcd
with bullets, was found lying over
his desk; Commonwealth Attorney
VIM. M. Foster and Sheriff l.. T..
Webb lay dead on the floor; Angus
tuS Fowler, a juror, and Elizabeth
AyrcS, a spectator, were bleeding
from wounds which proved fatal the
next day, and Dexter Goad, clerk of
the court, was shot through the neck.
Goad was n of the principal wit
nessas for the State at the conviction
Of the prisoners.
When the court room was eXamin-
ed later it was found that more than
200 shots had been fired. Twenty
seven shots took effect upon those
killed or wounded.
An army Of detectives and news
paper correspondents soon was scour-
ing the muddy roads Of the noun
tains in search for the prisoners.
Floyd Allen, the cause Of the shoot
ing, who had been wounded by She
riff Webb in the court room, was
taken the day of the crime, together
with his son, Victor Allen, and his
nephew, Bird Marion.
Sidna Edwards, a nephew of the
Allen brothers,. "a captured in O hut
in the mountains March %. Ed
wards, who is lame, had eaten no.
thing for several days and was very
weak when found. Claude Swanson
Allen, another son of Floyd Allen,
walked up to a posse in the noun
tains and surrendered himself on
March 2Sth. The next day Friel AL
len, youngest member of the gang,
was taken at his fathers home,
Floyd Allen, charged specifically
with the killing Of Commonwealth
Attorney Foster, vas found GUILTY OF
first degree murder May l1th. aud
sentenced to death. Claude Allen.
his son, was tried on a charge Of Eil!-
ing Judge Massie and convicted Of
murder in the second degree. The
jury recommended a sentence o. Is
years in the penitentiary. The STATE
demanded a new trial an a verdict
Of guilty in the first degree we re-
turned on July 9th and he Wa SOIL
fenced to death.
Friel Allen pleaded guilty OF nur-
der in the second degree, and Au.dst
IA was sentenced to IS years in
prison. Three days later 5idBs I'd
wards pleaded guilty to a like cl sge
and was given a sentence OF % " airs,
Victor Allen was ac~qulGy@.t4yrp %,
charge of having participated Ia he
murders.
Sidna Allen, brother Of Floyd A.
len, and recognized lead2r OF the
clan, and his nephew. Wesley Cd.
wards, eluded pursuit for Amy
weeks, and eventually escaped out Of
the Virginia mountains 2n3 made
their way West. They wero l4pfur-
ed at Des Moines, Iowa, September
14th, as the result of a love lfoh,
of young Edwards. A letter from him
was lost by Maude Iroler, OF Mount
Airy, n. c., and detectives followed
its information and captured the two
men.