Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1913-04-03
FLOYD AND CLAUDE ALLEN
PAY PENALTY IN The CHAIR

-" sHVess ~ sbe OsAAVt
The execution Friday shortly
after noon of Floyd and Claude
Allen, who had been the princi-
pal actors in the shooting up"
of the Carroll county court at
Hillsville. Va, March Ia, 1912.
marked the closing chapter of
one of the most sensational mur-
der tragedies ever enacted in
this country.
Some time in February, 1912,
two nephews of Floyd Allen were
arrested for some minor offense
by a deputy sheriff. While they
were being taken to the Jail,
Floyd Allen attacked the deputy,
knocking him senseless with the
butt of a revolver and rescued
his prisoners. He was arrested
and indicted and his trial began
in the early part of March.
Floyd Allen had openly boast
ed that he would never go to
prison and it is said that the
Aliens had made frequent
threats against the court and
everybody connected with it.
He was tried March 13, but the
jury did not bring in it's verdict
until the following day. The
prisoner. being a man of promi-
nence, his trial attracted a great
deal of attention and on the
morning of March ID the court
room was crowded with specta-
tors, among whom were half a
dozen or more of the member rs
of the Allen family.
The jury rendered a verdict of
guilty and the court sentenced
Floyd Allen to one year i'm
prisonment in the penitentiary.
When the presiding Judge,
Thornton l.. Massie, turned the
prisoner over to the sheriff,
Floyd Allen. exclaiming that he
would not go to prison, drew a
revolver and opened fire. The
other members of the Allen
family, who were in the court
room, followed his example and
for a few minutes bullets flew
thick and fast. Judge Massie,
/. States Attorney Foster, and
isSheriff Webb were shot down
and killed on the spot and1 a
number Of other persons who
were in the court room at the
time were injured. Two of
them, Augustus Fowler. a juror,
and Nancy Ayres, girl of 19,
died from their wounds after a
few days.
Floyd Allen was arrested on
the following day and two days
later a special grand jury re-
turned indictments against Floyd
Allen, Claude Swanson Allen
and Victor Allen, sons of Floyd;
Sidna Allen, brother of Floyd;
Friel Allen, Wesley Edwards
and Sidna Edwards, nephews of
Floyd; Bird Marion and John F.
Moore. The latter was merely
indicted for having assisted the
Aliens to escape.
Victor Allen and Bird Marion
were arrested at Pulaski, March
IL and taken to Roanoke. Sidna
Edwards was captured near his
home March %. Claude Swan
son Allen, almost starved by two
weeks of hiding in the mountains,
gave himself up near Hillsville
and On the following day Friel
Allen followed his example.
Sidna Allen and his nephew,
Wesley Edwards, managed to
escape, but were captured at
Des Moines September IA.
Floyd Allen and his son,
Claude, were tried separately
for the murder of States At
torney Foster and found guilty.
They were sentenced to be
executed on November % of last
year, but obtained several res
pites. the date being finally fixed
for March %. Sidna Allen was
given 35 years, Wesley Edwards
27 years, Friel Allen 18 years,
Sidna Edwards 18 years in the
penitentiary. Victor Allen, Bird
Marion and John F. Moore were
acquitted.
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