The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, March 22, 1912, Page PAGE 7, Image 7
HORRIBLE ASSASSINATION
IN VIRGINIA COUR^r.OOM
Judge, Lawyer, Sheriff and One Juror
Shot to Death by Friends of Man
Who Had Just Been Convicted
and Sentenced.
A special on Thursday from Htllsvllle,
Va., gave the following account
of a bloody assassination in the
court house of that town:
The spectre of outlawry belched
forth Its flery breath here today, consuming
in a few deadly seconds the
entire fabric of the Carroll county
circuit court.
Judge Thornton Massie of Pulaski
was the first victim. He was shot
dead on his bench by kinsmen of
Clyde Floyd, who had Just been sentenced
for "moonshining" and resisting
officers.
William Foster, state's attorney,
j was the next to fall dead, with a bullet
pierced brain.
Then fell the sheriff, Louis Webb.
As he reached for the assassins bullets
hit blm in about four places.
. The Floyd brothers oontinued their
work of death. They aimed at the
startled men In the jury box. Several
of them were shot. J. H. Blankenshtp
Is dead.
Their guns finally stilled, the outlaws
backed from the court room,
holding a few of the remaining officers
at bay. Then they bgoke for
cover. Bullets hissed after them.
One of the Floyds is said to have been
shot. The others with their friends 1
fled to the mountains. Posses are
pursuing. i
The village was thrown into a ferment.
The murder of the law officers 1
left affairs in the hands of untrained i
citizens, but nearly every man in this 1
section has joined in the hunt.
The scei}e of the wholesale murder 1
was the old-fashlened-red brick coun- 1
ty court house, Hillsville being the
oounty seat of Carroll county.
There had been reports that an at- i
tempt might be made to rescue Clyde <
Floyd, who himself had aided a prls
oner friend reoently to escape from 1
the' county officers. The trial had been
In progress for several days, 1
however, without any indication be- '
coming public of the carefully planned <
plot of the Floyd brothers and their i
associates. / - i
Clyde Floyd had been convicted and 1
had been called for sentence today <
The stuffy' little court room was !
crowded. Sidney and Jack Floyd 1
were among the first arrivals. They 1
took places near the rail marking
the enclosure for the prisoner and i
counsel engaged In the case. Stand- i
ing near by were a number .of their ,
assc dates and friends from the Blue
Ridge. f
Judge Massle Vent about the sen- !
tencing of the prisoner in the usual 1
matter of fact way, but the words ]
"One'kyear at hard labor" had scarce- ]
ly passed his lips when there came i
the crack of a revolver. In an Instant l
this was followed by a volley of shots 1
and the judge, who had partly arisen 1
at the first shot, lay back bleeding on .
the bench. (
Commonwealth's Attorney Poster
was sitting directly In front of the i
bench and was next to succumb. ]
The brothers and their friends must i
have been well armed, for it seemed ;
to spectators who escaped from the
shambles that fully 100 shots were
fired. In the first fusillade several jurors
had been wounded. Blankenshlp
probably fatally. Sheriff Webb, whip- :
ping out his own weapon, made for
the prisoner, who had Joined in the
shooting with ,an oath and a declaration
that he would never go.to Jail,
but the officer was stopped by a hail ,
of lead and crumpled Into a lifeless
heap on the floor.
By this time the shooting in the
court room had become general and
there was a wild rush of the unarmed
iui niuuuwo auu uuuio.
Dexter Goad, clerk of the court, received
a bullet wound in the neck and
is desperately hurt. His death would
mean the wiping out of the last of the
court officers.
x'
Hunting Outlaws In Wild Country.
Hillsvllle, Va., March 18.?Another
day s cnaBe or rne court nouse assasBina
brought the posses hack to town
weary and empty handed, and with a
suspicion gaining ground that while
the searchers have been beating the
bush the Aliens, with a good start,
are likely to have crossed the line to
North Carolina or Tennessee.
This possibility was recognized today,
but It may have been too late.
The word was passed over to the
sheriffs on the Tennessee line to be
on the watch and the North Carolina
sheriffs started out to work over toward
the Ararat river county, to head
off the outlaws.
Difficulties ot the search caused a
call for the State mllltla to be seriously
considered, but that plan was
temporarily abandoned, and Governor
Mann Issued a proclamation increasing
the total rewards to $4,000 for the
outlaws, dead or alive, and sent their
full descriptions to every store, post "*
office and cross roads for miles
around.
r- '
m
I Baking
k Absolut
1 Makes Homi
With minimum t
cuit, cake and pas
jL clean and greatly s
(j? made, dry, found
and danger of all
Went Toward Devil's Den.
Detective Felts thiB morning took a
I>o88e up the road that goes over
Barbett Knob and Elk Spur and past
Fancy Gap, near Devil's Den, where
the outlaws were reported to be barricaded
in an almost Impregnable
fortress of mountain rock.
The posse saw none of the gang,
and no evidenco of their presence,
but kept on to the Carolina line, and
brought up at Mount Airy. At least
a dozen houses, homes of the members
of the Allien clan or their sympathizers,
were searched on the way,
but not a trace of the outlaws was
found.
One great disadvantage under
which the posse worked is the lack of
communication and commissary facilities.
Hillsville is the base from which
they are operating. A few post roads
? i tuuua wicy uuvj u? uauuu?wiiiu
through the passes between the
'knobs" and "spurs" in which this
country abounds. The territory is
sparsely populated and it is next to
Impossible for a posses to stay out
much more thar. a day. Men so
squipped are not much of a match" for
3uch woodsmen as the Aliens and
:heir followers, who could live bountifully
while c. posse was being starved.
Chances fo ra get-away to Tennessee
or Carolina look good when one
/lews the topography.
An Injured Fugitive.
Sidna Edwards, wlth^-w: price" of
(1,000 on his head, Is supposed to be
biding somewhere with an Injured
foot. He has had time to join the Aliens,
if he knows where they are.
VIeanwhile, the indictments for the
murderers of Judge Massie, Prosecutor
Foster, SherifT Webb and the two
by-standers wait to be served. Some
folks in this country declare that no
Allen was ever arrested while he
could fight and none will be.
Floyd Allen, the outlaw, whose sentence
by the court precipitated the
massacre, lay in the Roanoke jail and
moaned that he wished .ho had followed
his wife's advice.
"I've got a good wife," said the outlaw,
"If I'd done as she told me, 1
would'nt be here now."
The men who found Mrs. Allen at
her home say she was distracted.
Early today there was a report that
Felts and his wen were having a
pitched battle with Edwards, who had
been surrounded. Felts denied that
on his return. The only catch was
'di? I
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The pursuers hope for some action
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They hope to drive tho gang to cover
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UECOItn OF T1IE PAST.
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First grade?Louise Jeter, Irene Jeter.
Earlc Jeter. Sara Austin.
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mxui gram;?vjuie moss, nniareu
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Eighth grade?Malcolm Jeter, Dewey
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Nintji grade?Russet Jeter, Ryon
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Willie Eskew, a young negro, was
arrested fn Columbia on Friday on the
charge of highway robbery?holding
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, SPROUSE DIES FROM WOUNDS.
(Continued from page 1)
i
1 Harris told him to go down to Mo*
hon's house (my house) and stay all
night. Jtm said: No, don't go down
there. Mr. HarrlB said: Let him go
down there, and Jim then agreed for
bim to go. Then wo went on .down
towards Mr. Harris' house. After we 1
pot out on street Mr. Harris asked Mr.
SprouateJuid myself to oome out and
ro dowAtreet. This street was leading
tovSrds Mr. Harris' bouse. He
lives imht below jail. We got to
bouse Hd Mr. Sprouse went In at
gate fhA I told Gus when he opened
gate IfsT didn't have time to go
In th^^aiid he says: Oh! come on
]ust a^Biu te, we will be through In a
minuj^HAfter ve got InBlde on the
porc^HTHarrlf dpened the door and
Mr. went In the door first.
Mi^^^HR> went next. When Mr. HarrlfJ^^^H
the Inside there Is a hallffa^^^Hand
I didn't know the lady's
Mr. Harris called some lady
and^^^&er to get up and put on her
clot^^^Btd then. he( Harris) turnt.5
ri^ut una openea niB *
wif^^Bu door. I don't know <
wh^^^^k wife Was up or not. Mr. ?
his wife to go out to Mr. .
she asked him: What
: for^^^Hald: Go ahead, and her and
all ^^^Hdren went out of that room.
he told Mr. Sprouse to
se^doror This was about ten minutes
lifter ni?e o'clock. When Mr.
Spronse sat down, his' (Harris*) sister,
was at the room door that we .
were in. Harris called her by her
name and asked her was Mr. Sprouse
and herself going to marry. By that
time I spoke and told Mr. Harris that '
I had to go. He threw the pistol in '
my face and told me that I had better *
not move. I started to speak hut he i
said that he didn't dare anything <
about what I had to say, that he didn't
havtj anything against me, but he Just <
wanted me to stay there. Mr. Harris j
knocked Mr. Sprouse out of the chair i
and by that time I started to run to ^
him end Harris told me not to come. ^
I started on towards Mr. Sprouse and ,
Harris told me if I made one step *
more he would show mo that pistol *
again. By that time the pistol fired. ^
Mr. Harris told me not to go out of J
the room. I told him I was going out '
M H .1 J . , M .3 i? T T i V nA f I I A. Jt 3 3. . (
nuu BCl il UUVVUl* 11*3 luiun dll iu*3
pistol on me and told mc that he '
had done told me enough not to go. ^
I told Harris the man was shot and *
would have to have a doctor, and I ^
was going out and get one. I came up *
to Flro department and rang up Pal- ?
yMlJ* C?. and sot a doctor.. _
After cfhwng up here I went back to *
Mr. Harris' house, and when I got ^
there, there was several men there ^
Sheriff Long, for one, and several *
policemen. Question?Was Sprouse ^
lying on floor when Harris shot him? *
A.?Yes. Q.?What did girl say when ?
Mr. Harris asked her If she and ^
Sprouse were going to get married? '
A.?She said, No. Mr. Harris turned ^
to Mr. Sprouse and said: I thought
you told me It was so. Sprouse said ,
that ho told him that they were making
arrangements. This was the time
that Harris struck Sprouse, I think
three times. When the row started '
?!?? Im sx+Vi snAm o a Tirol 1 o m 1
BIIO VtTJiit iu aumuci iwui, UD ffvu wu
I remember. Mr. Sprouee had been
drinking, but wan not drunk. I can't
say positively whether Harris' slater
was In room when all this happeend
or not.
(Signed) M. M. Stroud.
( The Autopsy.
The autopsy of the doctors Is as
follows: We find a gunshot wound at
upper ?nd outer angle of left orbit or
eye, ranging forward, downward and
Inward, fracturing the roof and back
portion of prbltal cavity, or eye socket,
the shjfttered bone rupturing the
eye-ball, whldh had been removed by
operation. The bal 1 was lodged In
brain behind orbital, or eye socket.
Cut about an Inch long over left eye.
Two small cuta over left side of head.
Came to death as result of gun-shot
wound.
The Van Who Succeed.
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sound and well." Try them. Only 50
cents at The Rice Drug Co.
J. W. Bodle of Greenwood has been
granted a patent for a railroad switch
and H. G. Howell of Anderson one for
an oven.
R. H. Andfc'fSon, en employe of
the Conway lumber company, uonf
way, waa instantly crushed to death
beneath a truck of lumber weighing
no less than 18,000 pounds. He was
64 years of ago, and Is survived by a
widow jand three sons.
& ?* *& $ $ $ ?> & & 4
| A Suggest
There is more than mone
X Bank account. It helps to a
J that may prove of far great
9 man tne money you have sav
* Open an account today
+ We nvriil cheerfully receive sm
? guard your money safely.
5 Interested paid on Time and
Yours for Service am
| Citizens Nation;
? Union, South Car
% Capital and Surplus
t ? ? ?%'
'St V V ^ ^ ^
| Get Our I
?
I
?ON?
| BBnBnHBBHnnBBHi
I FLOl
* ?I
t
?
? We Can Save Yot
?
| PEOPLES SUP!
r? i
''KEEP YOUR MONIfTy
I Standing of Twelve Leadin
Showing Per Cent, of Monej
i South Carolina in
? Union Central 64% Mutual E
f Prudential 52 New Yor
w Aetna 46 Penn Mi
fr Equitable 31 Life Ins.
gt Mutual Life 34 Metropol
^ Travelers 25 Southeas
T The figures used in this leaflet ar
X Preliminary Report of the Insurance ]
? Carolina, and are, therefore, authent
v This report shows that, in 1910,
? companies doing business in this Sta
S 060.42 MORE THAN THEIR TOTAL
IN THIS STATE. This is over Two
S Dollars more than the total cost of m
Government during the same year.
@ Patronize the Home C
cai iTiiri ctrnn i irr ui
2 <mjuintadiurn urn in
$. of south carc
SVV. D. GEORGE, General Agent \
F. W. PERRIN, Special Agent J
? ? &
I "REAL ESTATE E
&
tt Six building lots centrally 1
J Methodist Church.
One nice five-room cottage o
? Four-room cottage on West A
One nice building lot on Wes
1 FARM
$
? 408 acres located 8 miles from
J& # tt # a
g river, lour mues irom 2>e<
? If you have any propei
? either farms or building
? with us.
| CITIZENS REAL ESTAT
& D. Fant Gilliam,
/
ion! | ?
y and safety in a
stabllsh a credit 2
ler value to you **
ed. ?
with this Bank, j
w
all deposits and +
$
Saving Deposits.
d Safety
Ell Bank,!
olina. ?
60,000.00 S
3rices I
<?>
?
?
o
io>
J R :
i Money. *
$
*
PLY CO. |
??*
' AT HOME"
ig Companies f
r Carried Out of
1910 +
lenefit 52% ?
It Life 50 W
itual ..39 ?
Co. of Virginia 35 ^
itan 26 jal
Urn Life 00 ^
e obtained from the ^
Department of South T
ic.
the life insurance ^
te received $1,750,- ?
i DISBURSEMENTS
Hundred Thousand ?
laintaining the State
ompany. ^
SURANCE 00. |
?LINA |
Union, S. C. ?
OR SALE'!
?
ocated, near the $
?
n Church street. ?
lain street. ?
?
t Main street. ?
?
Jo ?
tit
i Union on Tyger tit
lalia, at a bargain. ^
?
*ty for sale, tit
: lots, list it ?
tit
tit
E & LOAN CO. I
tit
Pres. fi
Ittittittittittittittittittittittittit
/ \ I