Floyd Allen
| Floyd Allen | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Floyd Allen
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| Born |
July 5, 1856 Carroll County, Virginia |
| Died | March 28, 1913 (aged 56) |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Criminal status | Executed by electrocution |
| Conviction(s) | Murder |
Floyd Allen (July 5, 1856 – March 28, 1913) was an American landowner and patriarch of the Allen clan of Carroll County, Virginia. He was convicted and executed for murder in 1913 after a sensational courthouse shootout the previous year that left a judge, prosecutor, sheriff, and two others dead, although the validity of the conviction has been source of debate within Carroll County for decades. Allen triggered the shooting at the Carroll County Courthouse in Hillsville, Virginia on March 14, 1912, in which five people were killed and seven wounded.
Floyd Allen was born in 1856 and spent much of his life living in Cana, below Fancy Gap Mountain in Carroll County, Virginia. He was the patriarch of Carroll County's leading family, which in addition to owning large tracts of farmland and a prosperous general store, were also active in local politics. Both Floyd Allen and Sidna Allen held legal licenses for the production of alcohol (Prohibition not taking effect until 1920). Allen was noted for his generosity, but also his quick temper, and easily injured pride.
The Allens were proud Democrats and active in local politics in Carroll County. As a result, many of Allens held local offices (such as constable, tax collector, or deputy sheriff) and supported various political friends for office.
Floyd had a history of violent altercations, including shooting a black man in North Carolina, beating a police officer in Mount Airy, and later shooting his own cousin. In May 1889, Floyd's brothers, Garland and Sidna Allen, were tried for carrying concealed pistols and assaulting a group of thirteen men. In July 1889 the Carroll County court indicted Floyd for assault as well, but in December of that year the Commonwealth's Attorney dropped the case. In September 1889, after pleading no contest to the assault, Garland and Sidna were fined $5 each plus court costs, and the prosecutor dropped the weapons charges.
Judge Robert C. Jackson, an attorney in Roanoke and Judge Thornton Massie's predecessor in the Carroll County courtroom, stated that "Floyd Allen was perhaps the worst man of the clan--overbearing, vindictive, high tempered, brutal, with no respect for law and little or no regard for human life. During my term of office Floyd Allen was several times charged with violations of law. In several instances he escaped indictment, I am satisfied, because the witnesses were afraid to testify to the facts before the grand jury."
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