Post by Brian on Aug 4, 2014 22:56:00 GMT -5
01/21/07 at 11:23 AM
ladebug
Please place any unrelated true crime to this thread.
Ladebug
01/21/07 at 11:24 AM
ladebug
Fifty miles north of Germanton lies Hillsville, VA. Hillsville is famous for its Labor Day Flea Market with over 100,000 people attending every year. Over 16 yrs before the Lawson Murder's happened, the aftermath of a trial dominated the news around the world until the sinking of the Titanic took its place. On March 12th, 1912 at the Carroll County Courthouse in Hillsville 5 people were killed & 7 wounded in a courthouse shootout. Floyd Allen was a well respected democrat living in a republican county with politicians holding grudges against him. Floyd was well known for his temper & loyalty to family members when confronted by others. This whole tragedy started over a kiss at a corn shucking bee when his nephew kissed a girl a her boyfriend did not like it. The next morning at a church, a fight broke out with 2 of the Allen's getting the worst end of it. They were charged with a misdemeanor, but the prosecutor changed it to 7 felony indictments. They went to Mount Airy across the state line to escape prosecution. They were captured & on the way to jail, they passed by Floyd's home. Floyd got upset at the way his relatives were being being transported. He asked the deputy to let them ride in a more dignified manor. When he refused, Floyd took the deputy's pistol & whipped him with it. Floyd took them in a they were released after a short sentence in jail. Floyd was charged with "rescuing prisoners". Before the trial many death threats were sent to many court officials. The judge ignored warnings to search the Allen family before entering the courthouse. Over 200 people attended the hearing. Floyd was found guilty & sentenced to 1 yr in jail. After hearing the verdict, Floyd stood up & said "Gentlemen I ain't a' going." What happened next is still bitterly argued over today. A shot rang out in the court room & all hell broke loose. At least 50 shots were fired, leaving the judge, the county sheriff, the commonwealth attorney, a juror, & a witness, all dead. The wounded included Floyd, his brother Sidna, the clerk of court, a juror, a 2 spectators. Who fired the first shot? Some say Floyd reached into his coat a pulled a gun, others say that the clerk of court fired the first shot, & that's when the Allen family members pulled their guns a returned fire. Floyd a his son Claude were sentenced to death by electrocution. Floyd was executed on March 23th. 1913 & his son was executed 11 minutes later. Many of the counties residents were upset over the executions. It was reported that part of the inscription on the headstone read "judicially murdered by the state of Virginia over the protest of more than 100,000 of its citizens". Four other family members were sentenced between 18 a 35 yrs. Their sentences were pardoned between 1922 a 1926. Three jurors had testified that the sheriff at Floyd's trial was carrying a semi automatic pistol that accidentally discharged when he pulled his handkerchief out after the verdict was read. The clerk of court admitted to firing the 2nd shot which hit Floyd in the pelvis. Were Floyd a his son put to death over an accidental discharge of a weapon that day? Another man in 1967 claimed to have fired the first shot, but not many people believed him. Books, poems, ballads, a a screenplay have been written about this tragedy. My girlfriend claims that Floyd Allen was her great, great uncle. She said that when she was a child a went to family reunions everybody would always talk about this story. I believe her because all of the Allen's on her dad's side of the family that I know are quick tempered a I do not want any disputes with any of them.
Below is a link to ballads about the Allen family:
www.blueridgeinstitute.org/ballads/allenssongs.html
Posted by cephus
ladebug
01/21/07 at 11:26 AM
ladebug
FYI ...the bullet holes from the shootings are still in the staircase inside the courthouse and can be seen easily when walking up to the stairs...
Ladebug_
01/21/07 at 11:26 AM
ladebug
Between Hillsville and Galax in Woodlawn Va. there is a store called Harmons that sell boots, jeans and other stuff that has a museum that has a big exhibit of the courthouse tragedy,
cephus post
Ladebug
01/21/07 at 11:39 AM
Maria
Thanks ladebug. It's less confusing this way.
Maria
01/23/07 at 12:11 AM
BobbyWayne
There's a book that tells some things about the Area of the Allen's, the Book is by Richard C Davids and he writes about Bob Childress A preacher Of Buffalo Mountain,and the people therein the early 1920's.get it from your local library. I am reading it now and like it very much.
THE MAN WHO MOVED A MOUNTAIN
bobby wayne
01/23/07 at 10:49 AM
sissy
That is a wonderful book. Those churches are on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Patrick County.
sissy
01/23/07 at 11:07 PM
epdj
Since the Aliens and the Courthouse Tragedy at Hillsville, Va. have been mentioned, I want to say there have been several books wrote about the event. I just finished reading one by Ron Hall, The Carroll County Courthouse Tragedy: The True Account of the 1912 gun battle that shocked the nation: its causes and the aftermath. Ron is a great writer and names so many people in his book that you soon began to realize that almost every family in Carroll Co. was connected with the event in one way or another. Ron also gives program's on the Allen's and sometimes he can be found at the Courthouse in Hillsville, Va. given tours and telling about what happen. His book can be found for sale at The Mt. Airy Museum and Pages Book Store on Main St. in Mt. Airy. Also you mentioned Harmons Museum between Hillsville and Galax (it is FREE to go in there). But don't forget The Carroll Co. Historical Society has a Museum right on Main St. in Hillsville at the Courthouse and some of Sidna Aliens beautiful tables he made while he was in prison are there for everyone to see. Ron Hall helps in there also. Esther Johnson
epdj
01/24/07 at 01:10 PM
BobbyWayne
Is there a Book of Mr Hall's in the Libary that one can read for free. and doe's anyone else know of any other book's about local events.
Thanks bobbywayne
01/25/07 at 02:11 PM
Hymes
There are 2 books about 2 unrelated mass murders that happened in this area. Both of this stories were made into tv movies. "Bitter Blood" was written by Jerry Bledsoe & "Preacher's Girl" was written by Jim Schutze. In 1985 nine people died as a result of Bitter Blood over custody of children. Fritz Klenner & Susie Newson Lynch were lovers & also 1st cousins. Susie's ex mother-in-law a sister-in-law were murdered in Kentucky, shortly after that, Susie's parents a grandmother were murdered in Winston-Salem. The prime suspect was Fritz. They had him under police surveillance a were in the process of trying to arrest him when he took off with Susie a her 2 children in Guilford County. While they were being chased on NC 150 near the Oak Ridge Military Academy, the vehicle they were riding in exploded killing all 4 of them. They children were suspected of being poisoned & had been shot.
Preacher's Girl is about Blanch Taylor Moore, known as the Black Widow. She poisoned 2 husbands, her father & mother-in-law, & several lovers. Elizabeth Montgomery who starred in "Bewitch" played Ms. Moore in the movie. She was tried in Winston-Salem a sentenced to death. My girlfriend got a jury summons for this trial, she was at the courthouse for 2 days while they were picking the jury. She said that Ms. Moore kept turning around a telling the jury pool that she didn't do it a was Innocent.
Hymes
01/25/07 at 03:59 PM
Maria
Dear Hymes,
I am so glad you mentioned Preacher's Girl..the true crime story of Blanche Taylor Moore. My son and I both know her personally. Her murder trial was held here in Winston-Salem where I live. She was held in our jail here in Winston until she received the death penalty and was sent to Women's Prison in Raleigh where she remains on death row. she has been on death row now for 16 years. As a volunteer with the jail ministry I visited Blanche every Wednesday at the jail for the long months she was an inmate there. I attended every day save one, of her trial and my son and I were seated two rows behind her when she was sentenced to death. I had never heard a person formally sentenced to die and it really freaked me out. Without meaning to I blurted out "Oh my god no" when she was sentenced. The t.v. cameras picked that up and the judge shouted "I will tolerate no further outbursts in this court room." I remember how when my son and I entered the court room for her sentencing the doors were locked behind us...something that is never done except during a death penalty case, and 12 guards with guns at the ready were stationed at the end of the rows and the doors and two stood directly behind Blanche Moore. Throughout the entire trial she showed no emotion. She was dressed to perfection and were a pearl necklace and her hair was perfectly coiffed. When sentenced to death she did not so much as blink or bat an eye or change expressions or sink into a chair. I was never so glad to leave a place as I was that court room. She showed no remorse at anytime nor has she ever confessed to her crimes. I wrote a poem about her titled WOMAN ON DEATH ROW. If anyone is interested just say so and I will post it here for all to read. There is also another part of this story that involves an envelope that almost got her off. I will post that also if there is any interest in here about it.
Maria
01/25/07 at 04:10 PM
sissy
I remember reading about her in sociology class in high school. Please tell us more.
sissy
01/25/07 at 05:34 PM
tarheel
Maria,
did you know that i was the tv photographer in the courtroom that day that the Death sentence was handed down to Blanch Taylor Moore?
the tv stations had what we call a "Pool Camera" and any station could go LIVE from it and record from it each day! i remember that out burtst of "OH MY GOD ,NO!", but of course i did not see who said it because the camera was trained on Blanch Taylor Moore.to get her reaction to the verdict! as i remember too.she had her head bowed and in her hands...the same reaction that she gave at the original trial where she was found Gulity!
most trials in the Forsyth County Courthouse, are allowed to be covered by the "electronic press" this way! but most trials are held in the courtroom where the camera is situated in a room in back of the courtroom and capturing the trial through a glass window covered by a black curtain,so that the camera and photographer cannot be seen! window.
but the "SPIDER LADY" trial was different and a different courtroom was used! the presiding judge actually allowed the camera in the courtroom over by the window facing main street and so that the camera could only pick up all involved except the JURORS!
i also covered many other trials in the courthouse there in the same manner for tv news, before i retired! i was there during all 3 Daryle Hunt trials.the Micheal Hayes Trial, the "Bitter Blood "trial and many many more of great importance to the communities of this area!
isn't it strange how our lives cross paths through the years and we do not even know it until something happens of great importance again,then we actually meet each other face to face!
life certainly is a terrific journey and we never know when we may travel down the same road again!
Tarheel
01/25/07 at 05:44 PM
Maria
Well well well Chuck, what a pleasure to know I've been in your presence before. Say you caught me blurting out my "Oh my God no" response. Here is a poem I wrote about Blanche Taylor Moore
WOMAN ON DEATH ROW
WHEN YOU THINK OF YOUR SISTERS AND DAUGHTERS
LATE AT NIGHT IN YOUR CELL DO YOU CRY?
WHEN YOU WAKE UP EACH MORNING ON DEATH ROW
DO THE PEOPLE YOU KILLED ASK YOU WHY?
DOES THE MEM'RY OF FREEDOM NOW HAUNT YOU...
DO YOU REALIZE ALL THAT YOU'VE LOST?
WHEN YOU MADE THE DECISIONS YOU MADE THEN
DID YOU EVER CONSIDER THE COST?
WHEN THE BARS ON THE WINDOWS PREVENT YOU
FROM FEELING THE SUN ON YOUR FACE,
WHEN YOU CAN'T TOUCH THE HANDS OF YOUR BROTHERS
WHEN THEY VISIT YOU THERE IN THAT PLACE,
WHEN YOUR NAME WAS REPLACED WITH A NUMBER
AND A DATE FOR YOUR OWN DEATH WAS SET,
WHEN YOU MADE THE DECISIONS YOU MADE THEN,
IS THIS NOT WHAT YOU THOUGHT YOU WOULD GET?
DO YOU WISH YOU COULD START YOUR LIFE OVER?
DO YOU WISH YOU HAD NEVER BEEN BORN?
WHEN YOU THINK OF THE LIVES YOU HAVE SHATTERED
INCLUDING YOUR OWN...DO YOU MOURN?
DO YOU PRAY FOR THE SOULS OF YOUR VICTIMS?
DO YOU SAY YOU ARE INNOCENT STILL?
WHEN YOU MADE THE DECISIONS YOU MADE THEN
YOU CARED NOT FOR WHAT OTHERS WOULD FEEL.
THOUGH YOU NEVER HAVE SAID YOU ARE SORRY
TO THE FAM'LIES LEFT STRANDED BEHIND
WHEN THE NIGHT CLOSES IN THERE UPON YOU
DO THOSE WORDS EVER ENTER YOUR MIND?
HAVE YOU ONCE FELT A TREMOR OF SORROW
FOR THE DAMAGE YOUR ACTIONS HAVE CAUSED
IF NOT I WILL WEAR SORROW'S ARMOR
FOR A WOMAN SO HOPELESSLY LOST.
Maria C. Hodges
This poem may not be used or copied without my permission.
Maria
01/25/07 at 06:06 PM
ladebug
Well Maria that is just beautiful and thanks for sharing that, you have a gift in so many areas. Tarheel, I am having trouble tearing myself from my monitor afraid I will miss one of your stories. You have had an amazing life!
Ladebug
01/25/07 at 09:00 PM
tarheel
thank you so very much for sharing your beautiful poem with us, Maria!
you are very talented too!
and...yes,Ladebug,i have led an exciting life and i owe it all to my years in tv news!(34,to be exact!)
sometimes i'll have to take another day and write it all down for you all.here again!
or maybe a book?...me and TV???.,
not on your life!..lol
anyway.i can tell you stories that go back to the days of the Civil Rights Struggles and the stories that i was a part of
there too!
getting beat up by the black panthers in the streets of Detroit and thrown in an alley and left left to die,is just one of
the stories from my past!
but on to the present!..lot
after i retired from tv news in 1999,i had all this video that i had kept in my den at home,hoping that some day
someone like Matt,would come along and be able to use it!
of course i had hours of video from all walks of life and much of it from the Blue Ridge Mtns.,of Appalachia,where i
produced wonderful stories on the people .places, the music and crafts of many of those folks!
the wonderful thing about my stories was that the folks told the story themselves with no reporter involvement!
they were seen every friday night on channel 8 at the end of the 6-o-clock news!
(can you actually believe there was a time when stations only had the NEWS at SIX and ELEVEN pm?)
anyway,i kept all the original video and even the on the air copies of every story for 3 years!(and in that period of
time.the Charlie Lawson Story was aired!)
i had no idea what i was going to do with all this video after i retired!
it was taking up a lot of shelf space in my den and also drawers, cubby holes, underneath my desk...anywhere that i
could find space to store it!
i knew that if i threw it all away or burned it or whatever, someone would come knocking on my door,needing some of
it for a related story,documentary,etc..
a musician friend of mine was telling me about a new traditional archives being built at ASU,in Boone,N.C..
i contacted them and talked with a MR.HAY.who was so excited that had i called him!
he came to my home in Rural Hall,at that time and we sat in my den all day while i told him about each story on the
hundred or so 3/4 inch video cassettes, from the tv station !
it has now been all transferred to DVD's in the archives of ASU and they sent me a really nice certificate of
appreciation for the donation!
that's right! donation!
i had made it clear to them that all the material that i was giving to them was a donation! ...('cause i'm a nice
guy!...lol)
anyway, one morning the phone rang in my home and it was Matt Hodges!
he was asking me about all i knew and learned about the Lawson Family Tragedy,because he had viewed the video
from the new archive at ASU,in Boone,N.C..
and...the rest is history!
here i am and there's the show...(or documentary) that i was more than proud to be a part of and to lend a helping
hand anyway that i could!
Stay tuned.Ladebug!
there maybe more soon!
luv you all!
warm regards,
tarheel
01/20/08 at 11:35 AM
laurie1125
The other reason I printed this story is because this happened 13 days before the Lawson Murders Freeda Bolt left the Floyd County community of Willis with her sweetheart, Buren Harmon, on December 12,1929. Pregnant by Harmon, Freeda thought she was eloping, but Harmon had other plans. He bound and strangled the woman and hid her body under brush and rocks near the road. Harmon reportedly returned to the crime scene a day or so later, found Bolt still alive, and strangled her again.
When Bolt was reported missing. Harmon was naturally the prime suspect in the case. He was taken into custody but did not confess to the crime until after the body was found several days later. Floyd County officials feared that Harmon would be lynched, and the prisoner was moved to Roanoke County for trial.
The trial, in which Harmon was portrayed by the defense as dimwitted and insane, held the attention of the public across the state. Even the New York Times mentioned the case. Harmon was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was pardoned after serving 18 years.
"The Story of Freeda Bolt" was written by D. M. Shank, a local hymn writer, at the request of the Floyd County Ramblers, and the group recorded it for the Victor Record Company in 1930. The Carter Family recorded it for Decca in 1938, and versions of the song are still being sung in the region.
laurie1125
ladebug
Please place any unrelated true crime to this thread.
Ladebug
01/21/07 at 11:24 AM
ladebug
Fifty miles north of Germanton lies Hillsville, VA. Hillsville is famous for its Labor Day Flea Market with over 100,000 people attending every year. Over 16 yrs before the Lawson Murder's happened, the aftermath of a trial dominated the news around the world until the sinking of the Titanic took its place. On March 12th, 1912 at the Carroll County Courthouse in Hillsville 5 people were killed & 7 wounded in a courthouse shootout. Floyd Allen was a well respected democrat living in a republican county with politicians holding grudges against him. Floyd was well known for his temper & loyalty to family members when confronted by others. This whole tragedy started over a kiss at a corn shucking bee when his nephew kissed a girl a her boyfriend did not like it. The next morning at a church, a fight broke out with 2 of the Allen's getting the worst end of it. They were charged with a misdemeanor, but the prosecutor changed it to 7 felony indictments. They went to Mount Airy across the state line to escape prosecution. They were captured & on the way to jail, they passed by Floyd's home. Floyd got upset at the way his relatives were being being transported. He asked the deputy to let them ride in a more dignified manor. When he refused, Floyd took the deputy's pistol & whipped him with it. Floyd took them in a they were released after a short sentence in jail. Floyd was charged with "rescuing prisoners". Before the trial many death threats were sent to many court officials. The judge ignored warnings to search the Allen family before entering the courthouse. Over 200 people attended the hearing. Floyd was found guilty & sentenced to 1 yr in jail. After hearing the verdict, Floyd stood up & said "Gentlemen I ain't a' going." What happened next is still bitterly argued over today. A shot rang out in the court room & all hell broke loose. At least 50 shots were fired, leaving the judge, the county sheriff, the commonwealth attorney, a juror, & a witness, all dead. The wounded included Floyd, his brother Sidna, the clerk of court, a juror, a 2 spectators. Who fired the first shot? Some say Floyd reached into his coat a pulled a gun, others say that the clerk of court fired the first shot, & that's when the Allen family members pulled their guns a returned fire. Floyd a his son Claude were sentenced to death by electrocution. Floyd was executed on March 23th. 1913 & his son was executed 11 minutes later. Many of the counties residents were upset over the executions. It was reported that part of the inscription on the headstone read "judicially murdered by the state of Virginia over the protest of more than 100,000 of its citizens". Four other family members were sentenced between 18 a 35 yrs. Their sentences were pardoned between 1922 a 1926. Three jurors had testified that the sheriff at Floyd's trial was carrying a semi automatic pistol that accidentally discharged when he pulled his handkerchief out after the verdict was read. The clerk of court admitted to firing the 2nd shot which hit Floyd in the pelvis. Were Floyd a his son put to death over an accidental discharge of a weapon that day? Another man in 1967 claimed to have fired the first shot, but not many people believed him. Books, poems, ballads, a a screenplay have been written about this tragedy. My girlfriend claims that Floyd Allen was her great, great uncle. She said that when she was a child a went to family reunions everybody would always talk about this story. I believe her because all of the Allen's on her dad's side of the family that I know are quick tempered a I do not want any disputes with any of them.
Below is a link to ballads about the Allen family:
www.blueridgeinstitute.org/ballads/allenssongs.html
Posted by cephus
ladebug
01/21/07 at 11:26 AM
ladebug
FYI ...the bullet holes from the shootings are still in the staircase inside the courthouse and can be seen easily when walking up to the stairs...
Ladebug_
01/21/07 at 11:26 AM
ladebug
Between Hillsville and Galax in Woodlawn Va. there is a store called Harmons that sell boots, jeans and other stuff that has a museum that has a big exhibit of the courthouse tragedy,
cephus post
Ladebug
01/21/07 at 11:39 AM
Maria
Thanks ladebug. It's less confusing this way.
Maria
01/23/07 at 12:11 AM
BobbyWayne
There's a book that tells some things about the Area of the Allen's, the Book is by Richard C Davids and he writes about Bob Childress A preacher Of Buffalo Mountain,and the people therein the early 1920's.get it from your local library. I am reading it now and like it very much.
THE MAN WHO MOVED A MOUNTAIN
bobby wayne
01/23/07 at 10:49 AM
sissy
That is a wonderful book. Those churches are on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Patrick County.
sissy
01/23/07 at 11:07 PM
epdj
Since the Aliens and the Courthouse Tragedy at Hillsville, Va. have been mentioned, I want to say there have been several books wrote about the event. I just finished reading one by Ron Hall, The Carroll County Courthouse Tragedy: The True Account of the 1912 gun battle that shocked the nation: its causes and the aftermath. Ron is a great writer and names so many people in his book that you soon began to realize that almost every family in Carroll Co. was connected with the event in one way or another. Ron also gives program's on the Allen's and sometimes he can be found at the Courthouse in Hillsville, Va. given tours and telling about what happen. His book can be found for sale at The Mt. Airy Museum and Pages Book Store on Main St. in Mt. Airy. Also you mentioned Harmons Museum between Hillsville and Galax (it is FREE to go in there). But don't forget The Carroll Co. Historical Society has a Museum right on Main St. in Hillsville at the Courthouse and some of Sidna Aliens beautiful tables he made while he was in prison are there for everyone to see. Ron Hall helps in there also. Esther Johnson
epdj
01/24/07 at 01:10 PM
BobbyWayne
Is there a Book of Mr Hall's in the Libary that one can read for free. and doe's anyone else know of any other book's about local events.
Thanks bobbywayne
01/25/07 at 02:11 PM
Hymes
There are 2 books about 2 unrelated mass murders that happened in this area. Both of this stories were made into tv movies. "Bitter Blood" was written by Jerry Bledsoe & "Preacher's Girl" was written by Jim Schutze. In 1985 nine people died as a result of Bitter Blood over custody of children. Fritz Klenner & Susie Newson Lynch were lovers & also 1st cousins. Susie's ex mother-in-law a sister-in-law were murdered in Kentucky, shortly after that, Susie's parents a grandmother were murdered in Winston-Salem. The prime suspect was Fritz. They had him under police surveillance a were in the process of trying to arrest him when he took off with Susie a her 2 children in Guilford County. While they were being chased on NC 150 near the Oak Ridge Military Academy, the vehicle they were riding in exploded killing all 4 of them. They children were suspected of being poisoned & had been shot.
Preacher's Girl is about Blanch Taylor Moore, known as the Black Widow. She poisoned 2 husbands, her father & mother-in-law, & several lovers. Elizabeth Montgomery who starred in "Bewitch" played Ms. Moore in the movie. She was tried in Winston-Salem a sentenced to death. My girlfriend got a jury summons for this trial, she was at the courthouse for 2 days while they were picking the jury. She said that Ms. Moore kept turning around a telling the jury pool that she didn't do it a was Innocent.
Hymes
01/25/07 at 03:59 PM
Maria
Dear Hymes,
I am so glad you mentioned Preacher's Girl..the true crime story of Blanche Taylor Moore. My son and I both know her personally. Her murder trial was held here in Winston-Salem where I live. She was held in our jail here in Winston until she received the death penalty and was sent to Women's Prison in Raleigh where she remains on death row. she has been on death row now for 16 years. As a volunteer with the jail ministry I visited Blanche every Wednesday at the jail for the long months she was an inmate there. I attended every day save one, of her trial and my son and I were seated two rows behind her when she was sentenced to death. I had never heard a person formally sentenced to die and it really freaked me out. Without meaning to I blurted out "Oh my god no" when she was sentenced. The t.v. cameras picked that up and the judge shouted "I will tolerate no further outbursts in this court room." I remember how when my son and I entered the court room for her sentencing the doors were locked behind us...something that is never done except during a death penalty case, and 12 guards with guns at the ready were stationed at the end of the rows and the doors and two stood directly behind Blanche Moore. Throughout the entire trial she showed no emotion. She was dressed to perfection and were a pearl necklace and her hair was perfectly coiffed. When sentenced to death she did not so much as blink or bat an eye or change expressions or sink into a chair. I was never so glad to leave a place as I was that court room. She showed no remorse at anytime nor has she ever confessed to her crimes. I wrote a poem about her titled WOMAN ON DEATH ROW. If anyone is interested just say so and I will post it here for all to read. There is also another part of this story that involves an envelope that almost got her off. I will post that also if there is any interest in here about it.
Maria
01/25/07 at 04:10 PM
sissy
I remember reading about her in sociology class in high school. Please tell us more.
sissy
01/25/07 at 05:34 PM
tarheel
Maria,
did you know that i was the tv photographer in the courtroom that day that the Death sentence was handed down to Blanch Taylor Moore?
the tv stations had what we call a "Pool Camera" and any station could go LIVE from it and record from it each day! i remember that out burtst of "OH MY GOD ,NO!", but of course i did not see who said it because the camera was trained on Blanch Taylor Moore.to get her reaction to the verdict! as i remember too.she had her head bowed and in her hands...the same reaction that she gave at the original trial where she was found Gulity!
most trials in the Forsyth County Courthouse, are allowed to be covered by the "electronic press" this way! but most trials are held in the courtroom where the camera is situated in a room in back of the courtroom and capturing the trial through a glass window covered by a black curtain,so that the camera and photographer cannot be seen! window.
but the "SPIDER LADY" trial was different and a different courtroom was used! the presiding judge actually allowed the camera in the courtroom over by the window facing main street and so that the camera could only pick up all involved except the JURORS!
i also covered many other trials in the courthouse there in the same manner for tv news, before i retired! i was there during all 3 Daryle Hunt trials.the Micheal Hayes Trial, the "Bitter Blood "trial and many many more of great importance to the communities of this area!
isn't it strange how our lives cross paths through the years and we do not even know it until something happens of great importance again,then we actually meet each other face to face!
life certainly is a terrific journey and we never know when we may travel down the same road again!
Tarheel
01/25/07 at 05:44 PM
Maria
Well well well Chuck, what a pleasure to know I've been in your presence before. Say you caught me blurting out my "Oh my God no" response. Here is a poem I wrote about Blanche Taylor Moore
WOMAN ON DEATH ROW
WHEN YOU THINK OF YOUR SISTERS AND DAUGHTERS
LATE AT NIGHT IN YOUR CELL DO YOU CRY?
WHEN YOU WAKE UP EACH MORNING ON DEATH ROW
DO THE PEOPLE YOU KILLED ASK YOU WHY?
DOES THE MEM'RY OF FREEDOM NOW HAUNT YOU...
DO YOU REALIZE ALL THAT YOU'VE LOST?
WHEN YOU MADE THE DECISIONS YOU MADE THEN
DID YOU EVER CONSIDER THE COST?
WHEN THE BARS ON THE WINDOWS PREVENT YOU
FROM FEELING THE SUN ON YOUR FACE,
WHEN YOU CAN'T TOUCH THE HANDS OF YOUR BROTHERS
WHEN THEY VISIT YOU THERE IN THAT PLACE,
WHEN YOUR NAME WAS REPLACED WITH A NUMBER
AND A DATE FOR YOUR OWN DEATH WAS SET,
WHEN YOU MADE THE DECISIONS YOU MADE THEN,
IS THIS NOT WHAT YOU THOUGHT YOU WOULD GET?
DO YOU WISH YOU COULD START YOUR LIFE OVER?
DO YOU WISH YOU HAD NEVER BEEN BORN?
WHEN YOU THINK OF THE LIVES YOU HAVE SHATTERED
INCLUDING YOUR OWN...DO YOU MOURN?
DO YOU PRAY FOR THE SOULS OF YOUR VICTIMS?
DO YOU SAY YOU ARE INNOCENT STILL?
WHEN YOU MADE THE DECISIONS YOU MADE THEN
YOU CARED NOT FOR WHAT OTHERS WOULD FEEL.
THOUGH YOU NEVER HAVE SAID YOU ARE SORRY
TO THE FAM'LIES LEFT STRANDED BEHIND
WHEN THE NIGHT CLOSES IN THERE UPON YOU
DO THOSE WORDS EVER ENTER YOUR MIND?
HAVE YOU ONCE FELT A TREMOR OF SORROW
FOR THE DAMAGE YOUR ACTIONS HAVE CAUSED
IF NOT I WILL WEAR SORROW'S ARMOR
FOR A WOMAN SO HOPELESSLY LOST.
Maria C. Hodges
This poem may not be used or copied without my permission.
Maria
01/25/07 at 06:06 PM
ladebug
Well Maria that is just beautiful and thanks for sharing that, you have a gift in so many areas. Tarheel, I am having trouble tearing myself from my monitor afraid I will miss one of your stories. You have had an amazing life!
Ladebug
01/25/07 at 09:00 PM
tarheel
thank you so very much for sharing your beautiful poem with us, Maria!
you are very talented too!
and...yes,Ladebug,i have led an exciting life and i owe it all to my years in tv news!(34,to be exact!)
sometimes i'll have to take another day and write it all down for you all.here again!
or maybe a book?...me and TV???.,
not on your life!..lol
anyway.i can tell you stories that go back to the days of the Civil Rights Struggles and the stories that i was a part of
there too!
getting beat up by the black panthers in the streets of Detroit and thrown in an alley and left left to die,is just one of
the stories from my past!
but on to the present!..lot
after i retired from tv news in 1999,i had all this video that i had kept in my den at home,hoping that some day
someone like Matt,would come along and be able to use it!
of course i had hours of video from all walks of life and much of it from the Blue Ridge Mtns.,of Appalachia,where i
produced wonderful stories on the people .places, the music and crafts of many of those folks!
the wonderful thing about my stories was that the folks told the story themselves with no reporter involvement!
they were seen every friday night on channel 8 at the end of the 6-o-clock news!
(can you actually believe there was a time when stations only had the NEWS at SIX and ELEVEN pm?)
anyway,i kept all the original video and even the on the air copies of every story for 3 years!(and in that period of
time.the Charlie Lawson Story was aired!)
i had no idea what i was going to do with all this video after i retired!
it was taking up a lot of shelf space in my den and also drawers, cubby holes, underneath my desk...anywhere that i
could find space to store it!
i knew that if i threw it all away or burned it or whatever, someone would come knocking on my door,needing some of
it for a related story,documentary,etc..
a musician friend of mine was telling me about a new traditional archives being built at ASU,in Boone,N.C..
i contacted them and talked with a MR.HAY.who was so excited that had i called him!
he came to my home in Rural Hall,at that time and we sat in my den all day while i told him about each story on the
hundred or so 3/4 inch video cassettes, from the tv station !
it has now been all transferred to DVD's in the archives of ASU and they sent me a really nice certificate of
appreciation for the donation!
that's right! donation!
i had made it clear to them that all the material that i was giving to them was a donation! ...('cause i'm a nice
guy!...lol)
anyway, one morning the phone rang in my home and it was Matt Hodges!
he was asking me about all i knew and learned about the Lawson Family Tragedy,because he had viewed the video
from the new archive at ASU,in Boone,N.C..
and...the rest is history!
here i am and there's the show...(or documentary) that i was more than proud to be a part of and to lend a helping
hand anyway that i could!
Stay tuned.Ladebug!
there maybe more soon!
luv you all!
warm regards,
tarheel
01/20/08 at 11:35 AM
laurie1125
The other reason I printed this story is because this happened 13 days before the Lawson Murders Freeda Bolt left the Floyd County community of Willis with her sweetheart, Buren Harmon, on December 12,1929. Pregnant by Harmon, Freeda thought she was eloping, but Harmon had other plans. He bound and strangled the woman and hid her body under brush and rocks near the road. Harmon reportedly returned to the crime scene a day or so later, found Bolt still alive, and strangled her again.
When Bolt was reported missing. Harmon was naturally the prime suspect in the case. He was taken into custody but did not confess to the crime until after the body was found several days later. Floyd County officials feared that Harmon would be lynched, and the prisoner was moved to Roanoke County for trial.
The trial, in which Harmon was portrayed by the defense as dimwitted and insane, held the attention of the public across the state. Even the New York Times mentioned the case. Harmon was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was pardoned after serving 18 years.
"The Story of Freeda Bolt" was written by D. M. Shank, a local hymn writer, at the request of the Floyd County Ramblers, and the group recorded it for the Victor Record Company in 1930. The Carter Family recorded it for Decca in 1938, and versions of the song are still being sung in the region.
laurie1125