In the late 19th century, the mountains of Scott County, Virginia, bore witness to a deadly confrontation that would send two brothers on the run for decades. It began in 1890, when Patton and William Flannery, two local men, encountered 15-year-old Hiram Johnson near Spears Ferry. A dispute over money turned deadly when shots rang out, and Johnson lay dead.
Rather than face justice, the Flannery brothers fled, disappearing like ghosts. But their story didn’t end there.
William Flannery resurfaced nearly a decade later—this time facing another murder charge. A posse was dispatched to apprehend him, but William was no stranger to violence. Instead of surrendering, he shot and killed some of his would-be captors before vanishing once again. By then, both Flannery brothers were wanted men, fugitives with blood on their hands.
Decades passed with no sign of the outlaws. Then, in February 1927, Scott County Sheriff C.C. Palmer received a tip: Patton Flannery had been living under an assumed name—J.P. Baldwin—in Oklahoma. The law had finally caught up to him.
When arrested, Patton refused to return to Virginia voluntarily. But Virginia Governor Harry Byrd formally requested his extradition, and soon, Flannery was back in Scott County, facing charges related to the murder of Hiram Johnson decades earlier.
The summer of 1927 saw Gate City, Virginia, thrust into the national spotlight. Newspapers across the country followed the sensational trial of Patton Flannery. His defense team, Wright S. Cox of Gate City and George Warren of Bristol, argued fiercely on his behalf before Judge Ezra Carter.
One particularly unusual moment in the trial saw the judge, jury, and attorneys leave the courthouse and travel 12 miles to the home of an elderly witness who was unable to testify in court. Such dramatic proceedings only added to the trial’s mystique.
Finally, on July 22, 1927, the verdict was read: not guilty. Patton Flannery walked free, returning to the wife, children, and grandchildren he had left behind in Oklahoma.
While Patton found himself back in the life he had built under his alias, William Flannery was never captured. For years, his whereabouts remained a mystery. Eventually, it was discovered that he had settled in Texas, living out the rest of his life peacefully, raising a family—far from the bloodshed that had defined his younger years.
If you’d like to know more about this story, check out our YouTube video about the Flannery brothers right here!
I really liked the video on YouTube and thank you for sharing it. I grew up hearing these stories and a few years back was able to verify they were all true with the help from Dr. Don Lane. I put together an archive of the AP stories from across the nation. My name is Frankie Baldwin Jr and I am the great great grandson of Patton.