The Boy Nevada Killed by Janice Oberding

Author:Janice Oberding
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing Inc.
Published: 2017-10-19T04:00:00+00:00

Floyd Loveless as a youngster. Photo courtesy of Robert Kay Loveless.

Not everyone in Reno was eager to help Floyd stay out of the gas chamber. Constable A.H. Berning was born and raised in Carson City. His parents had been young German immigrants when they met and married in nearby Genoa. As a young man Berning worked at the Virginia City Virginia and Truckee Railroad roundhouse.

Many still associated the historic Abe Curry home with the Berning family; the house had been the family residence for several years. A number of Berning friends and extended family members resided in the Reno/ Sparks Carson City area. None of them wanted to see Berning’s killer escape punishment.

By December 1, 1942, Floyd had been at the prison three months. Being locked away from the outdoors and the sunshine was hard for him. The loneliness was unbearable. There was no one here his own age. Nobody understood. If he had kept his promise to his grandmother and stayed at Plainfield, he could have been a barber.

He didn’t want to die any more than the man he had left in the Studebaker, the man bleeding and begging for a doctor. But that man had died. Soon others would be celebrating Christmas, and he would walk into the gas chamber in payment of that death. He was resigned. Dying was better than rotting in this place forever.

Floyd was eating lunch when the warden came to his cell, smiling broadly. “You’ve been granted a stay of execution, Floyd.”

Floyd nodded.

The warden waved to a man who stood in the corridor. “This gentleman is from the newspaper. He’d like to speak with you.”

Floyd stared at the man. A pencil rested across the top of his ear, like an arrow. He opened his notepad and smile hopefully at Floyd.

“I’m Mr.—”

“I’ve got nothing to say.”

The two men retreated down the corridor, speaking in hushed tones. Motherless lad, too young to be here—the same words he had heard in Indiana. They meant nothing. He was here.

Floyd picked up his sandwich and gobbled it hungrily.

In Elko, Taylor Wines prepared his appeal. From his office at the Henderson Bank Building, Wines could see the railroad tracks and the busy streets below. This was his community; he was born and raised here. He understood Elko better than an outsider ever could. He realized feelings here ran deep against Floyd Loveless, but Floyd was a child. And no child should be waiting to die in the gas chamber. There was much work to do.

1943

On April 21, 1943, the news was good. The Nevada Supreme Court ordered a new trial for Floyd because the Elko jury had not stated what charge they found him guilty of. When asked the verdict, the jury foreman said, “Guilty as charged” instead of “Guilty of first-degree murder.” The new trial date was set for November 15, 1943.

Floyd wrote to his dad and his grandmother before leaving for Elko. None of his family back home in Indiana expected he was going to walk out of prison a free man.

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