For many years after Big Gem shut down in 1907, business on First Street in The Town of Shenandoah continue to flourish while the passenger trains continued to stop in town. One business owner was doing so well that he was beaten and robbed not one, not two but three times!
The last two happened six years apart, from 1952 to 1958. Mr. Ernest David Lloyd ran several different types of business in town, including a filling station, and General Merchandise & Grocery store and was owner of the Pastime Theatre in Shenandoah for several years.
Brief summary of robbery #1 from the Page News and Courier May 6, 1943
E.D. Lloyd Slugged and Robbed in Shenandoah Robbery; 3 Youths Held
E. D Lloyd, well known filling station operator of Shenandoah and a former resident of Luray, was attacked and robbed of $500 at his filling station on Eastside Highway at the northern limits of Shenandoah about 1:45 a.m. on Thursday morning of last week. Three Rockingham youths are being held for the robbery after a statewide hunt resulted in their capture near Elkton. According to police, the trio drove up to the Lloyd service station on Fourth Street in the northern section of Shenandoah Thursday morning about 1:45 a.m. and roused Lloyd who was sleeping inside of his station. Lloyd unlocked the door and was drawing some oil for the trio, police said, when he was struck and knocked unconscious. On regaining consciousness, he found two of the youths still in the service station. They told him that someone had thrown a rock through the door and struck him. Although dazed and bleeding badly, Lloyd asked the youths where a club that was laying on the service station floor came from and they said it was there when they had come in. They insisted that he had been hit by a rock that was thrown through the door and offered to take the injured man to the doctor police said. They took Lloyd to the home of Dr. B. C. Shuler in Shenandoah and said they were going in search of Chief of Police R. L. Monger to report the crime. That was the last seen of them until their arrest late Thursday night. After, having his wound dressed, Lloyd returned to his filling station and found the glass in the locked front door broken and the club that had been lying on the floor of the filling station gone. He found that his cash register had been rifled of $500 in bills and silver. Police believe that the cash register was rifled while Lloyd was unconscious and that the youths broke the window on their return to retrieve the club left near the filling station door. Police recovered $50 in silver and about $25 in bills from the loot, the remainer was spent. The trio was found days later and arrested.
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Brief summary of Robbery #2 from the Page News and Courier September 25, 1952
Shen. Merchant Beaten, Robbed
E. D. Lloyd 70 remains in a serious condition although improving in the Rockingham Memorial Hospital where he was taken early Sunday after he was assaulted and badly beaten at the apartment above his grocery store n Shenandoah. Sheriff Abram Brubaker said this week that officers are continuing their investigation of the brutal attack and robbery. Between seven and eight thousand dollars was taken from Lloyd’s apartment. Shenandoah's Chief of Police Harold Good was called to Lloyd’s apartment early Sunday morning where he was found lying in a pool of blood. Mr. Lloyd told officers later that he was attacked as he entered the door of his apartment, and since it was dark he was unable to identify his assailant. In the habit of cashing checks for customers on Saturdays, he often kept large sums of money in his rooms, and it is believed his attacker was aware of this when he entered the apartment. He had gone to his apartment about midnight and was discovered about 5:00 a. m. by a friend who was accustomed to seeing lights in the Lloyd apartment when he passed by in the morning. Noticing no lights he investigated to find Mr. Lloyd unconscious and badly hurt. Well known in this county, Mr. Lloyd at one time managed the old Commercial Hotel in Luray and later the Casino. The aged business man is suffering with a fractured skull.
End of this article. Story continues in another paper few weeks from this date.
From the Page News and Courier dated April 9, 1953 we learned that a Page County Jury found one individual guilty of the actual robber and he was sentenced to eight years in the penitentiary. Three others pleaded “Guilty” to receiving stolen goods and was also sentenced to eight years in the penitentiary. “Judge Quesenbery told the three youths today that because of the violence involved and other factors, he was giving each the same term as the negro. “You are older, more intelligent and have had more opportunity to know right” he said.” One more suspect was to be tried with receiving stolen goods at a later date.
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Brief summary of Robbery #3 Page News and Courier dated October 16, 1958
E. D. Lloyd Victim
$25,000 Robbery
E. D. Lloyd of Shenandoah, was tied up and robbed of a large amount of money Tuesday night of this Week. Mr. Lloyd managed to get to get to his doorway early Wednesday morning and called for help. A nearby neighbor heard, his calls
and released him and Page County officers were called. Mr. Lloyd said over the Harrisonburg radio yesterday that the
robbers relieved him of about $25.000. Commonwealth Attorney Hackley said that while no arrests had been made at this time there were several suspects.
Page News and Courier dated October 23, 1958
…According to Mr. Lloyd’s account, one of the men entered first, posing as a customer, stunned him, with a blow to the head, and tied, gagged and blindfolded him. A companion or companions then entered and rifled the cash register and counter drawers. They escaped 15 or 20 minutes later with the $25,000 in cash. It was reported that $2,000 was in coins and most of the remainder was in $500 bundles of $20 bills. The men also took two .22 caliber pistols and old coin and money collections of Mr. Lloyd's. It was reported that Mr. Lloyd said that after "knocking him partially unconscious, the man threw an arm around his throat and dragged him toward the rear of the store where he applied a belt, some binding string and an old undershirt to bind, gag and blindfold the elderly storekeeper. Mr. Lloyd said during the entire time, "he kept punishing me severely. He said if I hollered, he'd kill me right there." Once the robbers had gathered their loot, they left the store and Mr. Lloyd managed to work his way to the door where he called to a passerby who released his bonds and notified Page County and local police… He said he had a large sum of money on hand as he is in the habit of cashing payroll checks for the railroad employees in town.
Later newspaper articles stated they caught the three involved in the robbery. Two pleaded guilty and got 10 years in Penitentiary while the other individual went to trial and got 8 years in penitentiary as he was just the get away driver.
Above photo shows Mr. Lloyd sanding outside his store in October 1958 shortly after his last robbery.
This photo of Mr. Lloyd was posted on Facebook page Remember Shenandoah Back When by Mr. William Stanley on December 15, 2022. Mr. Ernest David Lloyd is standing in front of his store that was located at the intersection of First Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. This building is still standing at 500 First Street.
The above picture shows location of where the business was located at intersection of First Street and Pennsylvania Avenue during the third and last robbery. This building was the former location of the Coffee Pot Cafe and more recently it was home to Box Car and Deli. This photograph was taken on December 9, 2024.
Mr Lloyd suffered a heart attack in November 1958, a few short weeks after his last brutal attack and robbery. He passed away in July 1959 at the age of 76 and was buried in Victory Baptist Church Cemetery in Spout Spring Virginia.
Last Rites For E. D. Lloyd
Last rites for Ernest David Lloyd, 76, were held Thursday at 11 a. m., from the Warren G. Kyger Funeral Home. The Rev. A. Hayne Boozer officiated. Miss Frances Ann Cave was at the organ. Interment took place at Spout Spring in Appomattox County. Mr. Lloyd died suddenly Tuesday, June 14, at the home of G. R. Thompson, where he had resided since his return from the hospital last year.
He was a member of the St. Peter's Lutheran Church and an active member of the Shenandoah Volunteer Fire Department. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Selina Minton Lloyd, of Spout Spring, Va.; three daughters, Mrs. Ruth Shifflett of McGaheysville, Mrs. Harry Ramieth of Elmira N. Y. and Mrs. Florence Lilly of Brookneal, Va.; and two sons. Adrian Lloyd of Brookneal Va. and George Lloyd of Staunton, two sisters, Mrs. Virgie Stanley of Hagerstown Md., and Mrs. Harry Nora Stanley of Shenandoah. Members of the Shenandoah Fire Department served as active and honorary pallbearers. Active, pallbearers were DeRay Davis, Walter O’Roarke, Elwood Stanley, John Comer, Jr., L. W. Painter and Horace Plum. Honorary pallbearers were C. C. Morrison, Howard Morris, George Fischer, Raymond Eastwood, James Purdham. Jake Foltz, Willie Shifflett, Bill Austin and Elbert May. A brief service was held at the home of Mrs. Harry Stanley before the funeral.
Card of Thanks
We wish to express our sincere thanks and deep appreciation to our friends for their many acts of tenderness and expressions of sympathy extended to us during our bereavement. The Family
Published in Page News and Courier July 23, 1959.
