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YAMPLIOO TRAOK)T TAKES DRAMATIC TURN RiMiWi I mill Arrested Chorged With H?vhg Planned Harder I oI family* The Pamplic? tragedy of lest week ! which a whole family wa? wiped out takes a dramatic 'turn. Edmund Big ham, the sole surviving member! of th# family is charged with having DUnnod *nil ?*- ?* ? wvwfcw iuv muruvr ui h>s mother, brother, sister and nephews. The father of Edmund Biffham was senator from Marion county some 25 years ago an^ tB remembered by onany of the older rsidents of j this jfection. He died about 16 years ago. The story as sent out by a Flor-I ence correspondent which throws new ( light on the horrible tragedy, fol-. lows: Florence, Jan. 20?The tragedy near Pamplico last Saturday after-' noon which cost the lives of three members of the Blgham family and two adopted children, took a sensational turn this afternoon when Ed-' mund Bigham, one of the two surviving members of the family and the| first to appear on the scene of the' tragedy, according to bis statement1 was arrested at the plantation home and brought to the county jail here. His wife accompanied him to the jail. Edmund Bigham was arrested by Deputy Sheriff M. B. Burch on a warrant sworn out by John W. McP.ruolrpn tVia fatVior a# V* ?. ?"V V. V11C l"? VU1?dren killed. Coroner Smith and C. M Rose, an officer of PauipUco, accompanied him. Bigham is charged with murder. He submitted to the arrest quietly and manifested little r no concern. He refused to make any statement tonight when seen at the jail. The persons kille^ on the Bigham plantation last Saturday were: Mrs. M. M. Bigham. her daughter, Mrs. Margie Black, Leo and John McCracken, two adopted children; and L. S. Bigham, brother of Mrs. Black. The mother and the daughter and one of the children were apparently kuled instantly. The youngest child died at 5 o'clock the following morning and L. S. Bigham, who was thought at the time to have committed the crime was foun^ dead in the woodg about a mile from the home at 11 o'clock the following morning. He grasped a pistol in his hand, and a bullet hud pierced the right temple The other four victims also died of pistol shot wounds. Coroner Smith said this afternoon that several negroes would be arrnatn/I on/1 * ' - .vuvvu ?iiu uciu to uitiieimi witnesses. It is his opinion that now that Bigham is under arrest other testimony bearing on the case may be forthcoming. In making the arrest of Bigham on the warrant of McCracken, the affidavit of Philip Arrowsmith, an attorney of this city, was given great consideration. In hiB affidavit Arrowsmith declares that he had been the attorney for Mrs. Black and for L>. S. (Smiley) Bigham, two of the persons killed, since the spring of 1920 and that, therefore, he had become intimately acquainted with their affair* At the outset of the affidavit which was sworn to before the coroner, Mr. Arrow&mlth declares that Edmund Bigham has no interest in the estate of the late Senator L. S. Bigham, this having been conveyed to his mother and brother. He alsoj declares that the payment of the bond escheated by Dr. Cleveland Bigham, who was convicted for the murder of his wife and sentenced to three years iu the Slute penitentiary had been provided for by deposit of amount sufficient to cover the bond in a local bank. The money was the proceeds of mortgage on the laitus and that solicitor L. M. Casque of this judicial circuit had in his possession the certificate of deposit. Mr. Arrowsmiih also avers that he has in h>s possession all of the original deeds relating to the Bigham iaU(u Continuing, the statement says that on January ,1 1921, L. S. Bigham and Mrs. Margie' Black came to his home and at their request he accompanied them to his office where Mrs. Black- whn greatly agitated made the following statement: "I signed three blank deeds in the presence of witnesses and left them with Smiley so that if anything happened to me my father's estate could be handled as my mother and Smiley desired. All thos papers were stolen from Smiley. I found them in Edmund's possession. When I attempted to secure possession of them Edmund flew into a passion and threatened to take my life as well as that of my mother. 1 gave up all hope of getting the deeds bock and his conduct is such that I am afraid he will kill me at any moment and I want you to prepare my will, giving all my property to my brother, Smiley, and charging him, as I know he will, to take care of my mother and my two little adopted boys." Mr. Arrowsmith further declared that he drew the will as instructed and it was witnessed by himself, O. T. Bryce and Marshall W. Bridges and that he Incorporated in the will the statement of Mrs. Black to him regarding the threats against her life. At the Bigham home this afternoon officer8 made a search for papers relative l? the estate lands and for the will mentioned In the Ardowsmith affidavit, but did not find them. B'gham stated that he bad a will but after looking over his papers remarked that he "could not find ft now." It was first believed that L. 3. Bigham, while supposedly insane, had shot and killed his raoth(, or, Mrs. M. M. Bigham, his sister. I Mrs. Margie Black and the letter's vtwo adopter children, Leo and John McCracken, and had then gone into Jfchg woods a half mile from the i bouse and shot himself to death. BIInus wag some doubt In the minds I of tfc# coroner's Jury that L. 8. Bigham worn the perpetrator of the w* ' ? '? - BR na DQxox , 'crime end it wee decided to delay rendering a verdict until additional evidence oould be taken, and the ?rreet of ' his brother, Kdmund\ Bighem, has given the ease a moot interesting aspect. With reference to the estate lands it appearB thst a few days before her death, Mrs. Bogan Cain, a bister, is alleged to have signed deeds transfering certain of the lands to Mrs. Margie Black. This is said to have been aftor the C leveland Bigham bond had been arranged for In view of the fact, &g presented in the Arrowsmith affidavit, that L. 8. Blgham ha^ not only been made the beneficiary of Mrs. Margie Black's will, but he also had in his possesMir>Tl HOAHO I- ul ? &B ?_ milieu iu uiiidk wnicq ne could have used a8 he desired, it is urged that the question of motive for the murders on the part of L. S. Bigham, as far as property considation was concerned, had been removed. The affadavlt of Phillip Arrowsmith, an attorney of this city, taken by Coroner W. Marvin Smith, is as follows: j "I was attorney for Mrs. M. M: Bigham, L. S. Bigham and Mrs. Margie A. Black, and have, therefore, been rather intimately associated with them since opening of the i spring of 1920. My employment was with regard to the estate lands ! of L. S. Bigham, Sr., deceased, and in which Edmund' Bigham had no interest, having conveyed to his mother and brother. | "Pursuant to my employment I arranged with the First National j bank of Florence, by mortgage of the property, for the bank to issue Its certificate of deposit for an amount sufficient to pay to the State of South Carolina the judgment which had been rendered on the bond escheated upon the default of I Dr. Bigham in 1910. This mortgage is duly recorded and the certificate of deposit is in the hands of [ Solicitor Gasque. | "During the last term of the criminal court, as county attorney, in j connection with the investigation i then being conducted by that bojly , into the mutilation of the county j records of which were alleged to have before them, which I did. As county attorney 1 had no informa11 ion in regard to the matter which they were investigating, but as Mr. ! Bigham's attorney, it was my pleas! ure to advise the grand jury that 1 i had in my possession the original {deeds, the records of which was alI leged to have been torn from 4 the i books, which I would be very happy I to display to the grand jury or any jone else upon request. "Subsequently some members of 1 the body called at my office and m1 fpected the original deeds. 1 ven| lured the opinion to the grand jury that Mr. Bigham could hardly be i guilty of destruction of the record and ' the retention of the original deeds, as common sense and prudence would have dictated the destruction of the original deed and the preservation at all cost, of the record. Ab a matter of fact, I have in mv DOSHPSRinn oil **- ' * _ a? ui i iig unginai papers relating to the Bigham lands. "Although I was frequently in i conference with Mr. Bigham, who was rather inclined to discuss frequently and at length matters affecting him, he never at any time inenUoner the postoffice matter to me. 1 "On Saturday night, the 8th of January, 1921, between 8:30 and 9 o'clock, Mrs. Margie A. Black and her brother, L. S. Bigham, came to my home and requested me to go with them to the office, as they wished me immediately to handle a matter of great importance to them. At that time Mrs. Black appeared to be greatly agitated. I was already preparing to leave home to go to the office with W. Marshall Bridges and G. T. Bryce. I, therefore, accompanied Mrs. Black and Mr. Bigham to the office and Mrs. Black then made this statement to me. (She said in words to this effect.) " 'I signed three blank deeds in the presence of witnesses and left therti "With Smiley, so that if anything should happen to me my father's estate could be handled as my mother and Smdey desired. All- these paI peis were stolen from Smiley. I ; found theini in Edmund's possession. '.When I attempted to secure possession of them Edmund flew into a | passion and threatened to take my life as well as that of my mother. I |gave up an nopes or getting the ; deeds back, and his conduct is such I that I am afraid he will kill me at i any moment, and 1 want you to prepare my will, giving all of my property to my brother, Smiley, and charging him, as I know he w>U, to take charge of niy mother and my two little adopted boys' "1 said to Mrs. Black that it wa3 | inconceivable to me that her life | was in danger at the hands of her | brother, and Smiley, at that time said if the matter were left to him I he had no doubt but that he could ! prevail upon Edmund to give up the deeds and the whole matter would be thereby settled. Mrs. Black, however, insisted that her life was in danger and requested me to draw the will. It was after office hours and there were no stenographers present. So 1 therefore wrote out on three sheets of our correspondence stationery a will, by which I gave all her property, of every kind jand description, wherever situated u> uer gwoea, or to wnich she might be entitled at the time of her death to her brother, L. S. Bigham, in fee s;mple, charging him with the duty so to us? the property so as to provide a home for his mother and the two little adopted boys, naminK them with suitable education. I also wrote in the will the reason, as above stated, why ft was made, and when the will is produced, if it is it will afiord the evidence of the thieats which had been made against tbe life of Mrs. Black by her brother. Edmund. This will was road over to Mrs. Black In the presence of Mr. Bridges and Mr. Bryce. l?IIH. MLL0K,900fl QUMMJK BANKING BOOT IM J MOM OPTIMISTIC f p i 1 N?w Tork, Jan. S3?For the first time in many months th? banking . fraternity begins th? new week in a more optimistic frame of mind with regard to the "frosen" credit sitnaWh uuu, mejr t|ivg win W. P. O. Harding, governor of the federal reserve board, that the woret of th^ credit strain is ever and that money rates Bhould gradually but steadily work easier. Therp are, however, a number of Instances remaining where the fin-; ancial troubles of industrial corporations will have to be nursed back to a healthy condition. One of these has to do with the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. The predicament of this company is expected to be either remedied or placed in the hands of the courts this week when the banking interests and the merchandise creditors hold a meeting at which a readjustment plan will either be adopted or rejected. If the unsecured creditors of the company do not agree to accept the new securities which it is proposed to give in settlement of their claims the courts are expected to be asked to step into the situation. Prominent local bankers state that improvement in the banking situation in the New York Federal reserve district is less than in other parts of the country because the industrial corporations are evincing a disposition to pay off loans with institutions outside of New York in preference to those in the second federal district. In other words, they claim that the burden of "frozen" credits is gradually being transferred to the New York insliiuuons. Statements of financial conditions being made to New York bankers by industrial companies confirm this assertion. MarkPfi ininrnvomnwt iwy. 1|A .M.ywvuiyui AH int: cieuii situation insofar as it relates to the dry goods business is reported. Jobbers are rapidly paying off their obligations to the manufacturers who ' in turn are cancelling their loans with the banks. j Further ease is reported in time money. Kates range from six to seven and one-half per cent, six per cent being charged by those who consider that a higher rate is usury. ' { Owners of railroad securities found little encouragement in the reported contraction in traffic on the common carriers as indicated by the continued increase in the number of idle cars. Transportation managers art bending every effort to offset the shrinkage in traffic by cutting operating expenses anyl the extent to j which they are going in that direc. tion is shown by the laying off of ] employees an^ some reductions in wages. Directors of railroads are pessimistic concerning the outlook. They claim that the increase in rates &1; lowed by the Interstate Commerce I Commission is sufficient to permit I the common carriers earning equal j to six per cent on the property in. vestment. They declare that much | good could be done if the railroads j couia obtain parts of the large sum ; which is owed them by the United States government. o GINNINGS FOR YEAR. Cotton Figures Given in January.. Washington, Jan. 24. Cotton ginned prior to January 16 amounted to 12,016,465 bales, exclusive of linters and including 204,624 round bales, 73,841 bales of American-Egyptian ! and 1,644 bales of sea island. . Ginnings prior to January 16 last year amounted to 10,307,120 bales, including 111,873 round bales, 34,023 bales of American-Egyptian and 6,712 bales of sea island. Ginnings by states this year: Alabama 646,697; Arizona 87,575; Arkansas, 1,016,352; California 55,023; Florida 18,546; Georgia 1,387, 559; Louisiana, 376,653; Mississippi 841,240; Missouri 61,233, North Carolina 801,746; Oklahoma 1,050,830; South Carolina, 1,506,752; Tennessee 277,792; Texas 3.862,254; V irginia 14,549; all other states, 11,675. o 1 pn?ui rri?.. v rti \i vi xiiniinn I wish to thank friends and relatives for the many lovely floral offerings an<l other expressions of love and sympathy sent into my home during the illness and since the death of my young wife, Rulah Owens Moody, on Jan. 14, 1921. Such tokens are a mark of the love and esteem in which she was held in life and with which her memory is hallowe'd. They prove that it is not always the longer but often the shorter life that is the more useful and noble, thereby helping to lessen the sting of death and causing a fuller realization of the fact, that "Life is (ever lord of death, and love can never lose its own." Van B. Moody, Fork. S. C. Sho s'gntd it and we three witnessed it, indorsing the margin of each page witL our initials. The will was then turned over to Smiley, who placed it in a red cardboard envelope, and putting it in his pocket, he and Mrs. Black withdrew and 1 have neither seen or heard from them since, and only of them through the reports that have come to me of the horrible tragedy. j "Phillip H. Arrowsmith." FINAL DISCHARGE NOTICE Notice is hereby given that S. D. Graham, Executor of the estate of Est ha Scott, deceased, has made application unto me for final discharge as Executor and that Thursday, January 27th, 10 a. m. in the forenoon has been appointed for the hearing of the said petition. All persons holding claims against the said estate ar? requested to file them with the Executor on or befor 10 a. m. in the forenoon on January 27th, or this notice will be plead in bar of their recovery. JOE CABELL. DAVIS.' Judge of Probate, 1 6 4t. Dillon County. * V I % [ mmmmm V *Sr< t-*!> 7A I. Wlim^T BftCMUKHCiQ, IAVVAK1 WANT COLUMN BANK STOCK?I have a call for a few ihiM of the First National Bank stock. If you hav? any to offer,. quota price In first latter. R. S. Rogers.?1 27 tt. SWEET POTATOES?I have Just received a fresh shipment of kiln dried Porto Rico yams. Call me at phon^ lt5. Better place your order now. E. O. Caldwell.?1 27 It. DOMESTIC COAL. ?Just received a solid car of genuine Harland Red Alh wkkhaH onal Ontu..... 11.? I ?.?,wv wm. uuyviiui 4UA111/. * Call us at 14 or 145. Order now < Insures delivery. W. E. Caldwell A Son.?1 27 It. WE SELL FERTILIZERS?W? advise home mixing. We specalise in selling cotton seed, acid phosphate, kainit and nitrat? of soda. We are prepared to guarantee our prices. Please see us before placing any contracts. Carolina Milling Co.?1 6 WANTED ?COUNTRY PEOPLE TO TRY OUR 75c. MEALS. PALMETTO CAFE, NEXT TO HERALD OFFICE tf. WANTED ? Men or -women to take orders among friends and neigh-, bors for the genuine guaranteed hosiery, full line for men, women! and children. Eliminates darning. We pay 75c an hour spare time, or $36.00 a week for full time. Experience unnecessary. Write International Stocking Mills, Norristown. Pa.?1 13 lOt. NOTICE?I AM AGENT FOR THE Florence Steam Laundry and will receive and deliver all laundries as promptly as possible. Palace Market. WANTED ? Substantial renter for four horse farm with two houses, I or two renters for two-horse farniR. I or two share croppers who have stock, feed and good backing-j Lands excellent, good average houses and barns?vacant by reason of croppers engaged to "show up" Jan. 1st. Address Prop. Red Bluff Farms, Box 109, Clio, S. C. I ?1 20 2t. ON JANUARY 1, 1021, I will make the Becond cut on fresh meats, steaks 30 cents per lb. roast 25c and 30c, stew 15c and 20c. Dillon ami Palace Maikets.?12 23 WANTED?Everybody to know that 1 now have a full line of machinery and that I am in a better position to give quick service than I have ever been. All work guaranteed. Electric Shoe Shop over Dillon Hotel, W. R. Summerall, Prop.? 1 20 tf. 6666 will break a Cold, Fever and i Grippe quicker than anything we!, know, preventing pneumonia 12 O 13t^ aaaaaaaaaaai IS) USJ ffl T 9 JLi BB T 1 Just a ffl. . BB | New Sty i T_n. m i;t ? Ul f < i? 1 Canton I? i| neu; J IS I? |eb I New Spr 51 ' ' 51 51 I and the a 1 a i % L2J a a D ? JL-* ? BETWEEN O. 1 77.eS GHISlFSltZlfSltZlfZllZIESllZlfS >istsisisraisisisisisizi ' ' f \ " ' r ?r, uu. = 1MXX F Can be found at P. % I next to Palmetto Hai T-1 A 1 1 tioDs taicen Dy Phone 77 TIPS. SCOTT, I INVESTMENT Si With Prices Our big sale has p factor to the many v depressed conditior light, but with our PRICES their requir to their delight anc week prices will eve will try to have suffii Ithe throng that will day. JONES DRY Gi Dilloi [ 'OK SAKE ? One 5 passenger Overland 90, one 5 passenger Dort, one Ford runabout, one two horse Nesson wagon, one one horse Hackney wagon, 500 bushels Cleveland big boll planting seed, a lot of Cole planters and distributors, Rex distributors, International steel beam Dixie plows, Dixie boy plows, Blizzard easy set cotton plows, one fresh cow, and one Jersey cow to come fresh in about thirty days. Would sell on one and two years time. Q. D. Barlow.?1 20 2tp. 660 will break a Cold, Fever and Grippe [pricker than anything we know, preventing pneumonia.?12 9 13t. a?????Haas? \ TMT7 Rece de Spring zta, More Crepes, Parisian E also . n i ing Keaay Hats prices art lower avid F 3 JACKSON and CHAP tore That Und< issfflfflfflEfflfflfflfflat J I ^ ^ OK HE ==lf^ & W. Repair Shop i W dware Co. liy; hour or trip. m r Dillon. S. C. I J ALE CONTINUES Even Lower >roven a gr^at benerho on account of the is find their purse EXTREMELY LOW ements are purchased i satisfaction. This n be lower, and we sent help to wait on surely be here SaturOODS COMPANY S. C. ' FOR SALE: HIGH GRADE AMMOXlated Fertilizers for cotton, corn, tobacco, etc. Also, Fish Scrap, Blood, Tankage, Foreign Kainit, EtC. Writo HQ fnr nrUoo ?? ?W .W> yiivsn HUI1DIU6 the tonnage you want. Dawhon Fertilizer Company, Box 608, Charleston, S. C.?1 20 6t. RUB - MY - TISM Is a powerful Antiseptic and Pain killer, cures infected cuts, old sores, tetter, etc. Believes Sprains, Neuralgia, Rheumatism.?IB 0 ISt. 666 is a prescription for Colds, Fever I and LaGrippe. It's the most speedy | remedy we knotv.?12 ISt. 1^11^1 1^1 1+1 ! ! S! I; 1 ' iv e ci ? ? , ? m * Dresses i < 08 4 >cco anI < ? 1 i all the I Effects | SI SI SI to Wear 1 * < 1 ... | . ? always | BB j ' s? = % a ISS i LLIE SALEEBY g ersells g B ? ? Ffc Gfi ? IB BH ? fiH F?) 1 q3 ffl 13e> < ! ?J CD ! ' l^l 1^1 3