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*. #> •v j / PAGE TWO THE CLINTON CHRONICLE, CLINTON, 8. C. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1924 v THE LAST OF THE BIGHAMS (From The Florence New*-Review) Solicitor Lomie M. Casque in his address to the jury began by unfold ing, as he eiqnesscd it, “The Bigham Mystfery.” This suggested the writ ing of a brief sketch of ths grim tragedy, labeling the theme, “The Last of the Bighams.” The Bigham family Ived in the Crum, or Paniplico section of Florence county, on the old Florence-George- town road. There was State Senator M. M. Bigham, lord of a thousand goodly acres, his wife of just propor tions, two daughters and three ro bust boys. The elder Bigham, a hard, stern man, lived n deadly fear of the courts. He would gather his children about him and in the long winter evenings hold mock trials, drilling them in the art of defense testimony. He predicted for them all their days in court. He little reckoned that he would be the first of the Bighams to fall. sign three blank deeds so that in the event of Cleveland giving himself up or in ‘the event of her death the right ful owners could regain possession of the large property interests It was in the fall of 1920 that Ed mund moved his wife and two daugh ters, Louise and Evelyn, back from South Georgia, and took up their, abode at the lod Bigham place. It was soon apparent that there was too many Bighams in one house; it grew fram bad to worse until one Saturday morning, January 8, 1921, Edmund was seen to strike his sister with a piece of scantling and with the threat of death ringing in her efirs, his sister rushed to Florence to make out and sign the now famous Black will. Marjorie Black fled from the Big- ham home, still stinging from the blows administered by her brother, Edmund.* With the threat, “I am go ing to kill the last-one of you,” ring He died mysteriously while appar- j ing in her ears, she half walked and ip• get.feet heiiith, poisoned—it hal fran the entire distance of a mile has bee nwhisperedoy nis ’veryoWTf!*?™" t™*- KrtOaJWmOjjJfc tafflHyJTeTgnbor - Onue of tho sons, Edmund Bigham. that knew of all the unpleasantness who fills a mapor part of this narra-1 nt the Bigham home and felt a-deep live, came into his share of the Big-! s y m P a thy for Marjorie, and her moth- ham estate shortly af^er the sudden death of his father, married and mov- e( j j nt0 Georgia. i the beating, the threats, and advised One of the girls, Leathen, married Black to get in touch with her and moved to Florence. She was the! brother, Smiley, at once, offering to wife of the Florence county jailor and ■ t cn( ^ her the Kirton automobile to was stricken by the dreaded influenza make the trip to Pamplico. while living at the jail. Thus passed! Marjore Black reached Smiley the second of this family. t about noon that day and returned with The other daughter, Marjorie, has 1 him to the Kirton home, where they taught School in Greenville where she f°und their old mother awaiting them, met and married R. A. Black. They: The/ held a hurried consultation and became estranged and she moved back decided that as the property was in on the old Bigham place to live with her brother, Smiley, and her mother, Mrs. M. M. Bigham. It was about this time that thebme It was about this time that she adopted two small children, John and Leo McCracken. These five lived ap parently at peace—but not for long. Smiley Bigham was the first of the Mrs. Black’s name and Edmund would kill her first, that Marjorie should make a last will and testament leav ing all of the property to Smiley. They borrowed the Kirton car to go to Florence, where they sought out th6 family attorney, Phillip H. Arrow- smith. It was late when they arrived, the Bighams to get in court. He was stenographer had gone home. Mr. Arrowsmith wrote out the will in long hand as Mrs. Black dictated the terms of it to him and he called in G. T. Bryce and Marshall Bridges of Flor ence, to witness it. They heard Mrs. Black tell of the trouble at the Bigham home earlier, that Saturday, January 8. Mrs. Black was visibly excited and suffering from‘the trying ordeal. As charged with the murder of a negro boy whose only crime had been hit ting a mule of Smiley’s in the head with a lump of dirt. Dr. Cleveland Bigham, now men tioned for the first time, had left the Gigham place and married a fine lit tle lady from Laurens county. He had taken up the pi'a-tice of medicine at Murrel”s Inlet in George town county. He and his wife had' s b e tpid the attorney good-bye, she lived in perfect accord but it seemed that his wife knew too much about Smiley’s connection with the murder oif the negro boy, having been on a visit to the old Bigham home the night of the murder. Ths doctor- remonstrated with her forboded that probably it would be for all time. She seemed to feel the menace of the approaching tragedy. Mrs. Black and $imley returned to the Kirton home about 11:30 that night. Smiely left his sister there and went up to the Bigham home not to testify against his brother. 1 alone. On the following Tuesday he The good woman replisd that the s^te ( stopped at Mrs. Kirton’s and asked subpoeaned her had subpoeaned her and that she would have to tell the truth. A few nights after the doctor and his wife had so quarreled, she • was mistaken for a ghost on the sands of Murrell’s Inlet ar.d shot to death. Smiley Bigham was clear of the charge of murder and all appeared bright on the Bigham plantation— when like a thunderbolt from a clear sky came the news that Dr. Cleveland Bigham was under arrest charged with the slaying of his own wife. A long legal battle then ensued. The saving rays of the Bigham for tune were turned to Ight up the dark way of this son and brother, the doc tor, and appeal was made, bond was granted, Smiley and his mother sign ing the bond. Just before the day set for the sec ond trial of Cleveland, he disappeared and became a fugitive from justice lit tle knowing that n a few years he would be termed “The Last of the Bighams.” Juggled Deeds to Property After Dr. Cleveland Bigham failed her for a little satchel that his sister, Marjorie, had left there Saturday n ; ght. This satchel contained the Black will. More mystery! What did Smiley want with the will? Was th# ,fact that Mrs. Black’s death would restore all the property to him effecting his mind t ' - Edmund Makes Threat It was on Tuesday, afternoon of the same day that Smiley had searched the handbag at the Kirton home and gotten possession of the will of Mrs. Marjorie Black that we come to the next episode in the Bigham mystery. Walter Burch, one of the tenants on the Bigham plantation, was in the yard near the old home cutting wood when his attention was attracted by loud talking in the kitchen neraby. He could hear the voice of Edmund Bigham in loud threats against some one inside. Soon after, Mrs. M. M. Bigham, and Marjorie, her daughter, came oue of the kitchen and beckoned Walter to come near the steps. They sent by Mrs. Bigham to watch over Smiley, fearing in her mother’s heart for his life. The mother* knew that Smiley had money on his person and valuable papers that Edmund would give much for. So Andrew followed him into the woods at a respectful distance. They came upon the group of woods men sitting around a camp fire. Ed mund appeared in a polly mood and was loathe to leave the woods. Oiipe when Smiley started to leave and re turn to the Bigham home he told him, “Wait a minute, Smileyfi let the others go oif, walk with me by just one more pile and I will then go on to the house with you.” Smiley wsa never Seen alive again. The Final Tragedy In our fourth episode we left Ed mund and Smiley Bigham in the woods together preparing to check up one more stack of wood before re turning to the Bigham home for din ner. The Bigham mystery concerns all that happened in the next hour and a half. They were left alone in the woods from 1:30 to 3:00 p. m. The old mail carrier had arrived on his daily visit to the Bigham estate and Edmund was explaining to him how it all occurred. A Christmas Your Children Will #• * * * • ^ v* Always RememberZ-;-.- o The following version of was- presented tCLJh& Horry founty jury by Phillip H. ‘.Arrowsmith, at torney in the prosecution of Edmund Mrs. Kirton listened to the story o^Bigham for the wholesale murder, somewhat in this wise: “After killing the brother, Smiley, in the woods about a half mile from home, Edmund rushed back to the Bigham home. He sneaked upstairs surprising his sister, Marjorie, half clothed in the act of manicuring her nails. _ “Shooting her in the temple he fled downstairs running into the plder Mc Cracken child on the back porch. He He shot him in the same vital spot in the head, the little boy rolling under a long bench and dying instantly. “The old mother, attracted by the sounds of the shots came toward the house. She had been to the mill to have some meal ground and had hitch ed the mule to a post near the lot.” Edmund .is charged with having fired at his mother while yet on the porch; the bullet taking effect in the neck. The three year old McCracken boy had been to the mill with his “Gran ny” and evidently seeing her shot doVrn had started to run. Edmund fol lowed, watching for a chance to shoot to a vital spot. „ / The little fellow tripped and fell over an old potato bank. With the murderer right over him he raised his arm to ward off the crashing bul let. The crack of the 38 pistol, bruis- (Continued on Page Three) T IS the Christmas Day on which you give them a^ Bank Book as a gift, with a *. Savings Account started in it for them. We offer you every facility of this Bank in get ting thte most desirable of gifts ready. Modem Banking Service First National Bank “CLINTON’S STRONGEST BANK” •*7M COME TO KellersJ'or Xmas HERE YOU WILL FIND A LARGE COLLECTION OF USEFUL, PRACTICAL GIFTS FOR EVERY FRIEND—GIFTS THAT CAN BE USED DAILY THROUGH OUT C THE YEAR. WE OFFER THE FOLLOWING SUGGESTIONS ^ to show up for his trial after the mur-1 "P oke . l ° thl! ( . ne « T ?. “ bout J E f lmu ^ der of his wife and the full realiaa- tkr ' a ‘ emng "T“ a " d tion began to dawn upon Mra. Big- ,0 t0 Pam < )1 ' co at 0, ' ca ,0 f ham and Smiley Bigham that as his bondsmen they would have to sacrifice their vast estates and pay up, there was a wild scrambling of deeds in the Bigham family. The^court, knowing the financial soundness of the Bighams, did not im mediately press the bond for collect ion and Cleveland kept getting far ther away. Smiley lost no time in hatching up a diabolical scheme to defeat the col lection of the bond. His first step was to tear the re cords of his ownership and that of his mother’s in the estate from the county clerk’s office. They then deem ed the property to the two girla, Mrs. Leather Cain and Mrs. Marjorie Black. They deemed five-sixths to Mrs. Cain and one-sixth to Mrs. Black. - » Then came the next tragedy in the Bigham family. Mrs. Leather Cain fell a victim to the dread influenza that swept the world in 1920. She died in the Florence county jail, her husband, Bogan Cain, being the jailor then. Smiley and his mother were then thrown in a quandary again. This left Bogan Cain, as his wife’s execu tor, in sole possession of almost all the Bigham property; but not for Edmund, who had been standing be hind the screen door in the kitchen lis tening, walked quietly out on the porch and addressed the negro in this wise: “Nigger, you’re * living now, aren’t you?” “Then if you want to keep on living you better mind your own business.” The negro thought so, too, for he forgot all about his engagement with the wood pile and jumping, on his mule’s back rode straight home. Edmund then left the porch and went upstairs to his room where he and his wife ar.d two/daughters were living as best they might, cooking, eating and sleeping all in one room. This condition was brought about by the continual discontent and bicker ings among the many Bighams. The situation in the Bigham home was now reaching the breaking point. Edmund was demaning another share in the property. Smiley was planly worried about something. The dread fear of death hung like a pall over Mrs. Black. Thq fateful Saturday broke cold and gray, ideal hog-killing weather. Ed mund, the crack shot of the family, the owner of four long barreled pis tols, always did the killing. That was his first job in the early morning. He long. After many visits to certain 1 knew just where to shoot the animal. law offices in Florence, a new plan of evading the law waa mapped out. The property was deeded to Mrs. Marjorie Black, but the old Bigham district of'One another still manfest- ed itself. Mrs. Black waa made to just behind the left ear. After killing the hqg, Edmund left for the woods to measure wood cut that week on the Bigham place, ffimL ley following after, with. Andrew Sm- gietary tagging along behind him, m (Timtkrtkk RICHARD HUDNUT THREE FLOWERS TWIN C0MWCT (Sold JinUkcd) duAtcst Creation of I ftichanllHudnut POWDER IN FIVE TIMES QUANTITY OF ROUGE ^pfOTumg UTtumcni 10 tSt OiMtag Gable. 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