The Camden chronicle. (Camden, S.C.) 1888-1981, November 07, 1924, Image 3
Baby Can't Grow if
Food Don't Digest
If the baby's stomach la out of
ordor he cannot assimilate his food
and stops growing. Teethina' cor
rected Mrs. Fleetwood's baby's stom
, acb trouble so he could digest and
assimilate his food, and that Is the
secret of her little one's quick recov
ery.
"I know that Teethina saved my
!>aby from a bad spell of sickness. H?
was fretful and giving me trouble
night and day. I didn't know what
to do for him till I began- giving him
Teethina and he soon showed signs
of Improvement. Ho Is now a Jolly
?littl* fellow and is fat and tin?." Mrs.
Italia Clyde Fleetwood, of Clayton, Fla.
Teethina is sold by all druggists, or
?end 80c to MofTott Laboratories;
Columbus, Ga.. for package and
FREE BOOKLET ABOUT BABIES
TEETHINA
Builds Better Babies
Condition Is Serious.
Spartanburg, S. C., Nov. 2.?With
a hullet wound in his spine, said to
have been ^inflicted by Rosalio Mose
ley, a negro woman, member of a
negro Halloween party, E. L. Scruggs
manager of tho Piedmont hotel on
Magnolia street, is in a serious condi
tion at the city hospital. The woman
was arrested. .
The Prince of Wales, after a visit
of several weeks to the United States
and Canada, sailed from New York
early Saturday morning for England.
Private School
Conducted by Mrs. Jones.
North Lyttleton Street
Only Grammar Grades
Admitted.
31-34-pd
COLUMBIA LUMBER &
MANUFACTURING CO.
MILL WORK
SASH, DOORS, BLINDS
AND LUMBER
t '/ ? * ' ? ? '
PLAIN & HUtsER STS. Ph?n? 71
COLUMBIA, S.C.
Dr. C. F. Sowell
DENTIST
(Office Over Brace's Store)"
CAMDEN, S. C.
DR. G. C. TRANTHAM
. DENTIST
First Floor, Crocker Building
PHONE 450
PIANO TUNING
Lewis L. Moore
242-W PHONE or 46
CAMDEN, 5- C.
T. B. BRUCE
Veterinarian
J^ay Pho*? 3#?Night Phone 114
CAMDEN, S. C
Hayes Bus Line
CAMDEN
TO
Columbia,
Bishopville, Hartsville,
Kershaw, Lancaster,
Charlotte.
For information
Phone 181, Camden Hotel
A. R. COLLINS
* r
Undertaker end Embalsner
AMBULANCE SERVICE
Camden, S. C.
17 41; Nfrht ISO 1
THE BIGHAM MYSTERY
Head of House Lived in Deadly Fear
of the Courts. !
Solicitor Lonnie M. Casque in his
address to the jury began by unfold
ing, as he expressed, "The Bighan)
Mystery." This suggested the writ-j
ing of a brief skotch of this 'grim,
tragedy, labeling the theme, "The
Last of the Bighams."
The Bigham family lived in the
Crum or I'amplico 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 robust
sons.
The elder Bigham was a hard, stern
man, lived in deadly fear of the
courts. He would gather his children j
about him and in the long winter eve- j
nings hold mock trials, drilling them
in thwart of defense testimony.
Ho predicted for them all their day
in court. He little reckoned that he!
would bo the first of the Bighams to
fall.
He died. mysteriously while appar
ently in perfect health, poisoned?it
has been whispered by his very own.
One of his sons, Kdmund Bigham,
who fills a major part in this narra
tive, came into his sharo of the Big
ham estate shortly after the sudden
death of his father, married and
moved into Georgia.
One of the girls, Leather, married
and moved to Florence. She was the
wife of the Florence county jailor and
was stricken by the dreaded influenza
while living at the jail. Thus passed
the second of the family.
The other daughter, Marjorie, has
taught school in Greenville, where
she met and married R. A. Black.
They became estranged and ' she
moved back on the old Bigham place
to live with her brother, Smiley, and
her mother, Mrs. M, M. Bigham.'
It was about this time- that she
adopted two small children, John and
Leo McCracken, These five appar
ently lived at peace?but not for long.
Smiley Bigham was the first to get
into court. He was charged with the
murder o? a negro boy whose only
crime had been hitting a mule of Smi
ley's in the head with a lump of dirt.
Dr. Cleveland Bigham, now men
tioned for the first time, had left the
Bigham place and married a fine lady
from Chester.
He had taken up the practice of
medicine at Murrels Inlet in George
town county. He and his wife had
lived in perfect accord, but it seemed
that his wife knew too much about
Smiley's connection with the murder
of the negro boy, having been on a
visit to the old Bigham home the
night of the murder.
The doctor remonstrated with her
not to testify against his brother. The
good woman replied that the state
had subpoenaed her and that* she
would have to tell the trut,h. A few
nights after the doctor and his wife
hat! so quarreled, she was mistaken
for a ghost on the sands of Murrels
Inlet and shot to death.
Smiley Higham was cleared of the!
charge of murder and all appeared I
bright on the Bigham plantation?
when like a thunderbolt from a clear
sky came the news that Dr. Cleveland I
Bigham was under arrest, charged
with the slaying of his own wife.
A long legal battle ensued.- The
saving rays of the Bigham fortune j
were turned to light up the dark way.
df this son and brother,* the doctor
was found guilty of manslaughter,
an appeal was made, bond was grant- j
ed, Smiley and his mother signing the
bond.
Just before the day set for the sec
ond trial of Cleveland, he disappeared
and became a fugitive from justice,
little knowing that in a few years he
would fee termed "The last of the
Bighams."
After Dr, Cleveland Bigham failed
to show up for his trial after the
murder of his wife and the full reali
zation began to dawn upon Mrs. Big
ham and Smiley Bigham that as his
bondsmen they would have to sacri
i flee their vaat estates and pay up,
there was a wild scrambling of deeds
! in the Bigham family.
The court, knowing the x financial
soundness of the Bighams, did not
immediately press the bond for collec
tion and Cleveland kept getting far
ther and farther away.
Smiley Bigham lost no time in
hatching up a diabolical scheme to de
feat the collection of the bond.
His first step was to tear the rec
ords of his ownership and that of his
mother in the estate from the county
clerk's office. : They then deeded the
property to the two girls, Mrs. Leath
er Cain and. Mrs. Marjoria Black.
They deeded 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 executor, in
sole possession of almost all the Big
ham property, but no for long. After
many visits to certain law offices in
Florence, a new plaft of evading the
law was mapped out.
The property was deeded to Mrs.
Marjorie Black, but the old Bigham
distrust of one another still manifest
ed itself. Mrs. Black was made to
sign three blank deeds so that in the
event of Cleveland giving himself u&
or in t)fe event of her death the right
ful owners could regain possession of
the largo property interests.
It was in the fall of 11)20 that Kd
muiul moved his wife and two daugh
ters, Louise and Evelyn, back from
South lieorgia, and took up abode at
the old Bigham place.
) It waa soon apparent that * there
I were too many Bigham* in one house.
It grew from bad to worse until on
Saturday morning, January 8,
Edmund was seen to strike his sister
with a piece of scantling and with the
threat of death ringing in her ears his
sister rushed to Florence to make out,
and sign the now famous Bltj^ck will.
Marjorie Black (led from the Big
ham home, still stinging from the
blows administered by her brother
Edmund. With the threat, "I am
going to kill the last one of you,"
ringing in her ears, she half walked
and half ran the entire distance of a
mile to the Kirton home, a kindly
neighbor that knew of the unpleas
antness at the Bigham home and felt
a dtfep sympathy for Marjorie and her
mother.
Mrs. kirton listened to the story of
the beating and the threats and ad
vised Mrs. Black to get in touch with
her brother Smiley, at once, offering
to lend her the Kirton automobile to
make the trip to Pamplico.
? Marjorie Black reached Smiley
about noon that day and returned
with him to the Kirton home, whero
they found their old mother awaiting,
then;. They held a hurried cohsulta
tion and decided that as the property
was in Mrs. Black's namo and Ed
mund would kill her first, that Mm ju-~
rle should make a last will and testa
ment leaving all of the property to
Smiley. . They borrowed the Kirton
car to go to Florence, where they
sought out the family attorney; Philip
H. Arrowsmith.
- It was late when they arrived, the
stenographer had gone home. Mr.
Arrowsmith wrote out the will in long
hand as Mrs. Black dictated the terms
of it to hihi And he called in G. T.
Bryce and Marshall Bridges of Flor
ence to witness it.
They heard Mrs. Bigham 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
she told the attorney goodbye, she
foreboded that probably it would be
for all time. She seemed to feel the
menace of the approaching tragedy.
Mrs. Black and Smiley returned to
the Kirton home about 11:30 that
night. Smiley left "his sister there
and went on to the Bigham home
alone. On the following-Tuesday he
stopped at Mrs. Kirton's and asked
her for % little satchel that his sister,
Marjorie, had left there .Saturday
night. The satchel contained the
Black will.
More Mystery. What did Smiley
want with tho will? Was the fact
that M^s. Black's death would restore
all tho property to him affecting his
niiiul f
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.
Marjoric Black that we came upon
tho next episode in the High am mys
tery.
Walter Bur,eh, one of tho tenants of
the Bigham plantation, was in the
yard near tho old home cutting wood
when his attention was attracted by
loud talking in the kitchen mar by.
He could hear the voice of Kdmund
Higham in loud threats against some
one inside. Soon after, Mrs. M. M.
Higham and Marjoric, her daughter,
came out of the kitchen and beckoned
Walter to come near the steps. They
spoke to the negro about Edmund
threatening their Mives and begged
him to go to PampMco at once for
Officer Rose.
Kdmund, who had been standing be
hind the screen door in the kitchen,
listening, walked quickly out on the
porch and addressed the negro in this
wise: "Nigger, you*l'e living now,
aren't you?"
Burch replied, "Yes."
"Then if you want to keep on liv
ing, you better mind your own busi
ness."
The negro thought so too, for he
forgot all about the engagement with
the woodpile and jumping on his
mule's back rode, straight back home.
Kdmund then left the porch and
wont upstairs to his room where ho
and his wife and 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.
Kdmund was demanding another
share of the property. Smiley wiis
plainly worried about something.
The dread fear of death hung like a
pall over Mrs. Black. f
The fateful Saturday broke?cold
and gray, ideal hog killing weather.
Edmund, the crack shot of the family,
the owner of four long barreled pis
tols, always did the killing. That
was his fir^t job in the early morning.
He knew just, where to shoot the ani
mal, just behind the left ear.
After killing the hog Edmund left
the woods to measure the wood cut
that week on the Bigham place, Smi
ley "following later with Andrew Sin
gletary tagging along behind him,
sent by Mrs. Bigham to watch o^er
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
* Was $1500
$
1395
ESSEX COACH
' i
Was $1000
Now *945
Freight and Tax Extra
?
The World's Greatest Automobile Values
are now Priced Below All Comparison
They are the finest Hudson and Essex cars ever built.
Such price reductions a,re possible because they are
the largest selling 6-cylinder closed cars in the world.
? ? *_'*>? * *
LITTLE MOTOR COMPANY
T. LEE LITTLE, Manager
after .every meal
Cleanses month and
teeth and alda digestion.
Relieves that over
eaten feeling and aeld
mouth. ^
Its l-a?s-f?l-u-g flavor
satisfies the craving for
sweets.
Wrlgley's Is double
value In the benefit and
pleasure It provides.
S*almJ fa it? Purity t
rat magi.
J he jlavor lastsl
much for. So Andrew followed him
into tho woods til a respectful dis
tance, They soon came upon tho lit
tle group of woodsmen sitting around
the camp lire. Edmund appeared in
a jolly mood and was loath to leave,
the woods. Once when Smiley started
to leave and return to the Bigham
home he told him, "wait a minute,
Smiley, let the others go on, walk
with me by just one more pile and 1
will then go on- to the house with
you." Smiley was never seen alive
again.
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 8 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.
;The following version of the affair
was presented to the Horry county
jury by Philip Arrowsmith, attorney
in the prosecution of Edmund Big
ham for the wholesale murder, some
what in this wise:
"After killing his brother Smiley in
the woodB 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 older Mc
Cracken child on the back porch. He
shot him in the same vital spot, in
the head, thfc little fellow rolling un
der the long bench dying instantly.
VThe 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
hitched the mule to a post near tho
lot."
Edmund is charged with having
fired at his mother while yet on tho
porch, the bullet taking effect in the
neck.
The three-year-old McCracken boy
had been to mill with his "Granny,"
and evidently seeing her shot down
had started to run. Edmund followed,
watching for a chance to shoot to a
vital spot.
The little fellow tripped and fell
over an $d. potato bank. With the
murderer right over him he raises
his hand to ward off the crashing
bullet. The crack of "the 38 pistol
brushing the flesh from the tiny
hand, entering the forepart of the
brain.
Edmund is then supposed to have
jumped in his Buick six and with all
[\possible haste gone toward the negro
[ Foxworth, to establish Alibi No. 1.
After shouting some directions about
hauling wood he rushed back by the
Bigham place to Pamplico to estab
lish Alibi No. 2.
Here is where the plans began to
muddle. The mother was only wound
ed, not dead, she came staggering to
ward the road as the car approached.
Edmund saw her, not waiting to stop,
he jumped from the running machine,
leaving his wife and two daughters in
the car, his wife stopping the car far
ther down the road. ^
. He was charged with dragging hi.*
old mother behind a well in tho yard
and firing a bullet in the brain just
behind the left ear. He knew this
would finish the fiendish day's work.
Then followed the ? burial of five
members of the Bigham household,
leaving Edmund and his family the
sole occupants of the old home.
Suspicion and arrest! Attempt of
wife to smuggle chloroform in to
him! Attempt to record the deed
taken from Smiley! The triai! The
conviction! Sentence of death! Five
appeals to supreme court. New trial.
Another conviction and a sentence to
die on October 31.
Pine Grove School Honor Boll.
First Grade?Yates Jackson, Leslie
Jackson, Cloyd Barfield, Ruth Rabon.
Second Grade?Jack Rabon, George
Henry Rabon.
Third Grade?Etta Dowery.
Fourth Grade?Milton Dowery,
Lillie Mae Branham.
Fifth Grade?Lula Mae Jackson.
Sixth Grade?Willine Ford.
Eighth Grade?Mattie Kelly.
Ninth Grade?Etta Rabon.
Tenth Grade?Eula Branham.
Peter Smith and Amelius Jarris,
Sr., have been sentenced to serro
three and a half years each in prison
by a Toronto court and pay a collec
tive fine of $600,000, for conspiracy
to defraud the province of ..-Ontario
out of a large sum of money in a 35
bond transaction.
A Philadelphia police court judge
last Thursday sentenced a 7-year-oM
boy to "|2.00 worth of lickings,"
rather than fine him $1.00 cash for
jumping on and off IroDey car*.