Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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t . V. VOLUME XXXVII BIGHAM GUILT BEING DOUBTED Owing to Letters Coming to Light From Smiley Bigham APPEALS TO U. S. COURT Attorney Will Apply For New Trial Based on Letters Afterwards Discovered "I'm tired of the unpleasantness here and intend to end it all?you'll never see me alive again," or words to that effect, L. Smiley Bigham is alleged to have written from Pamplico to his brother, Edmund D. Bigham, who was then still in Georgia and is now held in the death cell of the South Carolina penitentiary in Columbia under sentence to be electrocuted for having killed Smiley. This, with much other information bearing directly on this famous case, is contained in letters which have come to light, are now in the hands of Edmund's attorney, A. L. King, and probably will be made the basis of a motion in the coming term of criminal court for a new trial for him on the ground of after-discovered evidence. The leetters are understood to be typewritten and signed by Smiley with either pen or pencil. The signature on the letters, compared with I checks of Smiley that were paid I , 4i i- n I mrougn me rirsi jNAtionai Dunit 01 Florence, has l)een pronounced genuine by local authorities, who qualify as experts in handwriting. Of the signature on the checks there can be no doubt, of course, so long as the bank accepted and paid them. King declined to discuss in detail the letters, but did admit having them. He did not state either what use he intends to make of them, but the logical procedure is said to be to i seek a new trial, on the ground of * after-discovered evidence. As nearly as could be learned, these letters were written during the early fall months, chiefly August, in 1920, immediately before Edmund returned to Pamplico from Georgia in September or October. Tho letters were addressed to him in Georgia. The killing of Smiley, his mother, his sister, Mrs. H. A. Black, and her two adopted children, came in January, 1921, following. In one letter, which is believed to f clear somewhat the record in fhc case, it stated that the family owed Edmund so much money, around $2^,000 in all, that Smiley had no hope of their ever being able to nay ii. He said they could not even pay the interest on the debt. It stated also that the family had had a deed for the property made in Charleston in August, and it was ready for execution ni>nn Krlmund coming1 back to -I Pamplico. These statements, if confirmed, would tend to clear up the allowed mutilation of the deed which came to light about the time of the trial. P ersons who followed the details of (he case remember that the deed, which was alleged to have been mutilated, was made in Charleston and the original date was in August. One letter also stated that the family had practically concluded arrangements to pay the bond of Dr. devoid land Bigham, who skipped his bond of >10,000 while at liberty under the charge of having killed his wife. Probably the principal letter of the hatch is one relating to the unhappiness of the family. In this, over the signature which is said to be Smiley's, Smiley wrote that conditions at the Pamplico home were very unpleasant. He averred he had to board out all the time to have any peace at all. In consummate unhappiness he wrote to the effect that he intended to "end it all?you'll never see me alive again." E. M. Singletary, clerk of the court, has passed his opinion on the signature in the letters. When asked this morning relative to the matter, he was surprised the information has become public. He declined to divulge the contents of the letters, as a confidential matter. But he did state that he had passed his opinion on the signature, in comparison with Smiley's proven signature on the paid checks. He said he believes the signature is genuine and stated further that the letters have created considerable doubt (Continued on Page Eight) TWO OLD CASES SETTLED OUT Two old bankruptcy cases that have been pending in the district court for 'V tho past year or longer were wound up last week, following the trip of It. J. Kirk here from Florence. One of the cases is that of the Aynor Pharmacy and the other is that | of !i. C. Anderson. Both concerns failed last year when the inflation period decided to deflate. Both went under and filed petitions in the court of bankruptcy. Various questions arose in the course of the administration of their estate and hence the delay. Small dividends were paid to creditors. Bid L. Smith was the trustee in the Anderson case and James A. f Lewis in the Aynor Pharmacy case. ~ 4) (Thf W. M. SKIPPER NOT TO RETURN Sent to Richmond for Diagnosis and Perhaps Treatment SEPARATERD FROM FAMILY Authorities Claim he Cannot be Sent Back Home Under Laws Relating to This Sympathy is felt for W. M. Skipper, the former Horryite who was taken with the disease of leprosy; sent on to Richmond, from Marion, S. C., for diagnosis of his case some time ago. While the relatives of Skipper, including his wife and child, are now living in Marion, it appears that he was born in this county near Port Harrelson and went to Marion to live wfth his father and mother when quite a boy. He is a nephew of Jim Skipper who was once a resident of Conway for a number of years. According to a Richmond newspaper, while Skipper was sent to that city for the purposes of diagnosis and possible treatment r'or his disease, it is against the law for him to be sent back to Marion; and at last accounts the hospital and health authorities there were uncertain as to what should be done with the unfortunate man. The article from the Richmond paper follows: (Richmond News-Leader) T^nom'l n f lio t fUuf lio 10 n Ofl with one of the most malignant maladies known, William M. Skipper of Marion county, South Carolina, whom the city bureau of health has declared infected with leprosy, takes his fate philosophically and was found in good spirits when visited by Director of Public Welfare Levy recently. The bureau of health has begun the administration of doses of an esther of the active principle of chaulmugra oil, which is regarded as the most effective method of treating the disease, and Skipper declared himself greatly pleased with this. He has been given several doses of the medicine already. It is the same treatment that is given to patients in the national lepe! hospital in Louisiana by the Government, with highly beneficial results and in several instances permanent cures. Skipper expressed a wish to be with his wife and child in Marion county, South Carolina, but since this cannot be arranged he appears to bow uncomplainingly to the inexorable. In the meantime the Government has begun an extensive investigation into his case and is making its own diagnosis of the malady before admitting him to the leper hospital in Louisiana. Authorities here are anxious that the patient be transferred at an early date to another state as he is not properly a charge on the community. He was brought here for diagnosis of his disease and not as a patient, suffering from a malady that was unknown to the South Carolina authorities. It was not until he was brought here that it was ascertained definitely what was the cause of his ailment. The case, however, furnishes a knotty problem for the local authorities and one which they would much rather they did not have to solve. It is not thought that he can rightfully be shipped back to South Carolina and some time must elapse before he can be turned over to the national Government. offFcerkIng is commended Editor of The Herald: Please allow me space iji your paper to express my appreciation for the valuable work being done by our rural policeman, Mr. J. K. King, who just recently rounded up and destroyed three or four moonshine whiskey distilling outfits in and around what is known as Privett's Siding. It has been rumored for quite a while that this was a stronghold for the moonshiner and I am glad that steps have been taken to destroy his playhouse. I feel sure that the best citizens of this community at all times will join in helping put these lawless people who are ruining the young men of this land, out of business. The very fact that an officer is often running a very narrow risk of his life in destroying such business is all the more reason why too much cuiiimh ije ssuiu ill |)i aiMiin uitj uaiinjv acts of such raiding officers. My house (and I fool sure I am speaking for all law-abiding citizens of the community) is open at all times for officers or anybody who is fighting the moonshine business. Mr. King, you have made a record among the best people of this section to bo envied by the other officers of the law, so come again and keep close watch over us. W. M. BOOTH n VISIT COLUMBIA Miss Edna Dawsey and Fred M. Bryant and Miss Evelyn (Snider and Collins Spivey represented the Burroughs school in the statewide debating contest held at the University of South Carolina on Wednesday of last week. The debaters were accompanied to Columbia by S. H. Huntley and Miss Lucy Spivey. Wimx CONWAY, S P., THURSDAY, *************************** | HORRY COUNTY | CANDIDATE * * $ (Florenc He J Will Horry county have a < ^ in the sixth district? According 1 * there is a strong probability that j|? senator and prominent business $ that county. Prospects of his cam * ;ame known that influential men i * sixth district have received lette * Holliday is seriously considering m sk for The Times to i?ot in tourh vvit.li * * Mr. Holliday's entrance into * claimed, would muddy the waters * dates are concerned. With its tre ?L ^ already announced have been loo * With an Horry candidate in the : * town counties would be the only c * * As the lineup is at present * ence, J. F. Pate of Darlington, E. '1 * man Stoll of Williamsburg. A. * * definite conclusion as far as the ] ^ possibility that Florence may hav * Interest in the Congression % counties having representatives i ^ where the candidates have been a *******-******************** MISHOE'S CASE GOES TO COURT Will be Heard on Appeal in Supreme Court on May 18th FACTS OF CASE STATED Plaintiff Was a Member of State Legislature at The Time of Occurence Lawyers are setting1 ready for the argument in the supreme court on the case of W. L. Mishoe against the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. It will come up for argument on May IS, when the 12th circuit is called in that court in Columbia. The plaintitf brought the action to recover damages for injuries received when he was told by a conductor of the road that the train would not make connection at Chadbourn, and that the train for Conway had already left that point, whereas it turned out later that this information was false, and while Mr. Mishoe got off the train at Marion and tried to get home to his sick folks by automobile, the train actually waited at Chadbourn and brought other passengers in before Mr. Mishoe got bore. The complaint alleged that it was a very cold day in February; that the plaintiff suffered from iho cold and was so sick following the experience that I))'. Stalvey had to be called to attend him. The physician testified at the trial in the circuit court here last year and showed that the plaintiff had been perhaps permanently injured by disease he contracted while on that trip. The plaintiff was at that time a member of the Legislature and had received a telegram in Columbia that his daughter was very ill at the home here. The railroad company contested the case, but their witnesses made a rather lame showing for the company when the case was tried on circuit, as they could not successfully get round the evident carelessness that was apparent in the giving of the information about the running of their trains that day. The jury found a verdict for Mishoe in the sum of $500 and the company appealed as usual. The plaintiff is represented by H. H. Woodward and the defendant by F. L. Wilcox and Col. C. P. Quattlebaum. o HARD TIMES TAKE WINGS Hard times, about which we have heard so much in the past, are taking wings and flying away, we hope and trust, never to migrate back to our shores. They have existed only in the minds of those who felt that way and wanted to talk that way. They did not exist in fact. The effect of feeling and talking that way, however, had the same olloct on the minds of the people as if the situation had actually existed. But the impression is now fast getting hold of the people that times are good and getting better. They feel, more and more, the vim and push of other times. o Even the movie stars know how it feels, the American Legion of Minneapolis, Minn., reports. J. Warren Kerrigan of Hollywood has written the state bonus board of Minnesota, asking that his $285 war compensation he "hurried up and paid." Kerrigan enlisted as a buck private and was discharged a second lieutenant. * 1* , MAY 4, 1922 MAY HAVE 1 ! FOR CONGRESS ! * * * e Times) * candidate in the race for Congress * * to reports at the countv convention * sk George J. Holliday, a former state man, will enter the contest from ^ didacy are freely discussed. It he- * a several of the counties of the * rs whirl"! wr?nl#l ' ' 1 *' . ? .. v.. " wuvi 11iuiviiit* niiii ivi r. ^ taking the race. It was impossible % [ him in time to confirm tlie report. ^ the race from Horry county, it is ^ as far as some of the other c.andi- ^ meridous vote candidates who have * He king to Horry as a battleground. * field Marlboro, Dillon and George- * ;oun.ties without candidates. ^ w theve is W. R. Barringer of Flor- * [\ Hughes of Marion, and Congress- ? H. Casque not having reached a ^ public is concerned, there is still a * e two candidates. s|c * al race is great, not only in those * n the contests, but in the others * jj( ctive. * SARVIS ARREST FOR SEDUCTION Taken Under Requisition PanPPQ Fmm nm/arnnn D A i vi vi I VIII V* V VV/I I I \J I I I M Cooper IS TAKEN T0~ WHITEVILLE Defendant is Unmarried and Falmily is Prominent in LorisTabor Section of County William Sarvis was arrested in this county on April 2f?, 1922, under a requisition warrant signed by Governor U. A. Cooper. The defendant was detained here in the county jail until the following day, when Sheriff J. O. Amnions arrived here from Whiteville andjthe latter returned to Whiteville with the prisoner on the afternoon train. According to the requisition papers Sarvis is charged with the crime of seduction under the North Carolina statute. The court convened at Whiteville on last Monday morning. It is said that Sarvis will likely he tried at the present term of the court for (he crime with which he is charged. Sarvis was arrested by 11. N. Sessions, the deputy sheriff of this county. This man is a son of Sam Sarvis >f the Loris-Tabor section of this county, and the family is a prominent one in that community. lie is about twenty-two years of age. It appears that Sarvis has never lived in Columbus county, where it is charged that he committed this offense against the North Carolina laws, but lie visited over there at the home of (he girl who has become (lie prosecutrix in the case against him. The warrant for his arrest has Dccn out tor a long* time. Efforts to socuro tho arrest of Sarvis without applying* for a requisition were long ago exhausted. The application for the warrant from the Governor's office was finally granted some days ago and the arrest of Sarvis at once followed. Nothing is known here of the reputation or social standing of tho family of which the prosecuting witness is a member. Sarvis has many friends both here and in Columbus county, North Carolina, and they will all combine, it is said, to do all they can in his behalf during this trouble. It is understood that the family of Sarvis is sticking by the defendant in the trouble. He is unmarried. STOLL IS OUT" FOR RE-ELECTION Philip H. Setoll is out in this issue announcing his candidacy for re-election to Congress from the sixth district. This issue shows that there are new candidates for the position which is being filled at this time bv Mr. Stoll. St oil won the place he is now filling four years ago in a conttest with 1']. .1. Sherwood and for a time there was ;i doubt as to which had received tnc more votes, the contest was so close. Two years ago lie was not opposed in his race for re-election. During liis terms in ollice ho has favored the passage of legislation to aid the farmers of the country in obtaining credits and materially advancing their interests in various other ways such as drainage, better roads, regulation of production, etc. o Poor families in Nashville, Tcnn., will he provided with ice this summer by Nashville post of the American Legion. The service men reported scores of indigent families unable to keep food and milk for babies during the sweltering weather. vail RALPH JOHNSON LOSES APPEAL Now Serving Sentence of 12 : Months on County Gang HE WAS TRIED IN 1921 i Remained Out on Bail While ! His Case was Being Settled by Supreme Court Ralph Johnson was tried in the court of general sessions for Horry county at the spring term, 11)21, and convicted by the jury of the crime of seduction. He was sentenced by the court to one year on tHe public works of the county or a like period in the state penitentiary. This sentence was read on March 12, 1021, and his attorney pave notice of appeal to the supreme court. Johnson's bond on appeal was fixed at the sum of $2,000. and he remained out on this bond during: the pendency of his appeal in Columbia. Recently the supreme court passed on his case and found against him as will appear by the reading of the decision which is now on file with W. L. Bryan, the clerk of the court: The decision of the supreme c\urt as rendered by Hon. Eugene R. Gary and concurred fn by Associate Justices T. R. Frazier and T. P. Cothran, reads as follows: "The defendant was indicted under Section 38}) of the Criminal Code, the provisions of which are as follows: "Any male person above the age of H> years who shall by any means of deception and promise of marriage, seduce any unmarried woman in this state, shall, upon conviction, be doomed guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall be lined or imprisoned ,at the discretion of the court; but no conviction shall be had, under this section, on the uncorroborated testimony of the woman, upon whom the seduction is charged; and no conviction shall bo had, if, upon the trial it is proved that such woman was, at the time of the alleged otl'ense, lewd and unchaste: Provided, that if the defendant in any action brought hereunder, shall contract marriage with such woman, either before or after conviction, further proceedings hereunder shall be staved." "The jury rendered a verdict of guilty; and the defendant was sentenced to serve a term of twelve months on the public works of Horry lw? 4.. * uuii i/tY y n iu icupvill I1C CI[i[iCiilCU IU tlllfi court. "The sole (|uestion argued by the appellant's attorney is whether there was error on the part of his Honor, the presiding judge, in the refusal of the motion for a directed verdict in favor of the defendant, on the ground tlvit the testimony of the prosecutrix, was not corroborated as to the promi e of marriage and deception charged i?i the indictment. "The appellant's attorney Ivis failed to satisfy this court, that the testimony does not support the finding' of t he jury. | "Appeal dismissed." Upon receipt of the decision from the supreme court, the sheriff's office was notified and early last week the deputy sheriff went in the country where Johnson lives and brought him and committed him to the chaingang. He will serve out the sentence of twelve months. The case attracted considerable attention at the time of the trial, owing to the prominence of the parties in: volved. SPECIALISTS HELP TRUCKERS Clemson College.?Four experienced specialists in the grading, packing and standardizing of truck crops, to bo appointed in the near future by the extension service to help tlie farmers in the new trucking sections in getting their truck crops ready to put on the market in jierentnhln c>?wli i lion. The extension service realizes that many farmers in certain parts of the state have gone into trucking this year as their first experience; that those farmers are not familiar with the requirements and methods of grading, packing and shipping truck crops; and that there is consequently much danger of great loss to such farmers unless guidance and assistance are given at the right time. Director Long feels therefore that the greatest service to l>e rendered these farmers is to assist them to prepare in an acceptable manner for market the produce which they are now growing. Two of the specialists, who will ho engaged for the truck crop season will ho located at Florence and the other two at Aiken conveniently to the needs of sections where many farmers are growing new crops. The men will he secured from the older trucking sections of South Carolina if possible. If not, a representative of the extension service will go to Florida to secure men who have had large practical experience in work of this kind. It is hoped to h/ivo fhom duty early in May. N NO. 3 MONEY INCOME ON THE FARM Should Fill Vacuum in Matter of Butter, Eggs and Poultry COME FROM SOUTHWEST Farmer Needs Cash Incom3 From Month to Month Throughout Seasons It is a f:u?t tliof ci 11 ' v.*.,, cmiuuiu lenu much encouragement to tho people of this section in the matter of the development of the dairy industry that the largest vacuum in the matter of butter supply in this country and probably in the world is here in the Southeastern part of the United States. Practically the same thing may be said with reference to tlie supplies of poultry and eggs, cheese, pork products and beef. The enormous demand in the South for these products at the present time is being: filled from the Northwest principally, and the butter and cheese, poultry products, pork, beef, etc., which are now being: shipped into the South from other sections of the country are simply grain grass and forage that have been converted into the form of butter, poultry products, and beef upon ihe farms of farmers in states that are much more prosperous than we are. The most urgent present need of Southern agriculture is for a system of farming that will give the farmer a cash income from month to month throughout the ye.ar, thus enabling him to proceed upon a cash basis, getting away entirely from the necessity of going into debt for supplies upon which to go while making the crop. The keeping of a few cows on every farm and the sale of sour cream to a creamery, the feeding of skim milk to the farm poultry flocks and to well bred brood sows and pig's will meet this urgent need and at the same time will solve the farmer's problem of marketing such production as corn, oats, hay, velvet beans, etc. This program will enable the farmer to get away from the problem of selling country butter and at the same time will relieve the housewife of much work in connection with caring for the milk, churning and making butter and insure the market price for the product, whereas the price for country butter is practically always much below that for creamery butter. In fact, the sale of country butter at anything like the market value of butter is impossible except upon the basis of a personal relation. Mrs. Smith may live in the country and have an acquaintance with Mrs. Jones who lives in town. They are friends and of course Mrs. Jones will l>e glad to get a pound or so of butter each week from Mrs. Smith, but the very minute the butter of Mrs. Smith loses its identity and appears on the counter of the grocery store as country butter, the value falls to 12 to l"> to 20 cents per pound, whereas when the hut tor fat is sold to a creamery it brings the price of standard hutier as quoted on the Chicago market, which is usually almost double the price received for country butter. One beauty about this type of dairying is that it may bo carried oa vpc,n the average farm without in any way upsetting the farm labor situation. Tt may be nvide one, of the phases of the farm operation and cows cared for, milk and cream separated and kept in a cool place and delivered to the creamery or shipped once or twice each week with no appreciable increased amount of labor required. From the sale of cream from a few cows on the farm the average farmer should be able to get in cash enough to practically meet every need of the farm and family for current expenses. Skim milk or clabber is a most excellent poultry feed, as every woman in the South knows, and where the skim milk is utilized in feeding poultry, the sales from butterfat may be supplemented considerably by sales of poultrv and eirirs. In mnnv throughout the South during the spring of I!>21 farmers' wives with two or three or four extra cows and the Hock of chickens a little better cared for were able to finance the farm and meet the situation that would have otherwise been most unfortunate.?Southern Railway Live Stock Bulletin, March 15, 1022. GET THE BEST SECURE RESULTS The Ad-Art service that the Herald now furnishes to each and every patron of the paper is well worth investigation on the part of any advertiser. By its means the merchant and business man can illustrate his copy and without a cent of extra cost to himscl f. The Herald commenced this service two weeks ago and already the cuts are multiplying as the service comes in and the cuts are quickly produced on the stereotyping- plant in the shop. Now don't be behind the times and fail to take advantage of this new innovation. Call and get proofs of the cuts on hand and make up copy that will knock the other fellow dead. Make the ads attractive and they will bring results.