The Horry herald. (Conway, S.C.) 1886-1923, June 15, 1922, Image 7
I
BIGHAM TO DIE
FOR HIS CRIME
Judge Shipp Denies Motion for
New Trial Made
Friday
CROWDS VrSIT BIGHAM
N _________
After Discovered Letters Proved
to Be Likely Mere Forgeries
by Many Affidavits
In Florence last Friday the court,
which was in session there, Judge S.
W. G. Shipp, heard the motion made
by Edmund Bigham's lawyer, for a
new trial.
The motion was based on letters
which Bigham and his wife claimed
had been packed away with some furniture
and never found in time for
the trial; that recently in opening up
these things the wife found the letters
and placed them in the hands of
her husband.
The evidence produced by the state
against the genuineness of the letters
evidently raised a doubt, for the court
refused the motion and resentenced
the defendant.
A full report of the hearing follows:
Edmund D. Bigham was taken to
Columbia Monday morning by train
by Sheriff Burch for delivery to the
state penitentiary for execution of the
death sentence by Judge Shipp on
July 14. The court signed an order
directing the sheriff, at his discretion,
to return Bigham to the penitentiary
for execution.
The early removal is due largely
to the scores of inquisitive visitors
who were thronging the jail almost
every hour to see the murderer.
Opinion differed as to whether Bivr
ham is losing his nerve. Some officers
thought he was very nervous.
Others did not construe his restlessness
so.
"If I ever have to go to that chair,"
Bigham said to a reporter, "it will
be just like the convicton and death
of Jesus Christ. I was not convicted
on the evidence. It was personal
feeling. The Governor was afraid to
turn loose Jesus Christ because of
popular feeling."
Bigham appeared more moved than
ever before. His voice quavered as
he made the above statement. Physically,
however, he was quite steady.
Bigham expressed the wish that
Judge Shipp had let him say what he
wanted to say about Phillip H. Arrowsmith.
He said he would not have
said anything derogatory about Mr.
Arrowsmith, but he just wanted to
tell the truth about the $5,000 mortgage
which Mr. Arrowsmith got for
clearing up the bond against the estate
for Cleveland Bigham. He promised
that if his attorney would consent
prior to leaving Florence, he
would make a written statement regarding
this matter.
The courtroom in Florence last Friday
was crowded to overflowing with
men, women and children at 9:30
o'clock, and long before, when Judge
Shipp convened court to hear the
motion for a new trial for Edmund
D. Bigham, convicted and sentenced
to be executed for the murder of his
brother, L. Smiley Bigham, and now
under indictment for the murder of
their mother, their sister, and her
?U: 1 * 1 n.iA * T vr
IYVU CI111UXCI1. m V.HV A. Li. iving;
attorney for the defense, had not
made his appearance in the courtroom..
Nor had C. T. McDonald, associated
with him, shown up. Mendel L.
Smith was absent.
After waiting a quarter of anhour
the court called for'an almanac. This
was construed to mean that he intended
to pick a date and resentence
Bigham without delaying matters
further, inasmuch as the attorneys
for the defense had not shown up.
Sheriff Burch presently reported to
the court that he understood Mr. King
did not expect to come into court till
10 o'clock. The court then examined
the hour of the return of the call and
saw that it was 10 o'clock. Mr. King
came in shortly and said he did not
understand the case came up till 10,
and the court said it thought he understood
it would be called upon convening
of court. The case was then
taken up immediately.
Mr. King opened up with the presentation
of the letters and affidavits
which have been published. The first
was his own affidavit that he could
not have obtained the evidence now
being submitted previous to or during
Bigham's trial in March, 1921. The
next was from Mrs. May M. Bigham,
wife of the convicted man, as to the
loss and recovery of the evidence in
/iiiAflfi/\v? A iL ? - 1 '*
\iuvowun> aisu mere was Hn amaavit
from Edmund Bigham as to the receipt
and subsequent loss of the letters.
At this juncture, Edmund Bigham,
Mother-To-Be,
Read This?
Here la h wonderful rr-essago to all expectant
mother*. When the Little One arrives,
jot can have that moment more treo
from suffer in*' than
ha to perhaps Imagined.
An eminent phytic
expert In thle nck-nce,
baa hhown tLe way. Itjmm
wse hu who first pro?^^^^V
duced the great remedy
"Mother's Friend." Mrs.fl^y WmX"
C. J. ilartman, ticrun-Ev Vf*? ^^*>1
ton, Pa., says; n\ 5F^
"with my first twoRv T*\
children 1 had a doctorU f
and a nurse and thenra \ m \
they had to use Instru-til^ 2Srv>r^<5x.
ments, but with my lastH^iSfiVv^wTSl
two children I ui?dVHHar<'>0
Mother's Friend and had only a nurse i
re bad no time to get a doctor because
wasn't very sick?only about ten or
fifteen minutes.
v?rtt* for valuable free Illustrated book,
* Motherhood and the Baby." containing Important
authoritative information which every expectant
mother ahouldbave, and all about "Mother'* Friend/'
to BradfleldJResulator Company, BA-23. Atlanta. <3s.
('Mother'* Friend" Is sold by drajfUta everywhere.
%
r
who sat in the dock, removed his coat.
He took great interest in the proceedings.
Mr. King/read the letters which he
had procured. These covered the business
affairs of the Bigham family at
Pamplico, always concluded with
terms of endearment, recited various
other matters, and the desire to sell
the land to Edmund to settle up the
obligations to him. The climax was
reached in the following letter which
was undated:
Mother and Margie had the two
signed deeds that had disappeared in
their possession. Causing trouble
seems to be their pleasure. They
took the money that the P. O. department
has me charged with and were
the cause of Cleveland running ofT.
And I had to pay the bond. For
years I have had to leave home and
pay board to be in peace to make my
calculations and platts.
They poisoned father and tried to
poison Leatha's child after her death.
When 1 found them with the deeds I
decided to kill the last one of them
and leave no one to tell the tale.
I am writing this to explain why I
did this act. You will never see me
again alive. .
I G I
Mr. King recited the finding of the'
letters by Mrs. Bigham in some furniture
after her husband had been
convicted and sentenced and she had
moved to Taylors, they having been
packed in the furniture in Georgia
and never taken out at Pamplico.
The signatures on these letters purported
to have been written by Smiley
to Edmund, were compared with
checks bearing the signature of Smiley.
Affidavits as to their genuineness
were read from H. M. Pleasants,
cashier of the Farmers and Merchants
Bank of Pamplico; J. B. Connatser of
Columbia, teacher in Draughan's business
college; William M. Gibbes, Jr.;
cashier of the Palmetto National
Bank of Columbia, as to the ability of
Mr. Connatser; C. M. Wilkinson of
r\ampiico, agent for the S. A. L. that*
Smiley had used his typewriter a
great deal; E. M. Singletary, clerk of
court that he believed the signatures
on the letters wore genuinely Smiley's;
W. L. Meadors, assistant cashier of
the Palmetto Bank and Trust Company,
that he believed the signatures
of L. S. Bigham on the checks and
the letters were written by the same
person; I. T. Welling of Darlington
of the Carolina National Bank, to the
same purpose; W. R. Willis of the
Peoples Bank of Darlington, to the
same purpose; R. C. Rollins, of the
Bank of Timmonsville, same purpose.
He read the affidavit of J. G. Miller,
formerly of Pamplico and now of
Florence, to the effect that he had undertaken
to deal with Smiley for ,a
sawmill; that the next day, in the fall
of 1920, he had met Smiley on the
streets of Florence, and Smiley had
said to him that his family were trying
to steal everything he had and he
would kill every one of them. He
read the affidavit of W .T. (Bill) Ilyman
of Pamplico that he had endorsed
notes for Smiley to get fer
tuizer. Also he read an affidavit from
Jim Cain, brother of Bogan Cain, who
married Aleatha Bigham, that Smiley
and Edmund's sister, Mrs. Margery
Black, who was killed in the wholesale
murder, had told him they had
to send for Edmund to protect them
from Smiley. He read an affidavit
from Clarence Rose, member of the
city police, and a deputy sheriff at the
time of the killing, that he had picked
up three or more empty pistol cartridges
in the Bigham yard two or
three days after the killing. This
fact Mr. King said never was introduced
at the trial.
L. M. Gasque, solicitor, then presented
his answer. First he presented
an affidavit from J. G. Miller, who
had given Mr. King the affidavit regarding
the sawmill deal and the
threats of Smiley, saying that his first
affidavit was* in substance true, but
he did not know if Smiley were drinking
at the time; that he had dined
frequently at the Bigham home and
they seemed happy and he never saw
any indication of such trouble.
Next was an affidavit from R. A.
Black, the husband of the Mrs. Margery
Black, murdered, saying he had
married his wife in 1912, had lived
in the Bigham home three years, up
jlrickW:
Tobacco
r As Manager of B
I the farmers of the Pee L
[ house is owned and oper
f and Horry counties, and
friends know that their ho
U W. H. DANIEL, Presi
THE HOBBY HERALD. OOH
MaMaiaiH|aa|RaiMI||a||iaiMBaiaaHHHHBiiMPBMHa
until 1918 when he came to Florence
as health officer, and was in close relation
with the family. Ho said the
letters attributed to Smiley were utterly
absurd and impossible. He said
Edmund had disposed of all interest
in the Biirham estate prior to going
to Georgia in 1913. He said instead
of Smiley owing Edmund, that Edmund
was in debt to Mrs. Black for
$800 and the interest for several
years. The only debt he knew of
owing Edmund from the family was
$400 for Cleveland's bond. That Smiley
had wired $350 to Edmund to help
him out of trouble in Georgia. There
was no dispute in the home. The
dispute was between Bogan Cain and
the family regarding the estate. Edmund
came to pouth Carolina at that
time and expressed no interest in that.
He did much of Smiley's writing and
was surprised at the style shown in
the alleged letters of Smiley to Edmund.
Smiley was not expert on the
typewriter and never wrote any letters
on the typewriter. Relative to
the sawmill which Miller mentioned
intending to buy from Smiley, he said
rt - -
siruley had been running a mill a long
while before. He averred the signatures
on the letters ?were not genuine
and were forgeries.
D. Gordon Baker made affidavit
that there was nothing to the letter
referring to "mother and Margie"
and the intention of killing all of
them. lie said in the postal matter
the shortage was never shown to be
over $1 and the inspector dismissed
the charge.
Bogan Cain made affidavit that he
married Leatha Cain in 1914 and lived
with her till her death in 1920. He
knew the details of the Bigham family's
business affairs. He knew Smiley
never owed Edmuifti any $2G,000,
or anything else save $400 on account
of Cleveland. He read the letters and
averred his wife or R. A. Black always
wrote Smiley's letters on the
typewriter. They were inconceivable
to him. He was at the Florence county
jail from 1917 to 1920 and Smiley
used to stay there agreat deal and
he always used his own personal
letterheads or letterheads of Sheriff
Burch instead of plain sheets such as
the letters were written on. He was
convinced that Smiley never wrote or
dictated the letters in question. His
style always was to sign himself
"your brother," and never "L. S. Bigham."
The sawmill in question was
set up in 1915 or 1910 and the idea
of conveying the lands to Edmund
was preposterous as the titles of fivesixths
of them were in his wife's and
one-sixth of them in Mrs. Black's.
Smiley never owed Edmund anything
save $400 for Cleveland. Edmund
canif! VlAVO nnrl il ~'l
m.?ti V.1C4HHCU uiiytiuiig.
lie denied the charge that their mother
and Mrs. Black ever tried to poison
his children. And there never was a
typewriter in the home.
JR. Kennedy Rutledge, active vice
president of (he First National Bank,
swore he had compared carefully the
signatures of the checks and of the
letters and said the signatures on the
letters ware forgeries. He noted differences
in characteristics. The writing
on the check was free and easy
and light, while the stroke on the letters
was rigid and painstaking, as if
it had been traced.
S. H. Husbands, cashier of the First
National, made practically the same
Affidavit, with the addition that in all
their correspondence with Smiley they
never had received any typewritten
I letters from him.
Here the defense put L. M. Coleman,
now cashier of the Farmers and
Merchants Bank of Pamplico, upon the
stand with notes, which the bank holds
as the notes made and signed by Smiley
Bigham.
W. B. Meadors also made an affidavit
for the state, stating that 'he
was not acquainted with Smiley and
did not know his handwriting, but
based his opinion wholly on comparison.
F. O. White, superintendent of the
Pamplico schools at the time of the
killintr nrtrl inot ??!*? '* A
a jM?v jji iui iu 11 | Wctri pui
on the stand then to testify that
Edmund's children entered school on
September 20, 1020, and were t here
till January 17, every ddy, till they
were out to attend the funerals of
the murdered Bighams. This was
supposed to offset the letters written
irehouse I
MULLINS, S. C
Will Sell
t Alirtinn Tl
i nubllUII II
rick Warehouse Company, w
)ee section know that the Bri
ated by seventy of the best f*
we take this method of lettin
use will be open as usual to sel
dent O'D]
Mullins, S. C.
WAT, S. 0 , JUNE 1922
during this period.
W. T. Hyman made affidavit also
for the state that he had been in the
habit of signing the fertlizer notes
for Smiley and had not done anything
unusual for the year he was killed.
He related in detail their financial
dealings leading up to the killing. He
said he was a close friend of the Bigham
family, had read the letters, never
knew of Smiley ever having to live
away from home, or of him causing
any trouble. He had an old typewriter
which Smiley used to try to
write on and was so clumsy at it that
he could not conceive of him writing
such letters as are now attributed to
him. He knew of him trying to use
the machine at the station with the
same results. Regarding t}u* Miller
timber deal, Smiley brought Mr. Black
to Florence with him thai day to get
him to use the typewriter for him.
He knew Smiley ftf> years and does
not believe theletters were written by
Smiley.
H. M. Pleasants made a second affidavit
this time for the state and ,averred
that since making the one for
Mr. King he had compared samples
of Smiley's writing with the signature
of the letters and had changed his
mind, lie avers the signatures on
thf* letters are a forgery of Smiley's
name.
L. Farmer of Florence, made an
.affidavit that lie used to run a boarding
house and Smiley used to stop
with him. In December, 1920, Smiley
expressed to him dread of being away
from home because of anxiety that
Edmund would kill the family. The
last night Smiley was in his home,
Smiley could not sleep and finally in
tho middle of the night got up and
went by special taxi home to soe
about tho family. Ho expressed constant
fear that Edmund w.us going to
hurt his mother and sister.
Mr. King here put Dr. W. H. Poston
on the stand. He examined the
body of Smiley when it was found in
the woods. Mr. King asked him it
he had stated since the trial that he
had wined blood off his hands onto a
tree near by the body. Me denied it,
but subsequently aiWrmed what waraverred,
with the avowal that he did
not believe he had done it though. Mr.
King then called for Mr. Baker, with
the averment he wanted to prove
that Mr. Black, who had not been a
witness in the trial is now a contenilei
SOUR STOMACH
INDIGESTION
Thedford's Black-Draught Highly
Recommended by a Tennessee
Grocer for Troubles Re*
suiting from Torpid
Liver.
East Nashville, Tenn.? The efficiency
of Thedford's Black-Draught, the
genuine, herb, liver medicine, is
vouched for by Mr. W. N. Parsons, a
grocer of this city. "It is without
doubt tho best liver medicine, and I
don't believe I could get along without
It. I take it for sour stomach, head*
ache, bad liver, indigestion, and all
other troubles that are tho result o!
a torpid liver.
"I have known and used it for years,
and can and do highly recommend It
to every one. I won't go to bed without
It in the house. It will do all It
claims to do. I can't say enough for
It."
Many other men and women throughout
the country have found BlackDraught
just as Mr Parsons describes
?valuable In regulating the liver to
Its normal functions, and in cleansing
the bowels of impurities.
Thedford's Black-Draught liver medicine
is the original and only genuine.
Accept no imitations or substitutes.
Always ask for. T&Mford'a. u-m
B "***'* **
lompany I
lis Season
e think it our duty to let
ick will Operate. This y
*rmers of Dillon, Marion ft
g them and their farmer y
1 their tobacco at auction. I
?LL LEWIS, Manager I
for the Bigham property and therefore
is a prejudiced affiant. He said
that Black was in court and could answer
this point if he desired. Mr.
Black informed the solicitor that he
had told Mr. King his attorney would
answer for him on this point. Finally
lie took the stand, the defense having
him svyorn as an adverse witness. He
is the widower of the murdered woman.
He denied making claim to the
Bigham property and on further questions
as to his hopes in case Edmund
is executed, referred him to his attor
ney.
One* other witness for the defense
was Chief of Police Mclver, who was
ruled out. He is believed to have had
an exhibit that would show that black
powder would leave no marks save
inside the wound if fired close to any
flesh body.
C. Dargan Steele was put on the
stand by the state and testified that
he was one of the finders of the body
of Smiley in the woods and saw black
gun powder taken out of the wound in
hi& head. He said everyone took the
death for suicide.
SPEAKING OF CULTURE
(Columbia Record)
The world has been pretty well
agreed on the verdict that the boy
\n1h) burned up the barn in order to
kill (he rats had more energy than
sense. , But a parallel case of the
barn-burning-rat-killing sort flares
about us almost every day.
For example, press dispatches the
other day informed us that two men
were shot, 100 others arrested, and
100 game cocks seized, as the cock
lighting derby of Massachusetts was
brought to an abrupt and dramatic
end there, when state constabulary
officers and police surrounded and
raided a fight-circus staged in a tobacco
Ivirn in the hills.
One of the victims of the officers,
Robert McBride, GO years old, was injured
most severely, more than sixty
birdshot having entered his body in
dangerous places. Yet, we are told
that this is a Christian nation. TIip
world will wonder, we imagine, whether
the stopping of a fight between
cocks is more important to the peace
and welfare of society than the saving
of human life.
Officers of the law go about daily
with deadly weapons in their hands,
or their pockets, shooting down citizens
for trifles. In our opinion that
is not liable to increase respect for
the law, nor add to the uplift of the
rank and file of the citizenshp. And
in saying this we are distinctly not
defending cock-fighting as a iport.
Rut, while we are upholding humane
and decent living in ever/ respect
we would condemn, upsparingly,
the habit of law ollicers to shoot men
down over trifles. As long as we
have such officers we need not expect
to have a much better citizenship
than we have. And the citizenship
division is nothing 10 brag on at that.'
?o
CENSORSHIP FROM WITHIN
The Motion Picture Theatre Owners
of America are to be commended for
the decision to refuse to show any
films in which Peggy Joyce is featured.
That is the kind of censorship
that counts. It shows that the theatre
operators are beginning to hold
their business in high regard and do
not intend to have it injured by explot
at ion of scandal makers.
Such a policy will assure the theatie
owners of the approval and co-operation
of that element in American life
which looks upon the pandering to
sonsnl ionn1i?m nnrl immAvolUtf oa ;?*
wi..v? niiiiiviuin Jf t?a HI""
jurious to the general welfare.
Scandal has shaken the movie industry
to its foundations. Itj leaders
have seen the light and in every
quarter of the film world there is a
sincere endeavor to put the industry
on a sound, moral basis. The public
should encourage this policy and lend
its support to the producers of high
quality pictures.?Minneapolis Journal.
""'$H Why Their '
ONCDISUhCA J
^ Wouldn't
I Just a few cases of teleph
0 trouhleman found:
j The baby had experiment
' the scissors; cook had attem[
connection by tying together
The bells wouldn't rinj
quiet for a nap, had stuffed t
had forgotten about it.
An office telephone was
had been upset on the desk a
telephone were water-soaked
A farm line telephone "ot
had stored his metal spectac
telephone; it lay against the
short-circuited the line.
Yes, such things do hap
think. The telephone is a sti
can't stand everything?and
to blame!
"At Your
CONWAY TELI
CONWAY
"MAD WORLD,
MY MASTERS"
- Washington.?A Newark (N. J.)
woman has found a new reason for
getting a divorce. She got it, too,
which should make all devotees of the
royal game more careful. Her testimony
was to the effect that hubby
played so much golf, so often, that
he hadn't time to be a husband and
provider. It's an old saying of golfers.
"If business interferes with golf,
give up business." This particular
golfer found his wife interfered with
his^ game and so she got rid of him!
Hut this was nothing to the sad
case of a Des Moines (Iowa) lady who
had a "husband" who proved to be a
woman, yet one so overbearing and
strong that she held her "wife" in
terror for a year and a half before the
poor, deluded lady caused her "husband"
to be arrested!
The wife should have gone to Vassal'.
Statistics from the great women's
college show that Vassarites during
the last ten years are an inch and
a half taller, two inches larger around
and with bigger hands and feet, all
due to physical culture.
A Charlestown (W. Va.) boy, out
riding in an automobile, was fired
upon by an unknown assailant.
Rushed to ;x hospital he was X-rayed
and his heart found to be upon the
right (which is the wrong) side of his
body! Had his heart been where
hearts are supposed to be, in the
right place on the left side, lie would
have been instantly killed.
Paris says skirts must be long.
America says they are short and going
to get shorter. Comes a Parisian
dress-engineer with a gown which has
an adjustable skirt. When on fashion
parade, milady unties a ribbon and behold,
a long skirt. When she goes
shopping or wishes to catch a street
car, she pulls the ribbon and up goes
the gown to knee length!
o
The Herald is now $1.60.
Common Sense
About Eczema
and Eruptions!
Here's Something About S. S. S.
That You'U Be Glad to Hear.
Tou might just as well know it right
now,?the cause of skin eruptions,
pimples, blackheads, bolls and so on.
Is right In the blood. There is no setting
away from It. Science has proved
it. We prove it. You can prove it.
When the cause of skin troubles and
eruptions Is in the blood, it isn't comL.et
S. 8. S. Give You An Angelic Skin t
mon sense to simply treat the skin.
A bottle of S. S. S. will prove to you
what Is happening In your blood. S.S.9.
is a scientific blood cleanser,?it drives
out the Impurities which cause eczema,
tetter, rash, pimples, boils, blackheads,
blotches and other skin eruptions.
When these impurities are driven out,
you can't stop several very nice things
from Happening. Your lips turn naturally
rosy. Your eyes sparkle, your
complexion clears. It becomes beautiful.
Your face looks like that of a
prosperous, ruddy, well-fed, refined
gentleman, or if you are a woman,
your complexion becomes the real kind
that the whole world so admires. S.S.3.
is also a powerful body-builder, because
it builds new and more bloodcells.
That's why It fills out sunken
cheeks, bony necks, thin limbs, helps
regain lost flesh. It costs little to
have this happen to you. S. B. S. la
sold at all drug stores, In two sizes.
The larger size Is the more economical*
Mzrf
Telephones
1 /tOKcbisujicA
Workone
"trouble"?and what the I
ed on the receiver cord with
>ted to restore the electrical ^
the ends of the cord!
I?because father, wanting
the gongs with a towel, and
"dead." A vase of flowers
nd all the cords on the desk
and had quit business.
it of order:" Mister Farmer
le case on top of his wall
i exposed binding posts and
pen; oftener than you may
iirdy little instrument, but it
the Company is not always
Service"
iPHONE CO.
, s. c.
i
m