The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-02-14
IIURRAHED FOR DAVIS.
Then Was a Boy Shot Dead BY
Union Soldier.
THIS OCCURRED OVER &c YEARS AGO.

justice are grinding exceedingly slow in the
case of j. Logan SigInan. He is yet to lie
tried for the murder OF William Hieg.n-
botam, a siXteen-year-od boy, in September,
1861.
The case is a remarkable one in many re-
spects and the more so because of the inter-
est which the Grand Army Of the Republic
has taken in Sigman, who belongs 10 that or
canzaton The boy whom he killed was Il
southern sympathizer, and the sole motive for
the deed, it is charged, was the fact that at
the moment Of the killing he was hurrahing
for JEFF Davis. At that time, however, Sig
man was not in the federal army, but be-
longed to a body of home guards. The guards
were loyal organization, but it has always
been charged that the particular body to
which Sigman belonged used its semi-miitary
character as cloak for indscriminate ma
rauding. After the murder, he joined de-
tachment of the regular army.
To answer for the murder of a quarter of a
centurys standing, Sigman was brought back
from Missouri in February 1886. He had re-
sided there for many years, having wandered
thther from Indiana and Illinois. In each of
the latter states he had resided for q time for
the purpose, the prosecution claims, OF avoid
ing trial. lie had been arrested Immediately
after the killing, and, upon an examining trial
before Judge Il. X. BethuTam was committed
to Jail without bail. Those were the troubled
times Of the war, however, and upon one pre-
text and another the final trial was postponed.
In 1862 General Kirby Smith and his confeder-
ate raiders We're passing through the state
conquerng host, and to keep the prisoners out
of his hands, all were liberated by Judge Gran
Vile Pearl who succeeded Juge Bethuram.
Sigman had then become private in the
Fourteenth kentucky cavalry, and in some
way the case was finally stricken off the
docket. He WAS discharged from the army in
1866, but he did mott
RISK HIS SAFETY
by return to his old residence. In the mean
time, however, the Higginbothams had like
wise removed from the state. It was not until
1879 that at the instance of S. NJ. Higgin-
botham, brother of the deceased, the case was
taken up again. The Rockcastle grand Jury
found an indictment against Sigman in Octo-
Der of that year, and this was filed away with
leave to reinstate. 1t was restored to the circuit
court docket in January, 1886, and in the fol-
lowing month the slayer OF young Higgin-
botham was brought back to answer for his
early crime The case was continued. however,
from time to time, and finally resulted in a
hung jury. The prisoner was released on bail,
and now resides in Kansas. His case was
again set for trial on January 10th last, but
was once more continued until the March
term.
The killing was witnessed by several per-
sons, bur OF these only Godfrey Isaacs is now
living. lie is an eX-unlon soldier and q pau
l
u tall, gaunt mountaineer, six feet four inches
in height, and has long claimed to be an inva-
lid though he says his memory of the occur
renee is not in the slightest impaired. Natu-
rally his sympathies are with the prisoner, as
they were neighbors before the war and after
ward served i'll the ranks together.
The circumstances Of the killing as shown
by the court records make out very unusual
case. The Higginbotham family were resi-
dents OF Garrard county, and William, we'll
grown lad for his age. was sent to Rockcastle
to buy up lard kegs for his brother. On the
fatal morning i'll September, 1861, he and
another boy, named Mauphin, were riding
down the road toward Tombstone, a small vii
lage. They had to pass the house of John
Peyton a brother-in-law of Sigman, who was
staying with him. The community was
strongly loyal one, and as the boys had heard
OF threats being made against southern sympa-
tlnzers, Mauphin was too much frightened to
proceed. The other laughed at his fears and
galloped down the road toward the house,
Godfrey Isaacs, who was then on furlough
from his command, had
JUST RIDDEN UP
ana called to Sigman to come ou+, as he had
heard of something he wanted to tell hin
Logan did so, and seeing Higginbotham and
his companion brought out his gun. As they
approached William began hurrahing for jeff
Davis. Margaret Sigman, sister of Logan,
came out OF the house saying they were 'holler-
ing for Jeff Davis" When near the house the
boy checked his horse to a walk but rode on.
Sigman called out to him, and he halted Just
as the man fred his musket The horse SHE'D.
and tlinging the boy into the road galloped
away. Jack Mobley came up just then and
Isaacs and Sigman went off, though not until
the latter had seen that his victim was dead
The killing created great deal of indigna-
ton at the time, and, according to the prose-
Cution, Sigman made every attempt to escape
the consequences of his act. The deed was
rendered the more hemouS from the fact that
Higginbotham was unarmCd at the time,
though it was admitted that he carried small
stick in his hand which he used more for
riding whip than anything else.
Upon the other hand it Is claimed by the
defense that young Higgtnbotham and his
Mauphn, had made threats
against Sigman, who did the killing in self
defense,
Sigman is very ordinary looking man, and
of somewhat unprepossessng appearance.
He is now out on bail. He claims that the in
dictment being noled in 1862, he supposed
that no further action would ever be taken, or
he would long ago have answered for trial. He
denies that he has attempted to eyade the
law. He SAYS that even while q home guard,
he always considered himself member Of the
regular army. His friends also claim that as
he was practically federal soldier at the time
he had right TO shoot Higginbotham for his
reasonable utterances. The Hgginbotham
family were all intense southern sympathizers,
though dwelling in the loyal portion OF Ken
lucky.
Such a length OF time has elapsed that it
is doubtful if conviction can possibly be Sc
cured.