Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1909-10-27
BIGHAM AND AVANT GUILTY.
Murder Trial at Georgetown Results
In Conviction.
(News and Courier }

Georgetown, Oct. 22.--Three years
and six months within the walls OF
the State penitentiary will give G. C.
Bigham and w. B. Avant time to pic
ture to themselves again and again
that September evening when a gun
In the hands Of the one sent to her
death the young wife of the other.
To the husband will come the vision
or the beautiful bride, near whom he
stood and saw killed by his best
friend. 1t is the verdict of the Jury
In the case Of Bigham and w. B.
AVant that they were guilty of man
slaughter. 1t Is the sentence Of the
court that the defendants shall be
confined at hard labor in the peniten-
tiary for three and half years. The
jury remained out a little more than
two hours.
When the jury brought In the YER
dict neither Avant nor Bigham show
ed any signs of emotion, but later, as
they began to realize that they were
found guilty Of the killing Of Mrs.
Bigham, both showed that they were
moved. DR.. Bigham completely broke
down as he was receiving the sem
tence Of the court.
Sentence by the Judge.
"rhe solicitor worked hard and got
all he could out of the CASE" said
Judge Watts. "The defendants were
represented by able counsel. / have
had considerable experience in crimi-
nal cases, but this Is the most myste-
rious and unsatisfactory case | ever
tried. | would not have been sur
prised If the two defendants had been
acquitted or If they had been convict
ed or murder, but am Of the opinion
that there was no intention on their
part to kill Mrs. Bigham. Great reck-
lessness was shown. The jury prob
ably found that in the pursuit of an
unlawful act gun was handled in
grossly careless and negligent man
ner. They had perfect right to find
that this was an unintentional kill
ing, constituting manslaughter."
Judge Watts pointed out that there
should be more care in the handling
or guns. But do not believe" said
mis- honor. that this was malicious
killing. You must have been fright
ened or ratified. | am going to give
you the benefit Of these doubts. The
killing was pure recklessness. No
doubt you have both suffered already
and you will suffer more. In mo-
ment OF recklessness the life of a
good woman was taken. l know we
can't punish the guilty without also
Furnishing the innocent. Your aged
mother will suffer, DR. Bigham.
must say, though, in justice to you
Doth, that there was no malice, in
my opinion, in the killing. The SEN
tence of the court is that each of you
be confined at hard labor in the State
penitentiary for period OF three
years and six months -
Story of the Crime.
DIR. Bigham and Avant were charp-
ed with the killing Of the young wife
or DR.. Bigham at Murrells Inlet, a
summer resort on the coast not far
from Georgetown, an hour after sun
down on September 18th. At the
tlme OF the tragedy Avant admitted
that he had fired the fatal shot. Mrs.
Blgham was walking toward the
Deach dressed in her bathing suit.
with light overcoat thrown about
her, when Avant, a close friend of
her husband. fired. She lived ONLY n
minute or two after being wounded.
The defendants claim that they were
sitting together on the steps of a cot
tage when figure came from the
rear OF the cottage and disappeared
In the gathering darkness. Gun in
hand they followed it, calling out to
know who 1t was and what it wanted.
RecelVing no response. DR.. Bigham
told Avant to fire, which he did. They
rushed to the PROSTATE figure and
discovered that It was DR.. Bighams
wife. She was 23 years OF age and
Is said to have been very handsome
woman.