The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1909-10-28
The AVANT. .BlGHAM
TRAGEDY
A PSYCHOLOGICAL MYSTERY WORTHY
The GENIUS OF LUTHER
TRANT.

NO4Nll! pI!. NSIObSi WV
wears to cone lonely spot on the
beach a, Muy.ell's Inlet, hear
Georgetown, 5. c., vii! be pointed
out by the elder residents. at was
here that Ruth Bigham was killed.
they Will say. "How didit happen: -
it will br asked. But there will be
noae to answer or give the reason
for the killiug.
IL the list of crimes that have
baHied the world the killing of
Ruth Bigham will find place.
No. in the memory of the oldest
Men who have known of many dark
crimes is there one of more mystery
than that of the shooting of the
vouug woman on Murrell$ Inlet on
September 4, 1909.
Although DIR G e Bigham and
his friend, W & Avant, have been
found guilty of manslaughter, and
have been sentenced to serve three
and a half years IN the State peni :
tentary, the events that led up to
the shooting of the wife of DR. Big
ham are as dark page as before the
trial was entered into.
Why?
In this one word is contained the
whole situation. The defendants
were not placed on the stand in the
tNsi. They could not, therefore,
explain. if it were in their power,
the reason for the firing of the fatal
shot. But there were statements
made by both Bigham and Avant at
the time of the shooting. Accord
ing to all the witnesses the expla'
nation offered BY the two men vas
practically the same:
They were seated On the porch Of
Sunnyside late In the sfternoon.
They saw an "cbject' come around
the house. Thinking, according to
their own statement, that the cob.
ject" was up to some devilment,
they followed sit" after securing q
gun. Out on the beach, about six
hundred feet from the house, the
object was hailed, but, meeting with
no reply, Arant asked, ''Shall l
shoot" ''Shall l shoot" "Shoot, :"
said DR. Bigham, and the gun was
fired.
A most remarkable story, whether
tits true or not. There is no one
to say that it is not true, because
there were no eye-witnesses to the
tragedy. But there we're suspicious
circumstances, and these circum-
stances were related upon the Wit
ness stand BY men of more than
ordinary intelligence. All the wit
nesses were young men of good stand.
ing, all made very good witnesses.
They told every fact they knew IN
connection with the killing. These
young men we're near at hand on the
evening of September 4. They rush
ed to the scene of the killing They
saw DR. Bigham bending over the
body of his young wife, who was
then dying. They saw HIM move
away from her and throw his arms
around the neck of his friend, Avant,
and cry out. "Ycu have killed my
little wife" it may have been in
the excitement of the moment, but,
nevertheless, is circumstance of
significance, that Avant cried, "l'm
murderer; I've committed murder. I"
There is no doubt that Will Ayant
fired the fatal shot. 1t was not even
necessary in the trial to prove the
killing, except as shown by the
statements of Avant and Blgham.
The gun was not put in evidence.
Bigham had said, according to one
witness when the party IAN up to
him, "Will Avant has killed my
wife"
There are theories that have been
whispered around the Geighborhood.
One is that Ruth Bigham knew