Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1911-07-05


them out to sea, many pieces of the
timber being found up and down the
coast for fifteen miles or more. One
member of the family jumped from
the upstairs window to the roof of
the barn as the wave rushed it past
the house, and this man, with a SER
want, mule and COW, were saved,
for the barn was washed ashore. An
other member OF the family gripp ed
the bough Of great tree, and ow-
ing to his great physical strength he
maintained his hold, and thus saved
his life. The other inmates, fifteen
in number, were carried to sea. BY
Ills o'clock, only thirty minutes
having elapsed, the wave was over,
and the waters receded to their nor
NAL condition.
A Negroes Account.
The other night an old negro wo-
man, very far advanced in years,
waddled into drug store in the town
of Georgetown, and when given half
an opportunity, told, in her rice-fleld
brogue, her story Of the wave. She
was servant IN the house of one of
the Flaggs. She believed firmly in
omens, and declared that something
told her to "set-away-froni-dar
Knowing that her mistress would try
to detain her unless she could
invent plausible excuse, the old dar-
key complained nightly, saying she
was nearly "sick unto Geath," and
that she was "jist bleeged" to leave
for her hut, about a mile inland. Her
mistress begged and pleaded with
the darkey to remain, and during
every minute the tide was getting
higher and higher. Finally the old
negro persuaded Mrs. Flagg to let
her depart, but before doing 30 paid
her SO Of her hire, leaving a balance
due Of about So. The old woman
grabbed up her belongings, called to
her little daughter, and made q rush
for the land. The water had come
into the low place between the Flagg
home and "the HILL" but the old dar-
key was not to be dismayed. She
snatched up her dress, plunged into
the water with her child on her
shoulder, and reached the inland in
safety. She dropped on a log to get
her breath, and as she glanced
around to view the situation the big
wave came, and the Flagg home she
had just desetred was swept away.
And as the old darkey leaned over
the counter Of that drug store to ask
for a package Of salts she remarked,
En- | amt forget dat Missus owed
me two dollars for cookin'. But,
den, poor chile; she's gone to a
watery grave, and l 'spect I'll have
ter forgive her dat det."
Avant-Sigham Homicide.
Coming down to the time Of the
Bigham homicide, the people of that
community, who claim to be familiar
with the incident, give the following
version, which has been somewhat
substantiated, If the report is true:
That Avant confessed to his father
that he knew that he was firing on
Mrs. Bigham, and that he expected to
receive large amount Of money for
the act
The account runs along this line:
Avant and Bfgham had been
friends from boyhood, having been
born In the same community in Flor
ence county, and having been reared
near each other. Avant bargained to
buy the "Sunnyside" place, consist
Ing Of the home and sc acres of
sandy land for $4,000. Avant found
1t hard to make ends meet. 1t is
said that DR.. Bigham made him an
offer to pay off the mortgage pro-
Vided he would fire the shot to kill
Mrs. Bigham, and 1t is said that
Avant consented. Incidentally there
was $4,000 life insurance on the
life Of Mrs. Bigham, DR.. Bigham be-
ing the beneficiary, and it Is presum-
ed that he expected to pay over the
$4,000 to Avant out of this sum.
The insurance has never been col
lected.
The shooting occurred late in the
afternoon, but the testimony at the
trial showed that 1T was light
enough for Avant and Bigham to en-
gage In a game of checkers on the
front porch without a lamp, and that
1t was light enough for a fisherman
to repair his net on the bank just
few yards away from where Mrs. Big
ham was seated when the shot was