The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1912-01-24
BELATED EXPLANATION i
OF WIFE MURDER

ibiIity fer the Death of Mrs. Ruth
Crisp Bingham, upon DIR. G. c. Bing.
ham who is at Large.
The unhappy end of Mrs. Ruth Crisp
Bingham, who was shot by her own
husband, accidentlly 1t is claimed, at
MurreIs Inlet summer before last has
again been brought to the public no.
tice by conversation between Ayant
and his lawyer at the state peniten-
tiary. 1t is not stated whether steps
have been taken to get a pardon for
Avant, but Judging from the tone Of
Avant's story, that is the object in
view.
The story as 1t appeared in The CO.
lumbia State Thursday is as follows:
The first light that has ever been
thrown on the killing of Mrs. Ruth
Crisp Bigham, the young wife OF Dr.
G. c. Bigham of Florence. at Murrel's
Inlet summer before last, has been
thrown by conversation between W.
b. Avant, now in the penitentiary
serving his sentence, and his attorney
Walter Hazard of Georgetown. This
case came to trial in the court of gem
eral sessions in Georgetown county
DR.. Bigham and Avant were put on
trial under the charge of murder
There was, in this case, the greatest
feeling among the people in the vi
cinity. and the story that she had
been shot by accident was hooted at
and rigid examination demanded
Nothing could be learned. nor was
brought out on the trial that would
throw the slightest light OF the sub
Ject. The young woman was a visitor
at the home of Avant with her hus-
band, who was an intimate friend of
Avant. A figure was seen near dusk
cloaked. apparently, and gliding
among the brush. The two men seized
gun, and alleging that they thought
the figure to be either an animal
prowling about, or some one intent on
mischief, shot, the gun being in
AVants hands, and he being urged to
shoot by Bigham. Investigation re-
Yealed the fact that they had killed
Mrs. Bigham. Avant acknowledged
the shooting, but declared that he was
innocent of any intent to do harm.
Beyond that nothing was ever learned.
The men were tried and found guilty
of manslaughter. An appeal was
made for new trial, and they were
released on a bond 1t was held by
the solicitor that the notice of appeal
had never been completed. and he or
dered the arrest of the parties.
Bigham went to Greenville and. it
was said that he had fed, but his
family said that he had fled nowhere
and could have been taken by the
sheriff at any time. Avant volun-
tarily gave himself up to the court,
and his bond was do@bled, mades3,-
600, the supreme court having dis
missed the appeal. They were both
on hand for new sentence, but
walked out and Bigham has not been
heard from since, and his bond was
never increased as was Avant's.
Avant was arrested recently in
Texas, and is now serving mis- SEN
tence
1t is known that at first the family
or the young woman accepted the
story of Ayant and the husband that
the shooting was terrible accident
but later seemed to change their
view and had the body disinterred and
taken from the burying ground in
Florence county to their home in
Laurens.
The story that Avant tells is that
he did not mean to kill Mrs. Bigham,
nor had he any idea that it was at
Mrs. Bigham that he was shooting,
but that his friend had been at him
constantly during the day with re-
ports and suggestions that some one
was looking for him to do bodily
harm, that his mind had really be-
come affected by them, and he was
nervous and upset
He does not know whether or not
his friend had any purpose in view in
these stories or not; he does not think
1t is likely; but he did work so Sc
riously on his, Ayant's mind, that he
was ready to accept anything, and
when this crouching figure was seen
around the house he was quite pre-
pared to act when Bigham suggested
that 1t was the same one that he had
spoken OF coming to do him injury