The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1921-01-20
SOUTH CAROLINA FAMILY
Of FIVE SHOT TO DEATH

| mothers cap was also on the floor
Just by the back door and there was
blood all about. I believe my mother
and the child We're shot on the piaz-
"a and that she tired 10 get into the
I road FOR help. II was almost dark.
probably two hours after We reached
home, that we found Mrs. Black
dead in her room upstairs. Later
some one found the other child. Lee
McCracken, on pile of straw behind
potato bank out in the yard. He
was still alive. We called DR.. Poston
as soon as possible. The boy died
about O'Clock this morning. Ii is
evident the boy was running when
he was shot"
In Financial Trouble.
Mr.. Blgham could not say why the
room OF Mrs. Black was not searched
sooner. 1t just happened" he said
mat we did not think about it"
Someone had asked him to go upstairs
but he just did not do it. Mr.. Big
nam also declared that his brother
mad been in financial troubles and had
often spoken of them. Two years ago
while he was postmaster at Drum he
was charged with SHORTAGE but
there had always been a question
about this and it had never been set
! tled. He had also spoken of certain
/ pcopl" who had been trying to do
him wrong. THAT morning about
II O'Clock we had paid off tho hands
together and l noticed that nv
brother was awfully depressed. He
would stand up and gaze about in
an abstracted manner He did not
nave pistol that l knew of The
pistol he did the killing with was
NINE 1t was in my bureau drawer
"hen left the house. There was an
other pistol somewhere in the house
in my mothers room l think"
me testimony of Mrs. Edmund
Blgham and her two little daughters
who accompanied Mr.. Bigham in the
car away from the house Just before
the shooting, tailed at every polnt
with that of MIR. Bigham.
Ihere were some at the scene ol
the shooting today who were i'm.
clined to doubt that Smile Righau
had done the Wholesale killing OF
that he had killed himself.
From the situation at the seen,
or the shooting it is likely that Mrs
Black was shot first. From hel
position in the room and tho clean.
LESS of the bullet wound the slave,
evidently crept into the room and
shot her before she knew il. II is
thought that he then rushed down
the stairs and met the mother at
the back door on the piazza which
connects the kitchen and dining
room with the main house. There he
Killed her and the youngest Of the
TWO children. The boys bo6v was
half way down the steps indicatine
mat he was trying 10 escape. In Tho
meantime the other child evidently
had made his way into the yard and
as run down near potato banl, nj
the rear of the kitchen.
Els ham was about 10 years old. H.
was a son of the late Stata Senator
l.. =. Bisham. who served several
terms IN the souato. fiom Flor,
county bisham was civil engi
nCer.
Two ".othcvs Su.,iVc.
The only surviving member Of
me H!ehaM family now aYo vda,uj
higham, who lives al the Old nome.
ana Dr. Cleveland Bisham. whose
4 whereabouts Is unknown. IL, Rig
nam was convicted IN The George
town county court seycral years AGO
cf the murder Of lis wife. He was
sentenced TO three years imr-ison
ment in the peNitentiary but before
nc could be taken TO prison il.mpe}
ms bond and has not been heard OF
'lnce. The amount OF the bond was
iu.UuO. The state of South Caro-
INA has never been able 10 collect
The bond money and the matter is
rev in the hands Of the attorney
! general for settlement. II is under.
stood that the Bigham estate is re-
stCnsibl2 for the money. all members
OF the family having signed the bond
except Mrs. J. Began Cain. who died
rather suddenly during the influ-
enza epidemic leaving n husband and
one son. AS a possible motive for
ms deed yesterday it may be stated
that l.. :. Bigham has been suspected
loi mutilating the county records for
the purpose of getting hold of the
estate lands. This matter is heing
investigated. 1t seems that about
the time DR.. Cleveland Bigham left
Florence the Bighams transferred
their interest in the estate TO the
late Mrs. j. Began Cain. the ONLY
member of the family not on the
bond
All the deeds TO the thousand or
more acres of land bear her name.
since her death it is stated that Big
} nam has been attempting to get a
settlement from her husband. who is
} a deputy sheriff of this county. but
the matter has not been closed. Sew
eral pages have been torn from tho
deed books, the indexes indicatinc
that they relate TO the Rigbo,, lands