Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-03-29
RlGHAM SENTENCED TO CHAIR
Florence Murderer Was the, Killer of
Five People.

lie jury III lHe case VI I2olioHu
Bigham, charged with the murder Of
five members Of his family at Pamplico,
in Florence county in January, on yes
! tefday afternoon returned a verdict of
guilty, and Judge Memminger prompt
ly overruling a motion for new trial,
sentenced the condemned man to die in
the electric chair between the hours of
10 and . o'clock on Friday, April 8.
| Bigham turned pale when the verdict
was read and his face lost the smile
| that it had worn during the trial, but
| when asked what he had to say before
being sentenced. he leaned forward
from the dock and in. a clear and un-
shaken voice replied:
Nothing except that am innocent.
know nothing Of how that crime was
committed. That is The truth, so help
me, God!"
That's all have TO say" continued
Bigham, who was charged with shoot
ing his brother, mother, sister and the
latter's two adopted children. IT wish
my mother could come down and tell
how that thing happened. I wish that
little boy had lived when l asked DR..
w. H. Poston to save his life. He
would have told the same things my
wife and told.
Judge. hope you will give me time
so some Of the people who testified
here against me may have chance to
come forward and tell the truth and
not come too late, like Judas making
his offering OF the thirty pieces Of
silver.
81 do hope to say something more,
and I hope you will take no exception
to it. AS far as you are concerned. l
have had fair trial. but if people had
had time to think things over, consider
and take it up with their God, they
would have testified differently"
Edmund =. Bgham, defendant in
one Of the most sensational cases
ever tried in this state in which he is
charged with murder in connection
with the deaths of his brother Smiley
and four other members of his family
in Florence county went on the stand
in his own defense last Saturday.
Preceding him on the stand at the
afternoon session were his wife and
his 14-year- old daughter, Louise. The
testimony of the members Of the Big
ham family, which had been expected
drew an even larger crowd Of specta-
tors; than had marked previous ses-
sions Of the trial. -
Mrs. Bigham told in much detail
the story of the happenings at the
| Bigham home on January 49,. the day
Of the tragedy. in which Mrs. NJ. NJ.
| I3igham, the defendants mother: Mrs.
Margie Black, his sister; l.. Smiley
Bigham, a brother and Leo and John
McCracken. adopted children of Mrs.
Black. were the victims. She gave
| her testimony as il reading from
notebook and even tunder cross exam
ination by Solicitor Gasque showed
no signs of-nervousneSs.
Louise Bigham, the young daughter
also told a story that duplicated that
of her mothers except in minor de-
tails Her memory failed in some de-
tails vitally affecting her fathers de-
fense. When called upon to recognize
Detective Eichelberger and say wheth-
er she had madee certain statements
to him, she disowned ever having seen
the detective. -.
Edmund Bigham gave detailed
story Of his actions from January
to the time Of tho death Of his reln-
tives. He spoke in q clear voice and
appeared to havs,. an excellent mem
ory for details. -, The continuity of his
story was broken, however, when he
| reached the cross s-eXamination stage
and when a question came up that
was not easily answered, he would
lean toward Solicitor .Gasque, asking
him to hold on a minute" or lust
| wait"
Breaks into Sobs.,
When he described the finding Of.
his brothers body, Bigham showed
the first sign Of feeliDg. breaking
into sobs. and 1t was several minutes
before he could continue.
Bigham made statement concern
| ing the financial affairs of the family
telling Of loans he had made and de-
claring he never had received any
share in his fathers estate. The fam
| lily owed him, he said, something like.
SIC, 900 and he had given them 4 mort
gage covering the difference between
that amount and $4,000. the amount
named in The face of the deed made to
| him by the rest of the family. 1t was
| this deed. he said. his wife sought 10
record the day he was. placed in jail.
On cross examination BlSham was
asked why he had kept this deed in
his possession after it had been re-
fused record. He declared that Mon
roe Spears, Of Darlington, had told
him to keep the deed, but admitted
Mr.. Spears never had seen the paper.
Didn't he tell you to destroy that
deed or it would break your neck"
shouted the solicitor.
NO, he didn't" replied the witness,
'ir he had l would have done it,
The reply caused roar Of laughter
in the courtroom and resulted in
Judge Memminger declaring recess
'until o'clock p. m.
With sobhing voice, the defendant
told of how he had seen his mother
staggering in the yard. her face cover
cd with blood Tie had just returned
from Il short trip to Robert FoXworth
to see him about hauling some wood.
| When he had left the house with his
family. he said he had seen Smiley.
his brother, standing near some bee
| hives.
1.-The last time I saw Smiley was
right there" he said, "as | came 3t the
top Of the red hill. L saw Smiley. his
hand in front OF him, going across the
road. About sixty yards from Inc
house. saw mother"
Describing incidents about the house
the morning after the tragedy. Big
ham said that shortly after daylight
he opened the blinds and then went
out to the lot with Mr.. Flowers. "Ele
says gave him a pistol; take his
word for it, for don't know. Between
| ,,,o ,pl ro6 7 narpr went Ollt oil