The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1921-02-03
JURY HOLDS E. ID. BIGHAM
charged With Having Committee
Terrible Crime at Pamplico.

ioi ShSe, jail ZI-Ihat e. ID.
Blgham was the perpetrator of the
CRIME which cost the lives of three
members of the Bigham family and
tne two adopted children of the late
MRS. Black is the opinion of the Jury
of inquest which rendered its verdict
tonight
After hearing at Pamplico tho testi-
mony Of thirty witnesses, including
the reexamination of Mrs. Bigham.
the wife of Edmund Bigham and his
Oldest daughter, the jury found that
Mrs. M. M. Bigham, Mrs. Margie
Black, the two McCracken children.
aged three and six, and L. S. Bigham
had come to their deaths at the hand
of E. D. Bigham.
coroner Smith will issue a warrant
charging E. D. Bigham with the muir
GERS. Bigham is now being held at
the county jail on a warrant sworn
out by John McCracken, the father of
the two murdered children. his war
rant was served and Bigham arrested
on January 20, five days after the
tragedy at the Bigham home, two
miles from Pamplico.
1t was at first believed that l.. s.
Bigham in a fit of dependency over
alleged financial troubles had com
mitted the murders and then killed
himself, but following the strong SEN
timent in the community that such
could not have been the case, Coroner
Smith continued his investigation
and has built up a case the circum-
stances of which, baced on the evil
dence adduced, are believed by the
jury of inquest to be sufficiently
strong to warrant the accusing of
Edmund Bigham.
Phillip H. Arrowsmith conducted
the investigation for the coroner at
the hearing. He dug deep into the
case.
The two Singletary negroes who
have been In Jail here for several
days as material witnesses and the
wife of Andrew Singletary were i'm
portant witnesses. Andrew Single
tary testified that after the wood cut
ters had been paid off Saturday, Jan
uary 15, E. d. Bigham and l.. s. Big
ham remained in the woods. Later, he
passed the house with his wife and
son going to Pamplico and saw E. D.
Bigham emerge from the woods alone
and after looking up and down the
road, proceed to the house. This was
after Mrs. Bigham had sent a vest out
to him by one of the McCracken chill
dren. Bigham went toward the house
with the child. The time was about
o'clock. His testimony was corro-
borated by his wife and son.
Has Hurried Conference.
Robert Foxworth testified that Ed
mund Bigham, with his family in his
car, had swept up to his house, which
was only short distance from the
Bigham home, and had hurried con-
versation with him, so hurried, in
fact, that the witness did not remem-
ber much about it. Bigham then
turned his car in the direction of the
Bigham home.
The testimony of Mrs. Bigham and
of the oldest daughter is said to have
varied considerably from that given
at the hearing Sunday, January 16,
and although the two were together
in the car On the trip to and from
Foxworth's their stories of what had
occurred conflicted at several points.
1t was stated today that the deed
which Mrs. Bigham presented toi
Clerk of Court Singletary for record
ing and which was later withdrawn by
her for the reason that she did not
have sufficient money to pay for the
revenue stamps, amounting to $42.
has not yet been recovered. Mrs. Big
ham is said to have stated that she
delivered the deed to her husband at
the jail.
This deed, according to Mr.. Single
tary, who read 1t closely while 1t was
in his possession was signed by Mrs.
NJ. M. Bigham, Mrs. Margie Black and
l., s. Bigham, and conveyed the en-
tire Bigham property to Ed. Bigham
for consideration of $4,000. Mr..
|Singletary declares that the deed
bears every appearance OF having
been tampered with and that Il Is
evident that the names Of the origi-,