The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1921-01-20
WHOLE FAMILY
IS WIPED OUT
TERRIBLE TRAGEDY ENACTED
NEAR PAMPLICO.
Five Persons Killed
Theory is That l.. S. Bigham Shoots
Mother, Sister, Two Boys, and
then Ends Own Life.

uoy VI IlS UOulOS VI uF0 h0h1o0A . ~
the Bigham family revealed that the
entire family, living about five miles
from Pamplico in the southeastern
part of Florence county, was wiped
out some time yesterday afternoon,
total of five being killed.
l.. S. Bigham, aged about forty
five, is thought to have shot and kill
ed his mother, Mrs. NJ. M. Bigham,
aged 60; his sister, Mrs Marjorie
A. Black, aged 35; and the latter's
two adopted children, Leo McCrack-
en-, aged nine, and John McCracken,
aged five. Alleged family troubles
in which an estate valued at about
$4,000 was at stake, is reported to
have been the cause of the tragedy.
L. S. Bigham has not been officially
charged with the crime as the cor
oner's jury will not make report for
about two weeks, but the theory is
that he was the murderer and the sui
eide.
The father of L. S. Bigham was the
late Senator Bigham and the family
is prominent one in the county.
All were evidently killed instant
ly except Mrs. Bigham, the mans
mother, who lived a few moments,
and the oldest child, who died at S
o'clock this morning. The tragedy
took place at the old Bigham home
five miles from Pamplico.
After Staying all within the house
at the time, it is alleged, Bigham
went deep into the woods surround
ing the place and fired a bullet into
his own brain. When his body was
found it noon today his right hand
still grasped the pistol. 1t was stat
ed by the physician who examined
the body that Bigham had been dead
more than twelve hours.
The murdered persons were all
shot in the head; the bullets in each
case entering just beneath their tenn
pies. None was shot more than once,
although two balls that had missed
their mark were found near the back
door. The large pistol used by Big
ham still contained an unexploded
cartridge, which indicates that the
man reloaded.
The Bigham home is more than
half mile distant from any neigh
boring house. No one could be found
today who had heard any shooting
about the place.
Sight Ghastly One.
A large crowd gathered during the
day and passed from room to room
viewing the dead. The sight was a
ghastly one. On bed in down.
stairs room lay the aged mother and
the youngest child, their faces COW
cred with blood. In an adjoining
room the oldest of the children lay
on a bed where he died at o'clock
this morning, and beside him the body
of Bigham was placed when the
searchers returned with his body.
Upstairs in the room she usually oc-
cupied was the body Of Mrs. Mario
rie Black, oldest sister of Bigham;
it lay on the floor just in front of the
dresser. Until late this afternoon
when the coroner's jury completed
taking evidence, the bodies were un-
disturbed.
Although the tragedy is said to
have been committed at $3.50 o'clock
yesterday afternoon, it was late last
night before word of it reached Flor
ence county officials and they imme-
diately sent out dispatches asking
officers to be on the watch out for
Bigham in nearby towns.
Bigham's brother, Edmund Big
ham, had left the house with his
family in an automobile at $40
o'clock. He returned from short
visit to a neighbor's house about 20
minutes later and found his mother
staggering toward the road. He
jumped from his car but the aged
woman died almost before he reached
her. Others happened to drive by
the house at that time, and when
they bore the body of Mrs. Bigham
into the house they saw evidence of
blood on the floor and began an in
vestigation which revealed the
slaughter of three others.
At the inquest today Edmund Big
ham testified he had been away from
the house only twenty minutes. He
had left his brother standing in the
yard. He had acted strangely for sew
eral weeks but he did not appear to