The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1921-03-31
BIGHAM DECLARED GUILTY.
jury Returns Murder Verdict After
Brief Deliberation.

A Florence county jury returned
verdict of murder IN the first de-
gree against Edmund Bigham Mon
Gay afternoon. The case had been in
progress since Thursday, and al
though court should have closed Sat
urday the case was carried over till
Monday by consent
The case attracted wide spread at
tention. Bigham was charged with
the murder OF his mother, his broth
er his sister and two nephews by
adoption, the details of the gruesome
tragedy having been published in The
Herald some weeks ago Blgham was
tried first on the charge of having
murdered his brother. All the mem
bers of the family were killed at the
SINE time and under the same cir
cumstances.
The case was given to the Jury at
lis o'clock Monday afternoon and
at 1928, following recess to 5
O'Clock and after wait of some min
utes to bring the prisoner into court.
the jury's verdict of guilty of murder
was read TO a court room crowded
with spectators.
Then, after painful wait of MN
utes while the clerk of the court
fragment for sentence, and an
harangue by the prisoner in response
to Judge Memminger's question if he
had anything to say in his own behalf
the death sentence was pronounced
and Bigham knew that he was TO die
on Friday. April s. unless the Su-
pleme Court grants reversal of the
verdict on the appeal which Attor-
ney A. l.. King, announced his in.
teLtion 10 make.
Smile is Wiped Off.
Bigham's stolid indifference to ev-
ierything around him, his apparent
inability to grasp the solemnity of
the proceedings or of the seriousness
of his own position, his readiness TO
respond with a smile on less than no
| lprovocation all passed when the pris-
oner came into court to hear the YER
dict.
He resumed in part his role of in
Jured innonce when he sat in the
dock for final arraignment For a
Tune he leaned forward his head rest
ing on his hand as If he prayed for
strength TO go through the ordeal he
had been called upon to pass. He
listened with no special interest while
MS attorneys moved for a new trial
and while Judge Memminger, in re-
fuslng 1T alluded with much feeling
to the fact that Bigham's father had
while a State Senator from Flor
ence County cast his vote in favor
of putting Judge Memminger on the
! bench.
The shocking import of the whole
thing seemed to reach him slowly
but as its realization progressed by
degrees, the ashen pallor that had
shown in his face all day became
more marked, the air of bravado
passed into pitiable weakness that
caused the man TO look here and
there about the audience with the
expression of hunted animal sur
rounded by men who sought its
, life. The old Bigham had passed and
did not show again until Judge Mem
mlnger asked him what he had 10
say that sentence should not be pro-
nounced against him Then, leaning
forward on the railing of the prison
e''s dock and in a voice that was
calm and mistaken, the prisoner
spoke as follows: Il have nothing to
say 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. | wish my mother could come
down and tell how the thing happen
ed l wish that little boy had lived
when l asked DR.. Poston to save his
life. he would have told the same
! things | and my wife told. Judge, |
hope you will give me time so some
OF the people who testified here
against me may have a chance to
come forward and tell the truth and
not come too late like Judas max
ing his offering of the thirty pieces
OF silver" Il do want to say some
thing more. I hope you will take nc
exception to it. AS far as you are
concerned l have had a fair trial
But if people had had time to think
things over, consider and take it up
with their God. they would have tes-
titled differently"
Asked to Explain Pistol.
When asked to explain the finding
of his pistol in his brothers hand,
Bigham said: II left that pistol i'm
my bureau drawer and it has been
testified that the door was found
broken open. That is the only way
Smiley could have got it," If am
guilty [ hope / may be petrified in
front OF this courthouse, just as l
was that day or as I am now. l am
as innocent as new born baby"
Bigham's show of weakness at the
end may have been in some measure
due to the fact that he was not sus-
tained by the presence of his wife
and children whose devotion has
been so marked a feature of the trial.
When it was announced that the jury
was about to return to the court
room Mrs. Bigham and the children