The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1921-04-07
THINKS BIGHAM CAN
CLEAR SONS NAME.
Aged Mother of DIR. Charles X. Chap
man May Com to Florence.

hmericus, Ga, April Ito plead
for her sons liberty, which she be-
lleVes 1t to be Within the power of a
convicted matrlcide TO confer, the
aged mother of Dr.. Charles K Chap
man, the Americus physician now
serving life term following convic-
tion of murder, may shortly visit
Edmund ID. Bigham. Bigham con-
victed OF the murderer OF his mother,
sister, brother and two adopted chill
uren OF his slster-is in cell in
South Carolina prison. He is doomed
TO die i'll the electric chair in Co
lumbia, S. c.. on April s.
Blgham, former resident of Les
lie, 3 miles south of this city. came
her with Walter Wade a few hours
before Wade disappeared, on the
night of August II, 1917. With two
bullet holes i'll his back, and his
pockets turned inside out, the body
or Wade was two weeks later drag
ged from the Flint river Bigham.
1t was alleged, was the last person
seen with Wade
though closely questioned, and for
long kept under surveillance. Big
Ram was never indicted in connec-
ton with the case. although il be
came known that Wade and Blgham
had had some personal disagree
ment when Bigham lived in the
W ade household, before the pair
cvm" 10 Americus. The eyes of suspi-
cion later fastened upon DR.. c. X.
Chapman and Warren l. Johnson.
Both now serve life sentences as con
Nicted murderers.
Mysterious Movemcnts
investigation OF the movements of
HiSham on the night upon which
Wade disappeared has brought TO
iSht among actions shrouded IN mvs-
tCrY. the circumstance that a taXicab
orlNer, w. B. Compton, was on the
hlSht OF the disappearance, employed
by Blgham to drive him into the
country. and that the man travelled
} Tor some distanc e in the direction of
Flint river.
sisters plea for tho aid of the
n'atricide in securing the freedom of
hel brother is declared to have been
ignored when Miss Emma Chapman.
Il sister of the convicted Americas
physician, wrote the man following
MS arrest at Florence about a month
ago. She urged him TO relate mat
ters OF which Bigham was assumed
TO have knowledge. She received
no response. a similar letter is said
to hove been written the jailer at
Florence, and to have likewise re-
manned unanswered.
Bigham's Name Not ON Records.
/ Atlanta, April 1-According to
members OF the State Prison Com
mission, the records in that office in
the Charles X. Chapman and Walter
Johnson cases do not make any men
tloh OF Edmund Bigham. the Flor
20 -
been convicted OF the murder OF his
mother, sister. brother and two chill
dren and sentenced to be electrocuted
in Columbia
Information published from Amer
lous Is that the mother of Dr. Chan
man, now serving life sentence for
the murder OF Walter Wade, is going
To South Carolina to see Bicham, in
the nope OF being able to get from
MN, since he already is under SEN
tehce oil death, confess ION that he
Is the man VINO killed young Wade.
b } ms. II Is said is ON the ground that
BlSham was in Leslie with Wade.
hired an automobile which Wade
went out with Bigham. and that Big
nam was one OF the last men with
Wade, if not the last one.
Woman Committed Crime Claimed.
Ihe contention of the applicants
Tor PARDON of both Chapma II and
D. Walter Johnson as presented TO the
PRISON Commission, mas been that
Wade was killed in the house of q
certain woman in Americus, by one
the inmates of that house; that his
rodN was taken out of the back door
placed in an automobile and carried
away Among the documents filed
with the commission are afidavits of
TWO or three people. one of them also
a female inmate of the same house.
who claims TO have seen the myster-
lous woman shoot Wad while they
were quarreling
The angle connecting the South
carolina murderer with the case is
a new one, insofar as evidence pre-
sented to The Prison Commission is
concerned.
The applications for clemency are
still under advisement with the Pris-
on commission, no disposition having
been made of them since arguments
were made, and that body can reop-
en- the cases at any time, should Mrs
Chapman gain any information of i'm
pcrtance from Bigham.