The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1921-01-20
FAMILY WIPED OUT
NEAR PAMPLICO
L. S. BIGHAM SHOOTS MOTHER,
SISTER, TWO BOYS, THEN
HIMSELF, is THEORY

the Charleston News and Courier,
Sunday, says: Discovery Sunday of
the bodies of five members of the Big
ham family revealed that the entire
family, living about five miles from
Pamplico in the southeastern part Of
Florence County was wiped out some
time Saturday afternoon, total of
five being killed.
L. S. Bigham, aged about forty-fve,
is hought to have shot and killed his
mother, Mrs. NJ. NJ. Bigham, aged six
ty; his sister, Mrs. Marjorie A. Black,
aged thirty-fve; and the latter's two
adopted children, Leo McCracken
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 Off
cially charged with the crime as the
coroner's jury will not make report
for about two weeks but the theory
is that he is the murderer and the
suicide.
The father of L. S. Bigham was the
late Senator Bigham and the family
is a prominent one in the county.
All were evidently killed instantly,
except Mrs. Bigham, the mans mother
who lived few moments, and the old
est child, who died at 5 o'clock Sun
day morning. The tragedy took place
at the old Bigham home five miles
from Pamplico, Florence County.
After Staying all within the house
at the time, it is alleged, Bigham
went deep into the woods surround
ing the place and fired bullet into
his own brain. When his body was
found his right hand still grasped the
pistol. 1t was stated 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 temples.
None were shot more than once, al
through two balls that had missed their
mark, were found near the back door.
The large pistol used by Bigham still
contained an unexploded cartridge
which indicates that the man re-
loaded.
The Bigham home is more than half
a mile distant from any neighboring
house. No one could be found who
had heard any shooting about the
place.
Sight a CHASTITY One.
A large crowd gathered Sunday
and passed from room to room view
ing the dead. The sight was ghast-
ly one. On a bed in a downstairs
room lay the aged mother and the
youngest child, their faces covered
with blood. In the adjoining room
the oldest of the children lay on a bed
where he died at 5 o'clock Sunday.
and beside him the body of Bigham
was placed when the searchers return
ed with it. Upstairs in the room she
usually occupied was the body of Mrs.
Marjorie Black, oldest sister of Big
ham, it lay on the floor just in front
of the dresser. Until late in the af-
ternoon when the coroner's jury COM
pleted taking evidence the bodies were
undisturbed.
The coroner's jury investigating the
Bigham murder will defer rendering
its verdict for two weeks, during
which time an effort will be made t.
produce additional testimony.
Although the tragedy is said to have
occurred at $3.50 o'clock Saturday af-
tenoon it was late Saturday night
before word of it reached Florence
County officials and they immediate
ly sent out dispatches asking officers
in other towns to watch out for Big
ham. First reports of the tragedy
were conflicting and due to the fact
that it was impossible to secure tele-
phone and telegraph communication
with Pamplico Sunday, it was not un-
til Sunday that the facts became
known.
Bigham's brother, Edmund Bigham,
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 twenty min
utes later and found his mother stag
gering 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. Bieham into the house they saw
evidences of blood on the floor and
began an investigation which reveal