In the winter of 1921, a dark and tragic story unfolded on the Bigham family plantation near the small town of Pamplico, South Carolina. This event would see the violent end of five members of a prominent family, including a young boy named Leo McCracken. The tale is one of familial discord that escalated to mass murder, leaving a lasting scar on the community.
Within the Bigham household lived a collection of relatives, including the family matriarch, her son Smiley, her daughter
Marjorie Bigham Black, and Marjorie's two adopted sons, Leo and John McCracken. Another of her sons, Edmund Bigham, had recently returned to the family home. The atmosphere within the home was reportedly tense, with disputes and arguments becoming a common occurrence.
On a fateful day in January, the simmering tensions within the Bigham family erupted into unimaginable violence. The initial report to the authorities suggested a horrific murder-suicide. It was claimed that Smiley Bigham had shot and killed his mother, his sister Marjorie, and his two young nephews, Leo and John, before turning the gun on himself. This narrative, however, quickly began to unravel as investigators delved deeper into the grisly scene. Suspicion soon fell upon the surviving brother, Edmund Bigham.
Evidence and testimony gathered by law enforcement pointed not to Smiley, but to Edmund as the perpetrator of the massacre. He was arrested and charged with the murders of his entire family. The ensuing legal battle was a protracted and sensational affair. Edmund Bigham faced trial multiple times for the killings. He was convicted and sentenced to death, but these verdicts were repeatedly overturned on appeal. After years of legal wrangling, in a final turn of events, Edmund Bigham agreed to plead guilty to the murder of his brother, Smiley. In exchange for his plea, he received a life sentence, bringing a close to the harrowing legal saga that had captivated and horrified the state. He was eventually paroled in 1960 and died two years later.
