IN 1932 THURMAN CASE…Trial Evidence Showed Tight Logan Community

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Logan Banner, Monday,  September 2, 1985

By Dwight Williamson
Part 15 of a Series

It was early afternoon, Thursday, Oct. 14, 1932 when the prosecution started calling its last witnesses to the stand during the murder trial of black handyman Clarence Stephenson.

He was accused of what could be the crime of the century in Logan County — the murder and butcher of Mamie Thurman.

Logan Chief of Police Meade Smeltzer took the stand.

Smeltzer, along with patrolman Bill Bruce, had discovered the blood-stained canvas in the basement of Harry Robertson’s home on Stratton Street. Robertson, a one-time suspect in the case, was Stephenson’s modern-day “white master” and lived on the premises, the same place where Mamie Thurman and her husband lived.

Smeltzer also testified that he saw Stephenson cleaning out the inside of Robertson’s Ford sedan at about 8 p.m. Wednesday, the day Mamie Thurman’s body was found at Trace Mountain. Smeltzer’s testimony was backed up by Bruce, who had been with the police chief on both occasions.

T. A. Borradaile, chief chemist for H. Prester and Company, next took the witness stand. The chemist testified that the blood he had examined from various pieces of the prosecution was human blood.

When asked whether or not chemists could ascertain the difference between female blood and male blood, Borradaile said some chemists claim it is possible, but the theory had not yet been accepted in the scientific world.

Borradaile also said there were hairs found on the dress worn by Mamie Thurman the day her body was discovered. Borradaile said the hairs were all greyish in color.

The state rested its case at 2 p.m. and 25 minutes later attorneys C. C. Chambers and Charles Estep opened the defense.

Jack Thurman, Mamie’s husband, was re-called to the stand.

Here’s the way The Banner described it all:

“The courtroom seemed quieter than all day long at this point, and as Mr. Thurman went to the witness chair the eyes of all the spectators were focused on him. The officer took the stand in the quiet way characteristic of him, testifying in a steady voice, even when asked things concerning his wife.

Thurman said he didn’t remember talking to Dr. J. E. Robertson, Harry Robertson’s brother, a state trooper and City Manager W. E. Baumgardner at Harris Funeral Home on Wednesday afternoon. Thurman denied having said in their presence that ‘I’m sorry for one thing, that I left home without saying any money to go to the show.’

Another statement allegedly made by Thurman was that he felt like his wife had been murdered and he thought some of the ‘outlaws’ in town he’d arrested had committed the crime. Thurman also denied this statement.

Thurman was a patrolman for the City of Logan, in essence an employee of Robertson who held a position equal to that of Mayor at the time. Robertson was also an official with a local bank.

J. E. Reed, for years owner of City Taxi in Logan, was the second witness used by the defense.

“It was along in May when Henry Carey transported Mrs. Thurman to the Holden 21 store. By my records on file I also know that on March 29 Mrs. Thurman was taken to Holden 21 by Henry Carey who left the office at 9:07 and returned at 9:58. I don’t know who called for the car but the trip was charged to Jack Thurman.

“I’m not quite sure whether Jack or Mrs. Thurman paid for the call. I do know a few days later Jack came in the office looking over the books in regard to an account and he saw a record of the trip. He asked who made it and told him his wife did.

“Mrs. Thurman came in shortly afterwards and said she had rather I hadn’t said anything to Mr. Thurman about the trip, and I told her I didn’t think it made any difference. To my knowledge Mrs. Thurman didn’t take any more trips and I only know about this one as it happened to be charged.”

Although the September grand jury had been selected and an additional 40 potential jurors later chosen because of the Stephenson case, the final jurors had to be persons who believed in capital punishment, according to The Banner.

Banner’s report. One person said he did not believe in it, while another man said he did not believe in it where the evidence was circumstantial.

The following people were on the jury for the murder trial of Clarence Stephenson:

O’Dell Wells, William Rexrode, Damon Lilly, Leland Hale, C.B. Ferrell, Virgil Godby, Harmon Bailey, William Pugh, Alex Pauley, R.L. Litsinger, A.D. Collms and Julius Altizer.

C.C. Chambers probably did not know what lay ahead for him in the future, but his defending Clarence Stephenson, a black man, apparently did not later haunt his political future, but his defending Clarence Stephenson, a black man, apparently did not later haunt his political future as Chambers became Logan Circuit Judge, an ironclad position he held for decades.

From all accounts in The Banner and from a few people still living who were present for the trial, Chambers apparently laid the groundwork for a good defense for Stephens, but, as he may very well have known at the time, the cards were stacked against him.

(NEXT: Part 16, “Chambers Asks Robertson About List of Men; Judge
Wont Allow. Robertson To Answer’).

*Published with the author’s permission.

*Special thanks to Mark Edward Jones for providing a clipping of this article.

Read more about the murder Mamie Thurman.

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