Local Man Remembers Thurman’s Funeral, Burial

Leave a Comment / Articles, Mamie Thurman / / Dwight Williamson

Logan Banner, Wednesday, September 4, 1985

By Dwight Williamson

The quest to locate the final resting place of Mamie Thurman has not been an easy one, and it is doubtful many will ever agree on where it is.

But, there are those alive in Logan County today who remember her case, her funeral and her burial. Some even helped with the interment.

The search for the dead temptress’ grave began several months ago, but gained steam three weeks ago when George Morrison, Mamie Thurman’s half-brother, visited the region. He couldn’t find the grave or the death certificate, but did find some conflicting evidence about where she was buried.

The questions started to mount.

Morrison, 60 and a retired prosecutor in New Mexico, only discovered three years ago that he had a half-sister and about that same time found out she was murdered in one of the most sensational cases in the county’s history, in 1932. All he really wants to do is locate a tombstone over her grave. But, he’s got to find it first.

Funeral home records said his sister had been buried in Bradfordsville, Ky., but Morrison visited there and found she was not taken there. A report of funeral services in The Logan Banner a few days after her body was found at Trace Mountain also said she was to be buried in Kentucky.

However, a death certificate located in the County Clerk’s office in Logan reported her being buried at Logan Memorial Park, McConnell. It was then that The Banner began its search. Several visits to the graveyard were made and the history of the once beautiful cemetery began to unfold, but no tombstone bearing the Mamie Thurman was ever found.

A death certificate was then obtained from the State Department of Health in Charleston. It too listed Mrs. Thurman’s burial place as McConnell. In the meantime, after several “wild goose chases,” one man who lives within a stone’s throw of the McConnell cemetery came forward with information.

While many others had reported they remembered Mrs. Thurman being buried at McConnell, 53 years is a long time to remember an exact location. However, Elzie Burgess, now 75 years-old, was 19 when he helped his father, Ed Burgess, dig Mrs. Thurman’s grave.

Ed Burgess was caretaker at the McConnell site for many years and Elzie Burgess helped his father with many grave diggings.

“There’s no question about it,” said Mr. Burgess. “She’s buried here. I even helped cover her up.”

Mr. Burgess said he and his father averaged digging two graves a day at McConnell in the 1930s.

‘‘Sometimes we had to dig three,” he added.

Burgess said the only grave marker placed at Mamie Thurman’s grave was a small metal marker put there by Harris Funeral Home. He said there was never a headstone placed at the site.

Burgess explained that the cemetery is divided into three sections, a, b, and c. He said Mrs. Thurman was buried in the b section, which is-located below the road and in the vicinity of the huge Steele monuments.

“To the best of my knowledge, she was buried about middle ways up in that section,” said Mr. Burgess.

Logan Memorial Park, which at one point in history was probably the nicest cemetery in the area, is actually a story in itself. Many of Logan’s most prominent families have been buried there. At the time Mr. Burgess’ father was caretaker, the property reportedly was owned by a Charleston family.

The property later was purchased by another man, supposedly sold many grave plots and earned thousands of dollars by guaranteeing perpetual care.

One reason one prominent Logan family moved their deceased from the graveyard was after the skeletal remains of another body, not contained in a casket, was found by grave diggers who were digging a graveyard for the family beside another family member who had died.

There are other tales, some reliable.

Another discovery made only today was the identification of the tombstone which had the name of Mayme K. Robinson on it. According to different sources, Mayme K. Robinson was the first wife of W.L. Robinson (founder of W.L. Insurance Company in Logan). He remarried and he and his wife were buried at Pecks Mill. We’re told the Robinsons had two sons, one who died in a mental institution and the other moved away many years ago.

In a telephone conversation yesterday with Morrisons, he said two people had telephoned him last Wednesday, in connection with the letter he received earlier telling him to first place a legal advertisement in last Wednesday’s Banner containing a peculiar message: “John, Phone me at 294-1116 after 5 p.m., my time. George”

Morrison said one of the callers told of being paid for an exhumation of a body which he believed was Mamie Thurman’s. The man, who refused to identify himself, said they were paid by a now deceased prominent doctor, approximately 23 years ago.

Morrison, however, said he really did not believe there was merit to this story. However, the other man who telephoned, and who also would not identify himself, was the person who had written him the letter.

Morrison said he sounded elderly and said he was a retired businessman in Logan who knew the Robertsons, Thurmans and nearly everyone, including the jurors, who were involved in the historical murder trial of Clarence Stephenson.

Morrison said the man told him he was absolutely sure of the murderer of Mamie Thurman. The man reportedly said it was a woman, whose name The Banner won’t reveal because of possible legal action.

“But, I asked him how he could be sure,” said Morrison. “Did you see her killed? Were you told? How do you know definitely?”

The man replied: “I knew Harry Robertson well. He was a well-liked gentleman. We talked about it many times. He told me who did it several times.”

“Morrison, however, remains skeptical and is not convinced that the person he was told committed the murder actually did it.

During this series there have been many interesting discoveries made about Logan County in the early 1900s and its people. Most of it cannot be described as good.

Separating the truth from fiction is hard. But, the truth is Clarence Stephenson went to prison for the crime…a crime he contended to his grave he didn’t commit.

NEXT: The final installment: ‘Looking For Mamie: It Wasn’t a Yellow Brick Road.

*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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