Part 2 – The Mamie Thurman Case: More Gripping Than a Novel

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By Dwight Williamson
(Part Two Of A Series)

Photo of Dwight Williamson, authorThe history surrounding the now legendary death of Mamie Thurman reads like a well-developed novel.

For sheer drama, suspense and intrigue nothing anybody could have written would grip someone more than the reality of those events a half-century ago in Logan which brought a beautiful woman to her death.

Brought back into modern day focus by the interest of Mrs. Thurman’s brother George Morrison, now a retired New Mexico lawyer, and a small group of local history buffs, the murder and trial are as interesting and mysterious now as they were then.

Morrison is seeking information about the murder, but more specifically he wants to locate her grave, which seems to be as elusive as the facts in the case. Records at the local funeral home say the dead woman was buried in Kentucky, but no traces of her grave were found. Her death certificate in country records says she was buried in McConnell.

It lists the cause of death as…”Unknown.”

A spokesman for the funeral home said the article in this series made it appear they were not cooperating. They explained they turned down Morrison’s request to see records because he could not or did not produce evidence he was next-of-kin to Mrs. Thurman. The official said the funeral home did not make its records to just anyone. The official did confirm the funeral home’s records as stating the late Mrs. Thurman was buried in Kentucky.

Morrison, who recently visited Logan but had to return to New Mexico said he wants to place a tombstone at his sister’s final resting place in addition to unearthing some facts about this most bizarre case.

And so, the mystery goes on , even after 50 years of tales, stories and legends, there are still bumps in the road to the truth about what really happened to Mamie Thurman, before she died and after?

Little of what happened to her after she died is available in the record, although today’s revelation about her burial spot helps to somewhat clear the air. But, what happened before her death and during her murder, at least what was told at a trial, is a matter of country history, much of it revealed in the pages of The Logan Banner which gave wide coverage to the murder and trial.

The discovery of Mamie Thurman’s body atop Trace Mountain the day after she was murdered over 50 years ago had to come as quite a surprise to the killer who put two .38 slugs in her head and then slashed her throat.

Since it was determined in Clarence Stephenson’s trial, (the back many eventually convicted of the murder) that Mamie Thurman was at killed at the mountain site, apparently no one expected the body to be found for some time. The assumption was the killer felt the body would have been eaten by animals long before it was expected to be found. In those days the county was a very rural region, with poor or non-existent roads in most case, providing many places to hide a body.

Garland Davis, listed in The Banner’s microfilm files as “a Holden boy,” found the body while picking berries. Little did he know of the peculiar events which were to later transpire as a result of his horrifying find.

At 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, the same day the body was found, Harry Robertson, listed in The Banner’s files as a prominent sportsman, banker and city political figure, was arrested along with his back handyman, Clarence Stephenson. The warrant was sworn out by Magistrate Elba Hatfield.

Stephenson lived in the attic of the Robertson home and, according to later testimony made his toilet in the basement, where blood believed to by Thurman’s was later found. The blood was proven to be human, but at that time courts refused to admit tests used to determine from where the blood came.

Stephenson did many odd jobs for the Robertsons, including washing dishes. His main duty, however, was to feed and care for Robertson’s hunting dogs.

The Banner’s report Friday, June 24, 1932 said State Police from both Logan and Williamson, Logan City patrolmen Bill Bruce and Hibbard Hatfield, along with Chief Deputy John R. Browning, Bob Jeffreys and others from the county sheriff’s staff had given Prosecuting Attorney L.P. Hager and assistant Emmett F. Scaggs cooperation to the point where “it is probable that a complete confession will be made today.”

Also hired later to assist the prosecution was John (Con) Hatfield, a Logan attorney who was hired by the murdered woman’s husband, Jack Thurmond, a logan city patrolman.

Defense attorney were C.C. Chambers, then a young attorney who later became a Judiciary legend in Logan County and Judge C.L. Estep. Ironically, when bond was granted by Judge Naaman Jackson (whose namesake is present Chief Circuit Judge Naaman Jackson Aldredge), it was C.C. Chambers, Bruce McDonald (McDonald Land Company), T.G. Moore and C.L. Estep who were named as sureties to the $10,000 bond for Robertson.

State Troopers had searched the Robertson home June 24 and found several rags with blood stains on them, and several spots on the floor of the basement, which appeared to have been blood, though attempts had been made to wash it off. A razor also was found in the basement Troopers reported finding a hole in the wall which appeared to be made by a bullet.

In early testimony, Robertson admitted that he had on numerous occasions had what he described as improper relations with the murdered woman and his testimony closely corroborated with that of Stephenson, who told all about places he had driven Mrs. Thurman to meet Robertson including the previous Saturday.

Robertson, however, denied that Stephenson had ever told him about the “affairs” the black man was supposed to have had with her. Robertson admitted that Stephenson had been out with Mrs. Thurman “three or four times” after dark, but said that Stephenson was taking her to meet him somewhere.

On Friday, June 24, Prosecutor Hager said the stories of Mrs. Robertson, Stephenson and Harry Robertson conflicted.

Oscar Townsend, who rented a room at the Robertson home and also worked at the band with him, said there seemed to be some ill feeling for some time between Mrs. Robertson and Mrs. Thurman and Mrs. Robertson had stopped “going around together.”

(NEXT: Part III, 550 Women and 30 Men Attend Unusual Thurman Funeral Services; Numerous Prominent Citizens Selected For Grand Jury)

Dwight Williamson is a former writer for the Logan Banner and a retired magistrate for Logan County.

*Published with permission from the author. Transcribed from a 1985 Logan Banner newspaper clipping courtesy of Mark Edward Jones.

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