Thurman Case Testimony Reads Lot Like A TV Soap Opera

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

Logan Banner, Wednesday, August 28, 1985

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

By Dwight Williamson
Part XI of a Series

Testimony in the Mamie Thurman Murder Trial reads more like a soap opera than evidence. It fueled tongue waggers and gossipers in 1932 Logan.

And, the trail raised about as many new questions as it failed to answer, causing the case to remain a mystery today.

If television had been around during that era of change, and had it covered the trial, the county would have “stayed tuned” to the local station, had there been one, “to find out what happened to Mamie and if prominent Logan County could ever find happiness again.

The county held its breath as one after another climbed to the witness stand in Clarence Stephenson’s trial for the murder of the Vixen of Stratton Street, Mamie Thurman. What would be the latest revelation in this already sordid affair? It was almost as if the community felt the real guilty party was Mamie Thurman and that she had received her just reward…but now, it was time to pin the murder on someone…maybe someone other than the real murderer because of a warped system of social values which ran the county in those days…and it was time once again to get in on the latest hot lead in the case.

Mrs. Harry Robertson, wife of a former suspect in the case, was on the witness stand for one hour and 25 minutes.

According to The Banner’s report carried in the October 12 edition. And, from all indications, her testimony and actions were very sound.

Mr. Robertson, a local banker-politician and at one time prime suspect although not indicted, was then recalled for testimony. He was interrogated by the prosecution concerning a statement he made in June at state police headquarters. Robertson, during the investigation, said he did have a hunting knife, which he carried in his hunting clothes. However, when testifying October 13, Robertson said the knife was not a hunting knife, but just a pocket knife.

The location of a blade was important to the case since Mrs. Thurman’s throat had been slashed “from ear to ear” almost in surgical-like fashion.

“It was still in my trousers the other night when I went hunting. I never owned a hunting knife in my life,” Robertson told the jury.

Oscar Townsend, a tenant of the Robertsons the time of the murder was called to the stand, just prior to the Robertson’s black handyman and lone defendant in the case, Clarence Stephenson. Townsend said the two guns found in his room by officers were model ’82s and were Robertson’s. One was found under Townsend’s mattress, the other in a dresser drawer, where they were left by police.

According to The Banner’s account, Stephenson underwent “grueling” examination on the witness stand. He took the stand at 11:10 a.m. and was questioned by his attorneys until noon. When court resumed at 1:15 p.m., he was questioned until 3:25 p.m. Still later he had to return to the stand and was questioned for 10 minutes.

Stephenson said he had been a resident of Peach Creek, Dehue, Lorado, MacBeth, Holden and other places. He lived at Peach Creek for six years and he said he still received his mail there.

The black man spoke of times he had taken his boss to meet Mrs. Thurman secretly. He mentioned a High Street home, Crooked Creek and Holden.

Stephenson told of how Robertson would want him to inform Mrs. Thurman to make some sandwiches, jokingly saying he would eat them before the fox hunt Wednesday night. The two men had planned on going hunting Tuesday, but Stephenson said he wasn’t able. Stephenson said he went to Mrs. Thurman and she said she would see him Wednesday evening and tell him where she would be.

Further testimony by Stephenson was that he, at Mr. Robertson’s request, follow Mamie Thurman and a black woman when they left the house “and see where she went.” Stephenson said it was the only time he had the car out of the garage and he said he drove it to Draper and back.

He further testified that Mr. Robertson sent him down the street to watch the entrance of the Holland Building and see if Mrs. Thurman came out of there. Stephenson said he didn’t see her leave.

According to The Banner’s account, every minute of Stephenson’s time up until 11 p.m. and after on Tuesday night, June 21 had been accounted for by Mrs. Robertson and Townsend. In most modern-day cases that would have been enough evidence for an iron-clad alibi since it had been established that Mrs. Thurman’s death occurred sometime late that fateful Tuesday night.

Stephenson said it was after 8 a.m. the next morning when Mrs. Robertson called him downstairs because Mr. Thurman wanted to speak to him.

“Mr. Thurman asked me if I saw his wife down the street the night before. He said she was missing and he couldn’t find her.

“I told him I saw her leave home the evening before. We stood and talked for about 15 minutes. Then I went to the bank and asked Mr. Robertson what was (going on) around here about Mrs. Thurman being missing.

“I went back to see Mr. Robertson again and he said he understood there was a party in Midelburg Addition Tuesday night and maybe Mrs. Thurman had got drunk and didn’t want to come home. He said if Mrs. Thurman saw me, she would hail me and probably I could get her home.

“After leaving Midelburg, I went to the bank and told Mr. Robertson I hadn’t seen her and he said he was wrong, that he had found out the party had been called off. Then I went to Peach Creek after my mail.

“About 12:30 Mr. Robertson told me to (go) see Jack Thurman and tell him he would be glad to do anything he could to help. I went to Mr. Thurman’s apartment and he was in bed.”

Stephenson said he then washed dishes for Mrs. Robertson. Afterwards, he and Mr. Robertson drove to the Midelburg (theater) when Robertson talked to a girl selling tickets. Then we drove to High Street, to Draper and Mr. Thurman stopped at Mr. Dallas Morrison’s home.

“We drove back through town, through Black Bottom and then to Stollings where we stayed about 20 or 25 minutes watching some people swim.”

Later on, Stephenson spoke of parking the Ford and he and Mr. Thurman walking to the bank and he called Robertson outside. Stephenson said shortly later the telephone ran “and to my best recollection it was Mr. Willard Robinson who answered and called Mr. Robertson to the phone.”

“Mr. Robertson came back and said, ‘Well Jack, I hate to tell you but your wife has been found.’ When Mr. Thurman asked where, Mr. Robertson answered, ‘on Trace Mountain, murdered’.

“Then Mr. Thurman hit his fist into the wall and said ‘I have nothing to live for. I want to die.'”

Stephenson said Robertson then tried to take the gun off Thurman. The black man said Robertson then told him to “stay close to Mr. Thurman and not to let him hurt himself.”

“Mr. Smeltzer (Chief of Police) unarmed Mr. Thurman and then Mr. Thurman walked back and forth on the railroad tracks,” Stephenson said. He added that it was sometime after 2 p.m. when he left Mr. Thurman at Harris Funeral Home.

Stephenson said when he visited Thurman’s apartment later that day he found Thurman and Chief Smeltzer there drinking. This statement was later branded as false by Smeltzer, the prosecution using Smeltzer as a rebuttal witness.

Stephenson told of being taken to State Police headquarters in Williamson. He said as he and troopers Cobb and Hampton returned to Logan out of Pigeon Roost on Trace Mountain two cars were parked and some shots were fired. He said the state troopers thought it was a mob and asked him if he was afraid.

When told by the troopers that if he didn’t tell all he knew, it was likely he would be “taken off,” Stephenson said he made the assertion, if he made a dying statement it would be:

“I don’t know anymore than I’ve told.”

Robertson was recalled to the witness stand for additional questioning by attorney Chambers. He said shortly after he had relations with Mrs. Thurman, she gave him a list of 16 other men with whom she had been intimate.

The Banner account reported Robertson as vehemently denying the part of Stephenson’s story when he claimed Robertson sent him to see if Mrs. Thurman came out of the Holland Building, but confessed to directing Stephenson to “watch our” about her.

And, the county without television continued to “tune-in”.

(NEXT: part XII, “Police Chief, Troopers Testify and Chemist Testify”).

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

*Published with permission.

Leave a comment.

Articles by Dwight Williamson on this site.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *