The Night That Shook Logan 

In a town knit tight by secrets, the murder of Mamie Thurman on Trace Mountain in June 1932 set off a frenzy of whispers, scandal, and a sensational investigation. Mamie Thurman: described as beautiful and devout by day, but living a double life by night, had a long-running affair with the local club owner Harry Robertson, who also happened to be a city official. The mystery deepened when her body was found on the mountain, with numerous clues leading to a single handyman: Clarence Stevenson, a Black man with a laborer’s past and a history of fox-hunting trips with the Robertsons.

“I am not guilty. I have no knowledge of the crime I am charged with. I tried to tell the truth.”

What stands out here is how the town’s biases shaped the narrative. The prosecution leaned hard on Clarence’s race to seal the deal, while the physical evidence: blood stains in a car, a shirt with a small blood spot, a knife found 150 feet away, was interpreted through a lens that favored a swift, decisive verdict. Clarence’s own insistence of innocence, repeated under the strain of an intense interrogation, culminated in a grand jury verdict that many today would question as being more about prejudice than proof.

The Trial That Shook a Town 

The courtroom drama is as telling as the crime itself. Clarence Stevenson, a handyman with a murky chain of connections to the Robertsons, was charged and convicted by a white, largely all-male jury: at a time when there were more than a thousand Black residents in Logan County, yet no Black jurors seated. The defense argued that the case rested on circumstantial evidence and the era’s racial prejudice, pointing out inconsistencies in timeline, alibis, and the murky chain of custody around the Ford sedan used in alleged transportation of the body.

Meanwhile, Harry Robertson: the man who stood to gain from the affair and whose own position in the town gave him enormous influence, had a different set of circumstances. The evidence linking Clarence to Trace Mountain seems flimsy in light of the other testimonies, the missing pages, and the fact that some crucial witnesses’ accounts disappeared from transcripts. The grand jury proceeded with a verdict that many modern readers would deem more about social prejudice than solid forensic certainty, especially given that key details (like the 16-strong list of other alleged lovers Mamie Thurman supposedly kept) were deemed inadmissible at trial.

“Clarence Stevenson was falsely convicted of murder.”

Ultimately, Clarence Stevenson received life in prison, a stark reminder of how the era’s racial dynamics could tilt a case toward conviction even when the factual ties looked tenuous. The verdict has since been questioned by historians and true-crime enthusiasts who argue the evidence didn’t meet today’s standards—and that the real killer may still be at large.

The Legacy: Rumors, Ghosts, and the Unanswered Question 

“Who really killed Mamie Thurman and why?”

Even decades later, the case remains a maze of speculation, folklore, and unanswered questions. Mamie Thurman’s resting place is disputed, with conflicting records about where she was buried after her brutal death. The tale has spawned not just a legal controversy, but a haunting local legend: the ghost of a woman in white said to roam 22 Mine Road, where her body was found, waving down cars and vanishing as the vehicles pull away.

And then there’s the enduring question: who killed Mamie Thurman and why? The evidence that connected Clarence to the crime was circumstantial at best, muddied by the era’s racial attitudes, the conspicuous power of a town patriarch, and the absence of a definitive weapon or a clearly established timeline. The possibility remains that someone else: perhaps a figure with political clout, or another suspect entirely, could have orchestrated the crime or helped cover it up.

If you want the full, immersive dive into every twist and turn: the grand jury transcripts, the back-and-forth of testimonies, and the vivid storytelling that unpacks how prejudice shaped a murder investigation—watch the full video. It’s a deep, compelling retelling of Mamie Thurman’s story, complete with historical context, archival detail, and a closing that will linger long after you’ve finished listening. Long live Appalachia.