Mamie Thurman

Mamie Thurman (1900–1932) was an American woman whose slain body was found and recovered on 22 Mountain Road near Holden, West Virginia on June 22, 1932. Holden is some five to ten miles from Logan, West Virginia.

Biography

Mamie Thurman was a popular woman in Logan County, West Virginia who was murdered on June 21, 1932. She was the wife of Jack Thurman, a Logan City patrolman. Mamie moved to Logan with her husband in 1924 from Bradfordsville. Her father was George A. Morrison, Sr. and little is known about her mother because she died when Mamie was 3 years old. Mamie was born on September 12, 1900, and she died at the age of 31.

Death and Trial

According to medical authorities at the time, Mamie Thurman's death resulted from her throat being slashed from ear to ear, after which she was shot twice in the left side of the head. Found alongside the body were one shoe, a diamond engagement ring, and a silver wedding band, which ruled out robbery as the motive for her death. The other shoe and her purse, which contained $9 in change, cigarettes, and a wristwatch, were found 30 feet away the next day. The manner and brutality of her murder was a shock to the citizens of the small, quiet, towns in southern West Virginia. The arrest and eventual conviction of a handyman raised many questions in Logan, as the investigation involved several prominent citizens. The trial was standing room only, and many spectators brought their own chairs and basket lunches to the court proceedings.

Conspiracy

Mamie Thurman's death certificate filed at the courthouse states she was buried at Logan Memorial Park in McConnell. Harris Funeral Home records show that her body was transported to Bradfordsville, Kentucky. However, the cemetery in Kentucky has no record of the interment of Mamie's body. It is also said that during the night, days after her funeral, a prominent businessman from Logan paid $1000 to have her body moved to a Chauncey cemetery. It remains a mystery to this day just where Mamie Thurman was buried and if the man convicted in her death was actually her murderer.

Sightings

According to Logan County folklore, many claim that Mamie Thurman's ghost wanders the hills, searching for the person who took her life. Others say that her spirit is still there, waiting for justice. Some^{[by whom?]} claim to have seen her while passing by the Holden 22 Mountain mine road. Folklore even tells that certain coal truck drivers would pick up a woman wearing outdated clothing, only to see her vanish from the cab moments later. Another local legend purports that if you put your car in neutral on 22 Mountain, it will appear to roll backward up the hill. This is said to be the spirit of Mamie Thurman pulling you up the hill, but it is actually a very convincing optical illusion.

References

• Davis, Keith (2007). The Secret Life and Brutal Death of Mamie Thurman. Charleston, W. Va.: Quarrier Press. ISBN 1-891852-54-x. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/54435678&tab=editions. 

Further reading

• Morrison, George A (2004). Ghost of 22 Mountain: The Story of Mamie Thurman. New York: iUniverse. ISBN 9780595317967. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/59147221&referer=brief_results. 
• Wilson, Patty A (2007). Haunted West Virginia: Ghosts & Strange Phenomena of the Mountain State. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. pp. 28–31. ISBN 9780811734004. http://books.google.com/books?id=mD3hLvop_GUC&pg=PA28&dq=%22Mamie+Thurman%22&as_brr=3&sig=uPbZQeSEwvuhJbNOPXslZWTFpdE#PPA28,M1. 

External links

• The Secret Life and Brutal Death of Mamie Thurman Book Sample
• West Virginia Ghost Hunters Search for Mamie

Persondata
Name	Thurman, Mamie
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1901
Place of birth
Date of death	1932
Place of death