Murder of Davis Timmerman

Davis Way Timmerman was born on April 18, 1899, in Edgefield County.[4] Before his death, Timmerman owned a filling station and was reportedly wealthy; his family was considered "very prominent" in their area.[5] He was married to a woman named Cornelia (née Watson).[6]

Sue Belle Stidham was born in Saluda County, South Carolina, in April 1899. When she was eleven years old, her mother died.[7]

John Wallace Logue was born in Edgefield County on December 13, 1896. John Wallace and Sue Logue were already married by the time he was drafted to serve in the United States military during World War I.[8] They had one child, a daughter born on December 27, 1930; the infant, who was born prematurely, died three hours after birth.[9]

Clarence Bagwell was born in Brevard, North Carolina, likely around 1908 or 1909. He was married to Flora Bagwell and was a plasterer.[10]

George Reed Logue was born on June 1, 1888, in the town of Edgefield, South Carolina. He was the brother of John Wallace Logue, the brother-in-law of Sue Logue, and the uncle of Joe Frank Logue. He never married.[11]

Joseph Frank Logue, Jr. was born on September 11, 1908, in the town of Edgefield, South Carolina.[12] On September 26, 1924, shortly after he turned 16, his father died, after which his aunt and uncles, Sue, John Wallace, and George Logue, helped raise him. Being raised by this group made Joe Frank feel indebted and loyal to them. By the time of Timmerman's murder, Joseph Frank Logue was married and worked as a police officer in Spartanburg, South Carolina.[2][13][14]

By 1940, the Logues lived in a farmhouse with John Wallace's mother and his brother, George Logue.[2] The Logues' farmhouse was located close to Timmerman's. For several years leading up to 1940, when tensions reached a head with J. Wallace Logue's death, the Logues and the Timmerman family had a long-standing feud.[15]

In September 1940, one of Timmerman's mules wandered into a field belonging to J. Wallace Logue. Timmerman's mule kicked one of Logue's calves to death.[14] Logue requested $20 as compensation for the dead calf, and Timmerman agreed to pay it. On September 30, upon visiting Timmerman's filling station to request the money, Logue doubled his request to $40, and Timmerman refused to pay, after which Logue began attacking Timmerman with an axe. Timmerman retrieved a gun from a drawer and shot Logue twice, killing him. A badly-injured Timmerman drove to the town of Edgefield, South Carolina, to report the killing to the local sheriff.[3]

After the sheriff, county coroner, and solicitor reviewed the scene of Logue's death at Timmerman's store, Timmerman was arrested and charged with Logue's murder. Between Timmerman's arrest and trial, Logue's widow Sue and her brother-in-law, George Logue, invited Joe Frank to their house repeatedly. Joe Frank would drive several hours to get to Edgefield County; during these visits, as Joe Frank would later tell police, both Sue and George Logue repeatedly expressed a desire to avenge John Wallace's death by killing Timmerman. Joe Frank reported specifically hearing Sue Logue saying, "I will kill Davis Timmerman or see that he is killed."[2]

At trial in March 1941, Timmerman argued that he shot Logue in self-defense. The jury accepted his argument and acquitted him of Logue's murder.[3][14] Witnesses at the trial reported that when Logue's widow, Sue Logue, heard the verdict being read, she again vowed to avenge her husband's death.[2]

On November 16, 1941, Sheriff Allen, who was unarmed, approached the Logues' farmhouse alongside Sheriff William L. Clark, who was armed. The two intended to arrest the Logues, but as they entered the house, George Logue and Fred Dorn began shooting at them. Sheriff Allen died at the scene, while Sheriff Clark fired from his own gun, injuring George Logue and fatally wounding Fred Dorn, who was pronounced dead six hours later after being transported to a hospital. Clark was rushed to a hospital in Augusta, Georgia, where he died on November 18.[2][22]

After the deaths of Allen and Clark, a lynch mob formed, threatening extrajudicial violence against Sue and George Logue.[15] Local judge Strom Thurmond, who was having an affair with Sue Logue at the time, approached the Logues' farm, which, at the time, was surrounded by armed citizens. Thurmond convinced the group to let him through so he could negotiate with Sue and George Logue; he then convinced the two to surrender and turn themselves in.[15] Clarence Bagwell and Sue and George Logue were then transported to the South Carolina Penitentiary.[22]

Years after the executions took place, Randall Johnson, a driver who worked at the State House, transported Strom Thurmond to the women's penitentiary, where Sue Logue was being held as she awaited her execution. Thurmond had volunteered to personally transport her to the South Carolina Penitentiary where her execution would take place. Johnson later attested that Thurmond and Logue spent the trip having sexual relations in the back of the car.[2][14]

On January 15, 1943, Sue Logue, George Logue, and Clarence Bagwell were executed in South Carolina's electric chair, in that order. The executions took place at approximately 7:00 am.[17] Sue Logue's execution made her the first woman, albeit not the only one, to be executed in South Carolina's electric chair.[14]