The murder of Davis Timmerman occurred on September 17, 1941, in Edgefield County, South Carolina. Initially, there were no suspects, and police suspected that the murder was committed by a stranger who ambushed Timmerman in his store. However, a two-month investigation led to the arrests of Clarence Bagwell, George Logue, Logue's sister-in-law Sue Stidham Logue, and Sue's nephew Joe Frank Logue, who were accused of planning and committing Timmerman's murder in retaliation for the self-defense shooting of George Logue's brother and Sue Logue's husband, John Wallace Logue. Timmerman was acquitted of John Wallace Logue's murder the prior year. Additionally, George and Sue Logue's arrests resulted in the deaths of three men, two law enforcement officers and a civilian, as George Logue engaged in a gun battle with the people who attempted to arrest them.
Timmerman's murder, and the ensuing trials of the three suspects, garnered significant press, especially within South Carolina; much of the retrospective attention around this case has centered around Sue Logue's personal life, as she was one of Strom Thurmond's lovers. All four suspects were convicted of Timmerman's murder and sentenced to death, and three – George Logue, Sue Logue, and Clarence Bagwell – were executed on January 15, 1943. Sue Logue's execution made her the first woman to be put to death in South Carolina's electric chair.
After the executions, George and Sue Logue's nephew, Joe Frank Logue, was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death for his involvement in Timmerman's murder. An hour before his scheduled execution, after having undergone the preparations for an electrocution, Joe Frank Logue received a commutation.
Background
Involved parties' early lives
Davis Way Timmerman was born on April 18, 1899, in Edgefield County. Before his death, Timmerman owned a filling station and was reportedly wealthy; his family was considered "very prominent" in their area. He was married to a woman named Cornelia (née Watson).
Sue Belle Stidham was born in Saluda County, South Carolina, in April 1899. When she was eleven years old, her mother died.
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. They had one child, a daughter born on December 27, 1930; the infant, who was born prematurely, died three hours after birth.
Clarence Bagwell was born in Brevard, North Carolina, likely around 1908 or 1909. He was married to Flora Bagwell and was a plasterer.
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.
Joseph Frank Logue, Jr. was born on September 11, 1908, in the town of Edgefield, South Carolina. 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.
By 1940, the Logues lived in a farmhouse with John Wallace's mother and his brother, George Logue. 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.
Death of John Wallace Logue and acquittal of Davis Timmerman
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. 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.