The Guns of Meeting Street: A Southern Tragedy

by T. Felder Dorn

As compelling as fiction, The Guns of Meeting Street reconstructs a series of murders from the early 1940s that rocked rural Edgefield County, South Carolina. Featuring a cast of unlikely antagonists―a prominent store owner, an elementary school teacher, and a law enforcement officer―the acts of revenge resulted in five murders and a trio of executions, including that of the first woman to be electrocuted in South Carolina.

Through interviews with members of the two families involved, T. Felder Dorn probes the longstanding feud between the Logues and the Timmermans to uncover this chilling plot of resentment, revenge, and violence. Dorn's careful research weaves together the oral history of family members affected by the shooting with court transcripts, prisoner confessions, and coroners' reports to produce a truly gripping account of the events.

Although most of the deaths took place between 1940 and 1943, the roots of this tragedy can be traced back to killings that occurred in the Meeting Street community in the 1920s. The story climaxes on January 15, 1943, with the execution, within a single hour, of Sue Stidham Logue, George Logue, and Clarence Bagwell for the murder of Davis Timmerman. Dorn's saga concludes with the 1960 parole and rehabilitation of Joe Frank Logue Jr., the only one of Timmerman's killers to escape capital punishment.

Not for the faint of heart, The Guns of Meeting Street details the circumstances and motivations for the killings, the complexities of the court cases, and the involvement in the proceedings of South Carolina governors Richard Manning Jefferies, Olin D. Johnston, and J. Strom Thurmond.

Genres: True Crime, History

440 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2001

Reviews

[Helga Cohen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This true crime story that occurred in rural Edgefield SC reads like fiction. It captivated the state and nation in the 1940’s. It chronicles the family feud between the Logue and Timmerman families.

The book featured prominent members of the community, a store owner, a school teacher, and a law enforcement officer who hid in the getaway car while a hired gunman shot his enemy. Five murders resulted in acts of revenge. Three people were put to death in the electric chair, including the first woman to be electrocuted in SC.

The author does an outstanding job uncovering the feud between the families to uncover the truth about the plot for revenge and violence. He was able to construct this crime through his research with the use of interviews between the families, court transcripts, prisoner confessions and coroner’s reports.

I picked up this book while taking a day visit to the historic site at Edgefield, SC which was the birthplace of the late Senator Strom Thurmond. It was a very interesting and well documented book.

[Jennifer Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I guess I didn't expect this to be so fascinating, but the other book I was reading was completely neglected. From about page 20, I could not put it down. It's been quite a while since a book made me so eager to find out what would happen next. It did bog down in a few places, but nothing serious. I liked the inclusion of family trees with birthdates, it helped greatly when reading about people whose names tended to overlap.

[Bobby Eubanks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great local history read

I live in Edgefield county. I heard about this book and was curious about the murders near Edgefield, SC. The author did a superb job presenting the case. Though a gruesome story , this book revealed many different details about those involved in the murders. I enjoyed reading this book.

[Joseph R. Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chronicles the family fued between the Logue and Timmerman families of Edgefield County, SC. This is Bonnie and Clyde meets the Hatfields and McCoy, plus it's a true story! I've been to all the real sites where this community civil war took place in the 1930's and 1940's, and as well as the book is written, I got chills! I highly recommend it!!!

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid, if not engrossing, account of a murderous family fued that also cost the lives of two policement in Edgefield County, South Carolina in the 1940s. Strom Thurmond plays a role. I thought the account was a bit confusing, but overall it was a good read.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although it reads more like a text book than it should - a fascinating read, particularly for an Edgefield native