In the early 20th century, Middleton Pierce Harwell, a 53-year-old Special Officer with the Western and Atlantic Railroad Police, tragically lost his life in the line of duty. On the evening of Saturday, March 25, 1905, while patrolling the railroad yards beneath the Forsyth Street Viaduct in Atlanta, Georgia, he interrupted two men in the act of breaking into a freight car. As he moved between the cars to confront them, he was shot twice in the back of the head.
His body was discovered shortly after by nearby railroad workers who were drawn to the sound of the gunshots. He was found still clutching his revolver.
The initial investigation yielded few leads, but a breakthrough came a month later when two men sold a large quantity of tobacco to a local store owner. A police officer and a railroad detective, aware of a recent theft of a similar amount of tobacco from a freight car, grew suspicious. Their investigation led to the arrest of the two men. For two months, the suspects remained silent. Then, one of the men confessed to jail officials, implicating his partner as the one who shot and killed Officer Harwell during their attempted burglary. His partner subsequently admitted to firing the fatal shots.
On October 25, 1905, both men were convicted of the murder of Special Officer Middleton Pierce Harwell and were sentenced to life in prison. Their fates, however, would be sealed long before they served their full sentences. On August 4, 1906, one of the men, aged 32, was shot and killed by a guard while attempting to escape from prison. His 26-year-old accomplice died in prison on January 29, 1907. Officer Harwell, a dedicated officer with at least 15 years of service, was survived by his wife and three children.
