In the midst of escalating tensions between union and non-union laborers in the small mining town of Coal Creek, Tennessee, Deputy Sheriff Robert Harmon, a male, lost his life on Sunday, February 7, 1904. The fatal encounter was a grim culmination of a day already marred by violence. Earlier that day, guards employed by the Coal Creek Coal Company had opened fire on a group of striking union miners at the local train station, killing three men.
The guards were escorting non-union workers to the mine when the confrontation occurred.
Following the initial bloodshed, the guards retreated to the mine. In the afternoon, a dispute arose between Deputy Sheriff Harmon and one of the mine guards, a man named Cal Burton. As Harmon attempted to arrest him, Burton drew his weapon and fired twice, killing the deputy sheriff instantly. The motive for the shooting was directly linked to the ongoing labor strife that had gripped the community.
In the aftermath of the deadly events, Cal Burton was taken into custody. On June 15, 1905, just over a year after the shooting, Burton was convicted of the murder of Deputy Sheriff Robert Harmon. He subsequently received a sentence of eight years in prison for his crime. The death of Deputy Harmon stood as a stark and tragic chapter in the violent history of the Coal Creek labor disputes.
