In the quiet town of Harrison, Arkansas, a dedicated lawman met a tragic and untimely end. Burr Robertson, the 47-year-old Chief of Police, was a man who had dedicated two decades of his life to law enforcement, having served in both California and Colorado before taking the helm of the Harrison Police Department for a brief three months.
On a fateful day, March 27, 1935, Chief Robertson, accompanied by a deputy, made his way to the Missouri & North Arkansas railroad station.
Their purpose was to serve a warrant on a man employed there, a man wanted for a murder committed three years prior in Pittsburg, Kansas. The suspect's own wife had confirmed his fugitive status, setting in motion the events that would lead to a devastating confrontation.
As Chief Robertson and the deputy approached, the suspect, seeing the officers of the law, did not hesitate. He opened fire, his shots finding their mark and striking Chief Robertson three times. The chief fell, his life cut short in a hail of gunfire while in the line of duty.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the suspect was apprehended. He would eventually face justice for his crimes and was convicted for the murder of Chief Robertson. His own life would end behind the walls of a prison. Burr Robertson, a husband and a father to seven children, was left to be mourned by his family and the community he had sworn to protect.
