Deputized Civilian James P. Burk, aged 36, was a member of the Big Spring Police Department in Texas. On the night of April 25, 1907, Burk volunteered to assist City Marshal T. B. Sullivan in raiding a house of prostitution. As Burk walked around the house with the marshal's pistol, the occupants opened fire, and Burk was shot through the heart. He succumbed to his injuries within approximately four minutes.
Following the incident, Marshal Sullivan and sheriff's deputies arrested three
men: Ed Hargrave, Will Manning, and Albert Smith. Ed Hargrave was subsequently tried and convicted of murder in the second degree. He received a sentence of 25 years in prison. The court noted that Hargrave allegedly shot Burk, who was a police officer, at the house of prostitution.
Burk's body was sent to Denison, Grayson County, for burial, although the exact location of his burial remains unknown. Burk was unmarried at the time of his death. His sacrifice and dedication to protecting the citizens of Big Spring, Texas, are remembered and honored.
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