Captain William Robert Burke was born on this day in 1897, in Ashe County, to John Thomas and Mollie Ellen Phillips Burke.
He attended school, then he began farming. He left farming to work in the coal mines of Virginia, then he came to Winston-Salem in 1923. He joined the police force and was assigned to direct traffic at Fifth and Trade Streets. He recalled later in an interview that “there were no stoplights then, and I stood there hour-in and hour-out and waved one line of traffic forward and then the other. I began to regret joining the police.”
He was transferred to the detective division in 1928, although it was a strenuous job that few wanted. He recalled that the detective force was small, and they came to work early early and stayed late. When they were involved in a case they just could not stop, so his family almost gave him up.
The “Spider Gang” (photo shown above) was a name that the detective division acquired because they wove a web of evidence so tightly around a suspect, that he could not escape. Burke was named head of this division in 1937, (back row at far right) and he held that position until he retired in 1964 as a captain. He was named a Court Liaison Officer after his retirement and worked at that position until he became ill and passed away in 1978.
Burke was married to Lillie Berry Burke. He was a member of Temple Baptist Church where he served as Chairman of the Deacons.
Captain Burke began a legacy for his family, as his son and grandson also served as detectives in Winston-Salem and in Raleigh.
Photos courtesy of Forsyth County Public Library Photograph Collection.
