HARMON CREEK
When aspiring political candidate Earl Swanger ended up dead next to a bridge in rural Texas while on the campaign trail, it certainly looked like a case of political skullduggery and homicide, right?
Maybe not.
1930 lacked today’s CSI-level forensics, and investigative journalism of the time was limited. As the newspaper narrative of the incident unfolded, sketchy witness accounts, a rationalized explanation of stab wounds, and a rush to judgment (with some input by his political opponent) all combined to fade the story into obscurity.
HARMON CREEK is based on these true events. This tale is part In Cold Blood, part Red Harvest, and part Dateline episode, and explores the conspiracy and coverup associated with the death of Earl Swanger. It also follows Claude, a Black client of the victim and reluctant witness, who must navigate the tightrope of racial inequality as he comes to terms with these events. Candidate Swanger’s family always felt it was murder, and after reading HARMON CREEK, you will most likely agree that the ghosts of this cold case continue to linger almost a century later.
Maybe not.
1930 lacked today’s CSI-level forensics, and investigative journalism of the time was limited. As the newspaper narrative of the incident unfolded, sketchy witness accounts, a rationalized explanation of stab wounds, and a rush to judgment (with some input by his political opponent) all combined to fade the story into obscurity.
HARMON CREEK is based on these true events. This tale is part In Cold Blood, part Red Harvest, and part Dateline episode, and explores the conspiracy and coverup associated with the death of Earl Swanger. It also follows Claude, a Black client of the victim and reluctant witness, who must navigate the tightrope of racial inequality as he comes to terms with these events. Candidate Swanger’s family always felt it was murder, and after reading HARMON CREEK, you will most likely agree that the ghosts of this cold case continue to linger almost a century later.