The Coconino sun., 1916-01-28
NEAvy ARIZONA SHERIFF
 MAKES THRILLING ARREST
BRINGS IN HIS MAN BY MEANS
 OF SHEER BRAVERY
COnquers Three Fugitives While Swimming for His Life in Mid
 River-Desperate Situation


 River-Desperate Situation
 Flagstaff, Arizona, Jan. 2O.--One of the most thrilling captures in the his tory of criminal hunting in Arizona was accomplished by w. c, Dickinson, sheriff of Coconino county, when he overhauled Willis Azbell, charged with murder, in the turbulent Cobra do river near Needles, Calf.
 After obtaining information which led him to believe that Azbell, pa- roled convict, killed Harry Thomas, a young man whose body was found in a pond on a cattle ranch southwest of Flagstaff, Sheriff Dickinson set out on the trail of his man. He followed him across Coconino, Yavapai and Mohave counties. In the dense under brush along the Colorado, west of Oatman, Dickinson found where Az bell had built a raft of logs. Tracks and other signs about the camp showed that the raft had just been launched and Dickinson knew that Az bell must have floated down stream.
 From a miner few miles up the river Dickinson borrowed a gasoline launch. Alone in the light, frail craft, which was tossed about like a chip on the muddy water, he set off down the Colorado, which was swollen to twice it's normal size by rains and snows.
 Sights His Man on Raft
 Near Needles, twenty miles below, Dickinson came in sight of the raft, on which was Azbell, his one-armed wife and their little son. When about fifty yards away he shouted to Azbell to steer toward the Arizona shore and give himself up.
 On the rear end of the raft was a pile of posts, each about six feet long. Azbell gave his boy some order and he began to throw the posts into the water and the nose of Dickinson's launch crushed into one Only by a miracle was the little boat saved from capsizing.
 The boy continued to throw off posts and the sheriff experienced much difficulty in avoiding them as he steered toward the raft When he was within fifty feet of the raft, Azbell's wife ran to the assistance of the boy and they pushed the last half-dozen posts into the water. Dickinson was unable to steer clear of them all and his launch overturned. In moment it was resting on the bottom, perhaps twenty feet below, and he was strug- gling in the water.
 Officers Undaunted Bravery Wins
 Heedless of the imprecations of the Azbells, Dickinson set out to swim to the raft. Azbell worked desperately to gain the shore and would have succeeded had not the raft grounded on a concealed bar. Dickinson placed one hand on the side and stick came down with cruel force on his fingers He sank below the surface, swan un- der the boat and came up on the other side. Azbell had seized a shotgun and with his wife and boy was watching for the sheriff to come up where he had disappeared
 Quietly the sheriff pulled himself aboard, drew his revolver and ordered "Hands up" Azbell then surround cred without further barley and obeyed Dickinson's order to pull foi the Arizona shore.-Chicago Saturday Blade.
 Some Submarine Sheriff
 While the artist that painted this story in paper noted for it's ability to circumvent the truth, never got the interview from Dickinson, we know Bill would have swum hole through the sand bar under the raft if it hac been necessary, Bills frineds here en' joyed the story very much and, know ing he is in no way responsible for it accuse him of being a real Dead Eye Dick.