appeared that the youth had taken a quick
way out and committed suicide on the
bank of the river, which would account
for the two shots heard by the sergeant.
In fact, Murray had been told by the two
women that just before releasing them,
the young man said he was going to shoot
himself rather than surrender. All en-
treaties had failed.

Searching for the body, the officers re-
mained until darkness made further
effort useless. Wearily they returned to
Keremeos.

The following slay, June 14th, 1946,
Sergt. Halcrow with Corp. Murray, and
Constables H. Cartmell, C. H. Atchison
and also Const. R. L. Newington of the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police, with his
Doberman dog, arrived to continue the
search. The dog was put on the scent of
the foot prints, and followed them along
the river till they disappeared in the water.
The river was in freshet, and had risen
considerably since the previous night.
Heavy rains had contributed to this and
made the dog’s task more difficult.

Shortly after noon, information was
received by the officers, that a man had
been seen moving about on an island in
the middle of the river some five hundred
yards downstream from the railway
bridge. So, the fugitive was not dead.
He had been known as an excellent swim-
mer, and probably the swift, swirling
waters of the Similkameen had tossed
him ashore on this island, little more
than a sand bar with low vegetation. The
dog, now taken downstream, evinced
interest in the island, and seemed to catch
a furtive scent across the hundred yards
of tumbling waters. Const. Newington
remained on guard, while the other officers
went for a boat, and scattered to guard
other points along the river bank in case
the fugitive made a break for it by swim-
ming the torrent.

Orrrcers NARROWLY [iscAPE DROWNING

Soon a truck arrived carrying a boat
which was quickly launched. Corp.
Murray and Constables Atchison and
Cartmell volunteered to take the boat
across the hundred yards of foaming
waters, and pulled out from the shore,
only to be caught in twisting eddies and
leaping waters of the treacherous river.
Within a few moments the boat was
almost swamped, and an effort was made
to return to shore, but with a final sick-
ening lurch the boat capsized, hurling all
three officers into the river. Icy from the
melting snows of the surrounding peaks,
the water numbed the three men. Const.
Cartmell who had been thrown out of the
boat closest to shore managed to make the
bank. However, Const. Atchison became
entangled in tree roots and branches
which were in the swollen river, and he
was powerless to help himself. He was
also seriously handicapped by the rifle
which he was trying to save, but finally
had to abandon or lose his life. Cart-

SEVENTEENTH EDITION

mell seeing his brother officer in diffi-
culties, re-entered the torrent to aid him,
and almost lost his life in doing so. With
ropes cast from the shore, the two men
were finally brought to dry land. In the
meantime Corp. Murray had been swept
down the river for some distance, and
weighted down with belt and revolver,
was almost drowned. Howewver, as he
was swept close to some overhanging
branches, he clutched them, and with
assistance from the shore, managed to
reach the bank. The three men were
in a state of utter exhaustion after their
harrowing experience, but a kindly farm-
er’s wife speedily prepared hot baths,
scalding coffee and fresh clothing for all
three men.

As this near tragedy had been averted,
another truck arrived with a boat, some-
what smaller, but much more seaworthy
than the one used by the police officers.
Two men, both volunteers, undertook to
bring the fugitive through the swirling
waters. These two men were Carl Peder-
son of Keremeos and a friend, Robert
Parsons. Pederson knew: the fugitive
well, and was also familiar with the river
currents. They reached the island in
safety and found the fugitive in a state of
utter exhaustion. He was aided to the
boat and ferried back across the swollen
river, where he was handed over to the
police.

CuLprit IN BAD SHAPE

The young man was suffering from
exposure, and also had a bullet wound in
the forehead, which he had inflicted upon
himself in an attempted suicide. The
bullet, however, had been deflected by the
frontal bone of the head, thus saving his

life. He was not able to speak coherently
and was in a pitiable condition. It seems
that he had gone to the edge of the water
the previous day, after leaving his wife
and mother-in-law, then shot himself.
He was temporarily stunned. Falling for-
ward into the icy stream, the shock re-
vived him, and he began to swim mechan-
ically. Five hundred yards down stream
he was thrown on the little island, and
crawled ashore. All that night and the
next day he lay, wet, cold and hungry.
The instinct of self preservation mani-
fested itself when hearing the searchers,
he had attempted to conceal himself.

Hurried to Penticton, the young man
was taken to the hospital where Const.
Stewart lay, and given treatment for both
wound and exposure. He remained there
under guard as he was too ill to be
removed to the lock-up.

Two weeks later to the day, court was
convened in Const. Stewart's room at
the hospital. He was too ill to be moved,
so the magistrate, counsel, court sten-
ographer, accused and police escort had
to attend his bedside, so that he might be
able to testify in the charge of attempted
murder laid against the defendant. Stew-
art quietly and without sign of resent-
ment towards the defendant, told his
story. Several other witnesses testified
to the events of that harrowing day, and
the accused was committed for trail to
the next court of competent jurisdiction.

At the Vernon Fall Assize, on October
31st, 1944, the jury brought in a verdict
of “guilty of wounding’ and made a
strong recommendation for mercy.

Acting upon this recommendation the
court sentenced the defendant to eighteen
month’s imprisonment. During the trial

“The fugitive shot himself and fell into the river.”

Page Five

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