Plaque is located outside of the Jerome, AZ Police Department.
See information below for Officers Hawkins and Lowry
Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office
Frank Lee Dickinson killed Porfirio Hernandez, the murderer of James Lowry.
See Plaque Above
Glenda Farley Jul 14, 2022
Sheriff James Lowry was killed on 7/17/1918.
Lowry was just the second YCSO officer killed in the line of duty in the history of the department.
Near the door of the bunkhouse about 12 or 15 men were gathered. Officer "Wright heard one of them profanely advise Mr. Hernandez not to let himself be taken. Officer Wright singled out Porfirio Hernandez from the crowd and said: 'Come along, I want you.' With that Porfirio Hernandez drew an automatic revolver and began firing at Officer Lowry. It is believed that his first three bullets hit Officer Lowry in the breast and stomach."
"Officer Lowry started to double up. As he sank to the ground, he managed to draw his own revolver and fire twice at Mr. Hernandez, but both shots went wild. Porfirio Hernandez turned and fled around the building. Officer Wright had only three cartridges in his little revolver but fired them all at the fleeing murderer."
Deputy Sheriff Frank Dickerson, of Coconino County killed James Lowry’s murderer, Porfirio Hernandez, on 07/19/1918. Officer Frank Dickinson was riding along a road looking for some cattle when he overtook a man riding eastward. The man said he was looking for his sheep and wanted to buy a horse. "The man was highly nervous and kept a close eye on the ranchman. His hand never strayed far from the butt of a big pistol he wore," a .32 Savage automatic. In order to divert his attention for a moment, Officer Dickerson pointed over his shoulder and asked him if that was not a wolf over there. Porfirio Hernandez turned to look. Officer Dickinson "sprang from his saddle, drawing his gun, a .38 Colt, as he leaped, and ordered the man to throw up his hands. Hernandez' only response was to draw his gun and open fire on his captor who immediately returned the fusillade. The murderer fell dead to the ground.
From the book “Experience Jerome and the Verde Valley. Legends and Legacies” by Kate Ruland-Thorne
Hernandez had escaped, along with others, and hundreds of enraged local citizens, some deputized, were scouring hills and canyons through the valley. Ending Hernandez’s terrorist reign would fall to one man, Deputy Sheriff and rancher, Frank Dickinson. It was a battle with six shooters at a distance of six feet.
Frank Dickinson, unscathed, lived to tell it like this…
“I had been able to get a good description of the fugitive from the circular sent to me by the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office. I was positive of the man’s identity when I first met up with him. I saw him first at 11:30 on Friday morning. He lied to me from where he came from. He began to talk about wanting a horse. I was satisfied he was the man wanted for murder and in order to get his attention off me for a second, I pointed over his shoulder and asked him if that was a wolf or coyote in the distance. As he turned to look, I jumped off my horse gun in hand and faced him. I was armed with a .38 Colt. I commanded him to throw up his hands. He did not comply but drew his gun a .32 Savage automatic, the same gun that killed Jim Lowry. He began firing. I fired at the same time. My bullet struck him in the chest. As he fell to the ground, he shot at me four times. All of his shots went wild. I knew he was dead. I then headed on to Camp Verde to notify the Officers.”
1929 Prescott, AZ Coconino County Sheriff William G Dickinson front, third from the left.
William Green Dickinson
Sheriff Coconino County
Deputy Sheriff Yavapai County
Son of Samuel Cotton Dickinson, brother of Frank Lee Dickinson
W G Dickinson was the first Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office deputy sheriff assign to Cottonwood, AZ and was elected Sheriff of Coconino County, Arizona in 1913.
1892 Abduction Incident: W.G. Dickinson participated in a posse organized to rescue Alice Packard, a young girl allegedly abducted by Native Americans near Coconino County.
1894: Elected as a constable.
1895: Assisted in legal matters, including the "Missouri Bill" case.
1896: Became a poundmaster while continuing as a constable.
1911: Appointed as a member of the Board of Supervisors for Coconino County.
1913–1919: Served as Sheriff of Coconino County.
1916: Reelected as Sheriff.
W.G. Dickinson investigated the gruesome murder of Fred and May Prescott, an unsolved case that highlighted his tenure
Investigated and captured the Azbill Brothers, leading to their conviction for murder.
Sheriff W. G. Dickinson accompanied by Deputy Frank Dickinson handled an incident involving an insane individual in Williams, Arizona.
1917: Issued notices related to the World War I effort, requiring "alien enemies" to surrender weapons.
1917: Oversaw operations against organized criminal activities, including illegal gambling setups. His investigative team uncovered sophisticated methods of cheating in poker games.
Frank Lee Dickinson
Undersheriff Coconino County
Deputy Sheriff Yavapai County
Son of Samuel Cotton Dickinson and brother of W. G. Dickinson
1901 - Appointment as Yavapai County Deputy Sheriff
December 1, 1915: Appointed Undersheriff for Coconino County, Arizona.
April 21, 1916: As Undersheriff, seizes 15 gallons of whiskey during Prohibition enforcement.
May 1916: Along with Sheriff "Bill" Dickinson and Constable Fairchild of Flagstaff, Frank Dickinson was involved in detaining an individual in Williams, Arizona
July 13, 1916: Assists in transporting convicted murderers, the Azbill Brothers, to the state penitentiary.
October 1916: Dickinson, as a deputy sheriff, was involved in apprehending individuals who illegally killed livestock belonging to the Johnson Cattle Company. He demonstrated prompt action in investigating the crime and ensuring the perpetrators were brought to justice
July 10, 1917
July 16: Responds to labor unrest in Jerome, Arizona.
1918: Engages in a dramatic shootout with Porfirio Hernandez during a rebellion in Jerome, fatally wounding the fugitive. Porfirio Hernandez murdered Sheriff Lowry.
March 19, 1919: Frank Dickinson was commissioned as a Deputy Sheriff.
October 25, 1922: Frank Dickinson was noted for driving over from Verde with a prisoner and a still as part of his law enforcement duties.
November 15, 1922: Serves as deputy sheriff in Clarkdale, Arizona.
James Hawkins
Constable Jerome Justice Precinct Yavapai County
Husband of Mariah May Dickinson (Frank Dickinson and William Dickinson's sister)
See Plaque Above
James Hawkins was killed April 19, 1891.
Constable Hawkins was shot and killed while escorting a prisoner to the courthouse. The man had just been arrested for resisting arrest. As they walked to the courthouse the man suddenly pulled out a gun and shot Constable Hawkins in the chest. The suspect was sentenced to life for Constable Hawkins' murder but was released after serving only three years. James Hawkins was the 5th Constable killed in the line of duty in Arizona.
Spouse: Mariah May Dickinson Hawkins 1864-1889 Daughter of Samuel Cotton Dickinson and Frank Lee’s sister.
Children:
Charles Thomas Hawkins 1883–1936
Minnie Lee Hawkins Smith 1886–1974
The orphaned children were raised by their grandparents Samuel Cotton and Nancy Dickinson.
Jim along with his parents and siblings were a part of the 1875 wagon train from Missouri.
Jim Hawkins’s daughter Minnie married Maurice Calvin Smith (brother of Hulda Susan Smith Dickinson Marshall).
The Dickinsons along with Maurice and Minnie Smith owned and operated the store/post office in Cottonwood until it was sold to Alonzo Mason in 1907. Frank Dickinson and M C Smith were the last owners of the Cottonwood store (EV Mercantile) and sold it to Alonso Mason.
