The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-08-20
HAp SPECTACULAR cAREER
John Moissant Who First Flew Eng
lish Channel with a Passenger

lish Channel with a Passenger
In Nicaragua and the various other
republics of Central America where
many Americans of adventurous spir-
il have staked their lives and reputa-
items on their quickness with a gun.
John MOissant, who first achieved the
feat of flying the English channei
with a passenger, bears reputation
which is nothing short of legendary.
No hero Of romance ever had so
many extraordinary exploits, attrib-
uted To him and the tales OF Mois-
SAINTS daring, for several days after
his remarkable fight form the exclus-
i've topic where wars, revolutions OF
filibustering expeditions are discussed
in New York.
At the time when Mossant was so.
iourning in Honduras it is told a
tramp steamer loaded with cargo
valued at something like 100000
was cast ashore during violent
storm and abandoned That night in
the teeth of the gale Moissant made
his way alone to the steamer in a
small dugout and took possession of
the vessel. In the morning the storm
abated and the ships captain accom-
panied by members of the crew ana
an agent of the line rowed out to the
ship which had withstood the pound
ing of the sea and wind but which
was held fast on a sGnken reef in the
outer harbOr. They were halted by
shot from Moissants revolver.
There was some parleying and the
ships skipped dowed back to shore to
inform the American consul and the
authorities that Moissant claimed the
ship and cargo as salvage and had
threatened to blow the head off the
| first man who tried to come aboard.
| There was second expedition to
the ship this time with the American
consul and some native soldiery, but
Moissant refused to be impressed and
to show his sincerity of purpose shot
a hole through the sombrero of the
native commandante. The expedition
to recapture the stranded steamer
| returned to shore for more reinforce
ments of artillery but during the
night another storm more severe than
the first, swept the harbor and COM
pleted the wreck of the tramp. When
daylight broke the vessel was seen to
have foundered Moissant was taken
off later by the American consul who
found him lashed to the topmost rig
ging of the steamer which emerged
only few feet from the water
Previous to this exploit Moissant
appeared in the news columns as
handling a rapid fire gun for the Mic
araguans in an attack on Salvador
during one of the outbreaks there.
The Moissant brothers, George,
Alfred and John, and two sisters, for
many years had interests valued az
several hundred thousand dollars in
Salvador. In 1907 George and Alfred
Moissant were arrested and imprison
cd on charges of aiding and abetting
the revolutionists of that republic
and with having secreted the revolu
tionary general, Escalon. The third
brother, John, was actively implicat
ed in the movement against President
Figeruoa. When the revolutionists
were repulsed by government troops
at Acaiuta, John Moissant fled to
Nicaragua. His brothers later were
released but their property was at
tached by the government as a bonus
to prevent their escape from the
country.
Two years later John Moissant
headed large filibustering expedi
ton against Salvador from Nicaragua
but 1t was nipped in the bud by the
prompt action of Commander William
S. Benson. U. S. n, commanding the
cruiser Albany who threatened tc
sink the vessel in which the filibust
erers proposed to land on Salvadorear
territory.