The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1915-03-24

must be a top-liner or nothing In this
game. I must be as good as Lincoln
Beachey OF take a back seat. mother.
So long as Lincoln Is flying I must do
the tricks he does"
Three months later he was dead.
Charlie Walsh's wife begged me
have Walsh cut out my deathinyit
Ing spirals. ] tried TO. and he thought
I was Jealous. "Beachey does them.
and must n / am 10 get any OF the
big money" Walsh told her. Two
weeks later Charlie went into the
deadly reverse spiral. A little wire
snapped and he was dead when they
picked him up.
] was flying az Albuquerque. n. NJ.
when a wire from Glen Curtiss told
me that Mrs. Walsh and her two faith
erless babes would pass through
there the next day. In the baggage
car Of the limited vas the body OF
my former team-mate. In her com
partment on the Pullman Mrs. Walsh
made me feel like a wanton murderer
as she told me how Charlie died. de
termined to master my spiral.
! sent some tickets 20 the widow OF
Eugene Ely In San Francisco when I
few there last winter. She sen them
back.
Husband Killed.
Il cannot pear TO see you ny again"
she wrote. Il can't forget that Eu-
n would be with me now IL he had
eve seen YOU hy."
After Horace Kearney died Mrs.
kearney wrote me a pltiful letter re-
minding me OF her request Of a few
months previous in Chicago.
II only he had never seen you and
tried to emulate your flying she
wrote.
At Tanforan. last November.
heard several OF the boys about the
hangers talking about doing the
straight glide" / wanted to leave
the field then. because when / w1rned
them they only laughed. and / was in
the grip OF fear-not for myself. but
because ! was certain they would fol
low my lead and 20 to their deaths.
Why did | enlist as Deaths pace
makerY Well. listen. The people de
manded thrills in the first place.
was never egotistical enough to think
that the crowds came to witness my
skill in putting a biplane through all
the trick-dog stunts. There was only
one thing that drew them to my eN-
hibiuons-the desire TO see some
thing happen-meaning. Of course.
my death. They all predicted that /
would be killed while flying. and none
near wanted to miss being in at the
death If they could help IL. They
paid to see me die. They bet that
would. and the odds were always
against my life, and / got big money
for IT,"
His Greatest Wish.
made up my mind that IL I did
tumble from the air / did not want
my hnal bump to stamp me as a
piker. II 10 came my time 20 bow 10
the scythe-wielder / wanted 20 drop
from thousands OF feet. / wanted
the grand stands and the grounds 20
be packed with a huge. cheering mob.
and the band must be crashing out
the latest rag. And when the ambu,
LARGE. Or worse. hauled me away. !
wanted them all 20 say as they hIed
out the gates. We'll. Beachey was
certainly flying sonnet"
My Death Dip'-the vertical glide
started through an accident tnat
happened 10 me when was thous.
ands Of feet in the air. was up az.
ter the altitude record at the Los
Angeles meet ! was high above the
clouds. 10 was very wonderful. for
below me. as far as the eye could
follow. was q perfect sea Of cloudy
heece that reflected the golden sun IN
a dazzling way. ] felt like an angel
SO much 80 that In the ecstasy OF
the moment I began TO sing aloud.
And In a twenkiing Death seemed 20
creep upon me and reach out and
touch me with a bony hnger-up. My
motor had stopped dead
TO was beyond my powers 10 de-.
scribe my feelings IN that dread mo