Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-10-10
Gets Aero Pilots Place and
Now Wears Croix de Ia
Guerre.
NEVER IN A Machine;
HE SIMPLY READ UP
In Battle With Germans, Elliott
Cowden, Polo Player, Proves
His Bravery.
Copyright, 1879

Copyright, 1879
PARIS. September 4.-There is this to
be said for Elliott Cowden's plan OF
studying by mail how to run anaero-
plane: It gives you a thorough grasp OF
your subject.
What would you do" asked the
French examiners. 'if you were pilot
ing an aeroplane and a German plane
attacked you?"
Mr.. Cowden didn't hesitate moment
That problem had been contained IN
his fourth lesson.
IT would get on top" said he, and
then would shoot him down"
Which is precisely what he did when
the test came. 1t is one of the reasons
why Mr. Cowden is now wearing the
Croix de la Guerre on his breast II Is
not the principal reason why TINS story
is being written. There are many ava
tors who have won the cross, and there
are many others who have shot Ger
mans out of the air without getting 1t.
But no one ever did precisely what
Mr.. Cowden did. Even now, with evil
dence of it's truth before me, f1nd 1t
somewhat hard to believe.
Cowden is a polo player when he Is
at home in New York. He may be
other things. No one here seems TO
know. Inquiry at the few places where
he is known in Paris developed that
Mr.. Cowden is slender-the Americans
here call him "skinny"-and wears a
stingy mustache. He is twenty-eight
years old no one knows whether he is
rich or not, though it is presumed that
he is because he plays polo, and his
father and brother are In San Fran
cisco. That absolutely finishes the
vital statistics com-at-able hereaoouts
in the Cowden case.
Decides to Aid France.
Some months ago Cowden decided to
come over to France and fight for the
allies and more specifically for France.
If he has convictions about this war
he has not aired them widely. General
opinion in the American colony here is
that he wanted to have some fun. Polo
playing had palled on him. 1t seems
hardly worth while merely to get
stone bruise on the ankle from some
pect of having your head shot off is
being offered. After he reached Paris
he looked about a bit. He found that
as foreigner he must enlist in the
Foreign Legion.
That" said Mr.. Cowden to himself,
ais not good enough"
No reflection on the legion is here
contained. Some units of 1t have done
wonderful fighting. Some other units
have done no fighting at all. Mr.. Cow
He wanted to make sure of excitement.
He took a tentative two months with
the American ambulance as driver.
That proved to be not good enough.
The men who are doing the fighting
are ridiculously careful of ambulance
drivers. The moment one sees a
chance to get himself nicely shot he is
sent off to the rear and out of danger.
Mr.. Cowden grieved about this un-
sportsmanlike attitude of the soldiers.
II will join the flying CORPS" he de-
cided. "Other Americans have done
that. Billy Thaw is f1ier and got a
cross the other day. l can do what
ever Billy Thaw does"
Never in an Aeroplane.
According to the unanimous testi-
mony of the American colony here, Mr..
Cowden had never been in an aero
plane in his life. Allowing for the
colonists' anxiety to make a good
story, 1t is still certain that he never
piloted a plane. He had never touched
the levers. 1 range myself fatty on the
been in one. I prefer it that way.
Anyhow. there is not a dissenting
vote All who knew him hang together
in this statement. He Is a good mo-
torist, OF course, and KNOWS all ABOUT
engines.
So he read up on aeroplaning. He alb
sorbed all the knowledge that can be
found in books. Two or three of the
French military f1iers were particular
friends of his, and they told him things.
He used to go out to the flying fields
near Paris and hang around and watch.
He didn't ask any questions, of course,
because some one might find out that
he was a greenhorn. But by and by he
volunteered for the flying work, and
came up before the examiners.
What do you know about hyingT'
he was asked.
81 am a pilot" said Mr.. Cowden, SIM
ply.
Pilots are aristocrats. One doesn't
tell pilot to show that he can fly
any more than one insists upon a
jockey proving that he can ride. He
was given an oral examination, which
he passed with flying colors. Every
now and then some question came up
which had not been covered by his
course of examining. Then his French
promptly became lamentable. His
stock answer to unanswerable in
Quiries was:
Fifty horsepower"
Then He Ia Annointed