Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-06-15
Then Proves His Sincerity by
Taking Dangerous Flight
Z! After Enemy Aircraft.
WAS WEARY OF THE GAME
WHEN THE WAR BROKE OUT
Experience at Verdun Causes
Change in His View-Thanks
God He Is Alive.
Copyright, 1861
BY HERBERT COREY.

PARIS, June Last week the f1ier
the French army for the brave deed
he did at Verdun. He was given the
croix mlitaire and the medal of honor.
Those who are interested in his iden-
tity can ascertain it through the Of
fetal gazette of the army. For rea-
sons which will appear it will not be
made known here.
1T would hardly be fair" said kif-
fin Rockwell the American, who left
the Foreign Legion to become an army
aviator because the chances for sport
seemed better in the air than on the
ground He would not like it
The fier is the son of well to do
Partisan family. In Paris the oppor-
runities for living at high speed are
perhaps better than in any orher city
in the world. Sometimes one becomes
old while he is still young by the cal
endar. Such young men sometimes pc
come weary of the game This one olu
When the war broke out he volunteer
ed as an aviator.
Thinks He Could Die Well.
81 can at least die WELL" he said to
the few who were in his confidence.
Young men who declare that they
want to die are rarely believed by those
who hear the declaration. His lends
thought the boy from Paris merely
suffered from hump" Perhaps he had
been crossed in love or his liver had
ceased to function. The two events
manifest themselves similarly upon the
spirits 1t was especially noted that
he was a careful filler, even though a
daring one. H.
You do not take many chances.
said one to him. That doesn't lookfas
though you wanted to die.
II will not commit suicide, was MS
reply. That would not be playing fhe
game.
ing down a Taube. 1t was good deed,
but not remarkable one. No one
thought anything of it. No fifer takes
rank in the public estimation until he
mans, like Navarro or Guynemer. Then
France begins to watch his score. Three
weeks ago de Lesseps missed a German
'.He did not do WE'LL said the Paris
IAN IF had had his chance l would
have rsunk' the aviatik."
That sounded like boasting. Some
one wanted to know, rather unpleas-
antly. how the Partisan would have
sunk" the man de Lesseps failed to
sink. There are few better fiers than
the son of the man who dug the first
canal on Panama.
Il would have rammed him."-said the
Partisan.
Merely Provokes Laughter.
The other man laughed and turned
away. He told others and they
laughed. The man who wanted to die
was laughed at through the army
These French aviators take chances
that no other man in the world take
habituaIly, but even thew never think
10 ofr
There would not be the millionth part
of a chance to escape alive. The Pa
risian's friends told him of the fraternal
attitude toward him.
II tell YOU, he declared. anSrily. Il
want to die"
Last week his chance came at Yer
dun. 1t is well enough known now
how thoroughly the Germans had pre-
They outnumbered the French in the
air as on the ground. 1t seemed to
the observers that the French held
their own only through Gen. Petain's
genius in the management Of his
troops. the German fiiers swarmed
over the field like hornets on an August
day.
There il your man." said the cap
tain of his escadrille to the Parisian,
pointing out a high-hying aviatik
mo doubt you can get him. De Les
eeps did not"
His Response to Taunt.
II was a taunt in the form OF COM
pliment. The Partisan took the air in
his machine. rose high above the Ger
man and came down like the flight of
o hawk. He struck the aviatik on the
tip Of one wing. Sometimes miracles
happen. and one happened now With
o wingtfp torn and brok en- the German
Topped miserably in the air. as a broken
winged duck does when the shot hits
him. He was good airman, this Ger
man, but no could not do impossibilities
The aviatik turned over and came I, 900
meters down. into the French lines
Somehow. the Partisan managed to
hold his machine steady. The motor
had been torn loose on its bed, but the
wings and rudder held. No one knows
how or why. He fell at times, like a
slice of slate whirling through the air.
and then he regained control and stead
fed his car. He managed to make a
fairly creditable landing, and was quite
unhurt When his mechanics ran up to
him he was wiping the perspiration
from his forehead. His hands were
shaking,
Thank God" he repeated, breath
lessly. Thank God"
He mas been flying very carefully
since. Before he takes the air he goes
over mis- machine with a microscope a nd
monkey wrench. He has done good
WORK. but he has not tried to ram an
other German.
I have been a fool" he SAVE ct
know now that I have wanted tn live