New-York tribune., 1916-01-17
"HOnOrabIy Miss
ing" Tells How He
Cheated Germans.
4 COMPANIONS
DIE WITH HIM
American Last Seen in
TeutOn Trench, Says
Message to Father.

Kelly Of the Foreign Legion is dead.
Russell Kelly, 40 Broadway, New
York. L. s. A., Is the way his name
went into the rolls OF his regiment IN
France But Kelly of the Foreign
Legion is the WAY II will be written
in the roll Of heroes when the list
is handed down to posterity in the
story of the European war.
Kelly grinned and said he would
cheat the Germans when he was told
that the order had gone out TO execute
every member Of the Foreign Legion
captured in battle. And lie did cheat
them. He escaped the ignominious
death threatened at the hands OF
firing squad to find more glorious one
on the fiold of battle
Where Kelly Of the Foreign Legion
met death and how only those who
we're with him on his final charge can
tell. But his father. James +. Kelly,
possesses 2 treasured message from the
French War Office that he points TO a.
sufficient evidence that his boy died hs
an American should.
"Your son is honorably missing. Was
seen in German trench, with bullet IN
shoulder" the message reads.
The meagre dispatch received in New
York last night contains add!tlona!
facts that will give little satisfaction
70 the Americans whose eyes have
scanned the cables for news OF other
Americans in the Legion. IL tells Of
the death Of Kelly's four American as
soeiates. Hermon Edwin Hail, Of Chi
cago: John Earle Pike. Of Wooster
Ohio; Kenneth Weeks, Of Boston, and
Henry Farnsworth, OF Boston.
The names first appeared among the
casualties at Givenchy, but later IL
was reported that Kelly and. possibly
the other four. had recovered, and
again had taken their places in the
trenches. Last nights report, how
ever. may mean that this was an error
or that they fell together in later
encounter.
Kelly, who had been in the lines OF
the Allies somewhere in France" Tor
several months, was reported missing
last summer. James Kelly. on learning
of the disappearance OF his adventurous
son. started the machinery OF the state
Department at Washington on searcn
for him in German prisons. Slmuita-
neous with the original report came the
statement that Germany had ordered
all member OF the Foreign Legion shot
wherever they might be captured. Inc
technical offence Of the members OF
tho Legion was that they were not citi-
zens OF the country for which they
were fighting
"Rut Russell will beat that all right,
confidently asserted the father. when
! Grs, learned of the difficulties that
n legionaires were likely to get into
wrote him explicit directions not TO
claim American citizenship II taken
nrisoner. All told him TO do was TO
claim the right OF communicating win
Ambassador Gerard. HIS answer 10
NV letter was characteristic. IL was
win follow your instructions in case
Of capture.
Making a search for the young man
was almost as perilous as abandoning
him 10 his fate. Had he been conceal
ing his American citizenship IN a Ger
man prison camp any inquiry might
have revealed his identity and sent h1m
ont TO become the target OF hrlng
Snuad. So Mr.. Kelly finally asked
hat inauiries for him be held up pend
ing a more safe method OF proceeding;
4 week ago. however, news reached
Mr. Russell that there was no record
of the imprisonment Of his son IN
German camp. The news vas crush
ing II had seemed possible that he
might have concealed his identity Tor
weeks. but seven months the fathers
Almost unlimited fund of hope was lost.
Kelly wrote to his father that he was
seeing hotter work than Ty Cobb ever
had seen in hitting the grit. The
twenty -two-year-old boy cheeriully, an
nounced that he was out for glory
And now Kelly of the Foreign Legion
has reached the other end OF the pain
that leads TO glory.