The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-10-17
FIGHT 1O,OOOFT.UP
Hun Airman Invites Battle and
Soon Bites the Dust.
Britisher Lured Into Trap Gets
Away VIGOROUSLY.

London, Oct. 1.-THE everyday
humdrum life of the boy air fighters
! on the western front reads like a page
| from book of fairy tales. Here IS
a story of one of the dull days by r.
| rosy-faced youth of nineteen. He was
back in 'Blighty' recovering from a
machine gun wound:
! What, you want to write story
about how I got this?" He laughed
in embarrassment. 1T was just an
ordinary day-no story in it-Ameri-
cans wouldn't care to hear it.
This particular Hun had got old
Regan-sent him down blazing. So
we were after him. He usually came
shopping over our way bout sunup.
Poor old Regain. His only fault was
that he adopted stray dogs.
Anyway, this Hun bird came sail
ing over impudently other morning
about five. 1 skipped out to the aero
dome, all the boys yelling good luck TO
me. After that nothing but the roar
of the engine.
There were a few chunks of white
cloud-buily for ambushes-if the
other fellow doesn't do the ambush
"Once before this bird had caught
me with nothing to feed Lizzie, my
dornesticated machine gun, and jolly
well chased me right down to our
| back door.
At $50 Miles an Hour.
| Before 1 got up much 1 was getting
$50 out of her-old engine singing like
/ a cricket. L went up 10000 feet, keep
| ing an eye peeled for Fritz. He was
sitting under a cloud somewhere, evil
| IDENTIFY. While 1 was nosing around
the corners of the clouds caught sight
of a shadow on a cloud below. 1t
was my meat
You bet took a quick look at my
fixtures. got a trayful of food ready
for Liz hummed the Invitation to the
| Waltz and began to slide a bit. But
/ fell clean into pocket, did slide
slip, While Will III ! was getting ! her ed
| started up to get over me. He flew
better'n 1 did, had more parlor tricks
but I'd got the best machine. He
knew it,
The boy leaned forward and his eyes
sparkled with the memory.
''Y'know what that son-of-a-gun
did-he Iured me over their Arches.
First thing I know a puff of shrapnel
left off below me, then one above, then
one on my port side. 1 turned her
nose up and got out of their reach
Meantime I'd lost sight of my Fritz.
"'Then I got an idea 1 began to
wabble around like 1 was hit. Began
to fly like lame ducks was eagles
compared with me. And it worked
He barged right out of a nearby cloud
| and opened up on me. 1 swung over
him-two struts and a landing wire
cut clean off I whirled-and let Liz
zie sing her favorite hymn to him. He
swerved and began to settle. Then
his machine caught FIRE and began to
whirl like a falling leaf
"OnIy then l felt my arm singing
and a funny feeling across my back
He'd got me with his first beltful.
Il turned back toward home. Bout
twenty feet from the ground I lost
CONTEMPORARY fainted-and ruined
our flower patch. Had bullet in arm
skin wound across the back and
sprained leg in the bungled landing
That's what sent me over here.
But let me tell you old man-and
put it in the paper want fighting
that particular Fritz. it was the whole
outfit of skunks that bomb defenselesS
cities and kill women and children.
Now let me buy you a drink fol
boring you."