Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-06-03

PARIS, May "a, 1917.
-ERE are American documents.
ILL One of my French friends. an
I'LL aviator photographer, was SO
- < impressed by the front funeral
81 the first American to be killed In
France after our entry into the war
that he made these photographs and
sent them to me. for Americans to see.
It happened at Ham, the ancient cas-
tie town from which Napoleon III. i'm
prisoned, escaped. to become emperor
IN 1850. Scarcely anything remains ex-
cept the old hospice. where these pho
tographs were taken-the retreating
Germans demolished all else.
The pictures show the honors extra
ordinary done to Charles Clint Genet
Of Ossining. N. Y, American aviator,
who fell close by. within French lines,
April 16, just two days after the La
fayette sQuadrilla, in which he was SER
and Stripes as the American sQuadrilla.
These facts caused the ceremony to
be imposing, The body Of poor
s'Smiler." a mere youth in years and
figure, but with the heart of lion.
was borne on a gun carriage drawn by
i've led horses, and guarded by picked
French troops with the lowered rifle in
the hollow of their right arm. They
moved in the midst of great military
procession, to dirge music and the
booming of twenty-three cannon
salutes. Never at funeral of the front
were seen so many fowers-unusual,
rare. almost unknown. And the escort
OF honor fired their solemn voliey.
AT our press luncheon in Paris,
scarcely more than a month previously,
we had young Genet as guest. We rail-
He'd him. admiringly, on his French an
cestry. All know how his great-grand-
father, the Citizen Genet. envoy of the
French revolution. married and settled
In New York state, after his historic
differences with President George
Washington.
Young Genet seemed scarce past boy
hood; slender. small-built, almost deli
cate; of handsome face. with almost
gjflish features and complexion. with a
budding mustache: blushing furiously
at our compliments and good wishes,
with particularly ingenious smile,
which haunts us now. In the squad
YiIla they called him "Smiler," which
leofne explain by his sunny character
and notah bic readiness to enter into the
spirit of any little harmless fun; but,
certainly, the smile itself. so sweet and
winning. sticks in many memories. He
was bu: twenty-five years old
Men felt like protecting Genet. and
he did not need it,
- only Few days after the press
lunch. returned to the front, he acted
as an escort to Sergt. James r. McCon-
nall when the latter was killed in a
night with two two-seated German
Aeroplanes. 1t was currently said of
Mcconnell that he never knew what
tear was. and that, although he NAV
not have brought down SO many enc
my machines as some, nobody engaged
N more aerial combats than he Well.
N this last fight of his. when the Ger
man troops were retreating, and NC
Connell and his conrade. Genet, scout
tAS over them, encountered three Ger
man machines. each doubly manned. 1t
was Genet who. disabling the nearest
German. dashed to McConnelrs protec-
ton.
AZ that moment Genet was hit in
the head. and Mcconnell. shot down by
two to. one. crashed to earth within
the lines Of the retreatink Germans,
inst As the victorious French cavalry
9huoped up to witness the aerial
drama Half stunned, and blinded by
blood. Genet landed, as it were. by
hazard, breaking his wheels. They
found McConnell's body and machine.
which carried the then insignia of the
lafayette squadrilla, the head of a Sioux
Indian In full war getup. Exactly q
menth later, when Genet (rapidly re-