New-York tribune., 1918-02-16
Vernon Castle
Killed Saving
Air Student
Continued from page I

collapse and under a physicians care
Fortunately, Castles brother-in-law.
Lawrence Grossmith who forsook the
stage early in the war and now is q
captain in the British service, was ia
New York He and Mrs. Grossmith,
Castles sister, who was Coralic Blythe.
went to the Castle residence at once
and remained there through the day.
All their energies went into attempts
to comfort Irene" and the kilograms
which presently began to pour in by
the dozen remained unopened.
Until word began to come back over
seas of his air exploits, New York at
large had never taken Vernon Castle
very seriously. The city had piled up
several fortunes for him. which he
spent as freely as they came.
English born, he had talked more
than once during the early months of
the war Of offering his services to Eng
land. Even his intimatcs smiled at
that. The rumor that Vernon Castle,
the dancer, was thinking Of becoming
warrior crept into the newspapers.
Even the we'll considered possibility
that press agent might have inspired
those serious thoughts didn't serve to
keep the yarn out of print. And the
fact that Vernon Castle still fingered
III New York and danced, month after
month. kept the new jest alive.
1t was not until mid-February in 1918
that the Joke went stale. Castle all
along had meant what he said. 1t de-
veloped that he had been dancing off
his debts, that he might leave New
York with the slate clean.
Leaving broadway is the hardes.
thing ! ever did in my ifc," he said the
night before his departure. Il belong
to it, and it belongs to me. We have
eaten together and slept together for
the last eight years-like pals 1t was
Broadway that made an American out
OF me. l do consider myself half Amer
lean, you know. The only reason Pm
going to leave it is because Pm half
English. too. Will stay in England
when it's over? Not by one Of our
American long shots. I'm coming
straight back to New York."
Was Like American Officer
With enlisted men he was seldom
quite sufficiently on his dignity He
was more like an American officer-in
the National Army, say--than a Brit
lsh. Moreover, he had quaint and not
altogether understandable habit of
stopping in the middle of dance at
social affairs to seize the sticks from
the drummer's hands and become a
Ps1IC Ol IHo OTCneSCrd.
1t was while in Canada. at Camp Mo-
hawk, that Castle had his first serious
accident in the air. He had come out
of more than $50 flights over the Ger
man lines with only one slight wound.
and it remained for pancstricken
cadet to bring him closer to death than
he had ever been in battle The cadet
"froze" the controls as Castle was MAX
ing landing, and the machine dropped
on TO the roof Of hangar. Castle
rolled off the roof and suffered no more
than shaking up His companion
was burned to death in the wreck of
the plane.
Was in Wrong Seat
Had Castle been in the front seat
then his would have been the fate
OF the cadet. That he was in the front
seat yesterday was responsible for his
death. He shouldn't have been there
Life in the aviation service is little
thing. 1t is training that is precious.
The rule is that the instructor-th
more valuable man--protect himself at
the expense Of the other fellow, and
sit behind him in the safer seat For
man in front who is killed, while rare
~ is the rear man seriously hurt
Norwich, Eng, was Castles birth
place, and it was there he began and
abandoned for the stage the studies
which were to have prepared him for
an engineers career.
In 1907, then twenty years old, Caste
found himself in New York looking for
d professional cngagemcnt-not at en-
gincerng: Lew Fields gave him his
chance, and he made his American
debut as the head waiter in "The Girl
Behind the Counter"
Acting was not particularly a long
suit with Castle. but his excellence as
4 dancer more than made up for any
Thespian deficiencies. Eccentric dane
ing gradually became his recognized
speciality. In 1911. when he met Irene
Foote, daughter Of New Rochelle
physician. he was dancing the role Of
Zowie in "Thc Hcn-Pecks."
After a brief courtship Irene be-
came Mrs. Castle. Her husband found
Il place for her in the "Hen-Pecks" "
cast, and for few weeks she was an
actress. Then the two upstakcd and
went to Paris to join new and widely
heraldcd revue. The revue failed and
left them stranded.
1t was when they were down to their
last sous that the big reversal of
fortune came. The Castles got try
out of a week as dancers in a Partisan