The Oskaloosa herald., 1918-05-09
soLFAx BOY REPORTED MISSING
MAY BE PRISONER.
las SEEN ACTIVE SERVICE
Enlisted With English In tst4--Has
Served AS French Flyer and
Was Captain Under American
Expeditionary Force.

L
nan Hall, of Colfax, Iowa, has been
Missing since an aerial combat Tues
! lay morning between three American
md four German aeroplanes.
The Americans were ten miles in
side the German frontier north OF
FOUL when they spotted the enemy
| planes and attacked them. Hall was
flying at the lowest altitude when the
| firing started.
All of the planes began nose diving
and turning for the advantage of pc
sitions.
A comrade who last saw Hall be.
ieves that he landed safely inside the
ierman lines and is now prisoner.
The other two Americans returned
safely to their own lines. The last
glimpse they had of their opponents
showed that their machines were still
>losing downward as though they were
cut Of control.
Native of Iowa.
Hall was 80 years of age, native
Of Colfax, Iowa, and graduate Of
Grinnell college, class of 1910. He
was tramping in Wales when the
world confagration broke out in
1914, and at once volunteered his ser.
vices as a member of "Kitchener's
Mob
OF the 500 members of the machine
gun battalion in which Hall was re-
cruit, only himself and one other sur.
viyed as fighting men when Hall was
discharged in November, 1915, to re-
turn to the United States to visit his
father, then seriously i'll.
Joined French Forces.
Hall, however, was not content
with the peace of the United States.
He recognized the peril TO civilization
of Hun militarism, and six months
later found him again on the way to
France, where he became member
of the famous Lafayette escadrille.
With other American members of
that unit he was transferred to Amer
lean colors, when the United States
Yesterdays dispatch is the second
one received from France reporting
the probable death of Hall He came
back from the grave after having been
reported killed in another action with
German planes on June 81, 1917, when
still fighting under French colors.
Badly Wounded Before.
In that battle be was flying over
the German lines when attacked by
a German biplane. Seven other
Hun machines came to the assistance
of the biplane, and in the fight which
followed Halls machine plunged TO
the ground inside the French lines,
the aviator shot through the lung.
He was at first reported dead, later
as fatally wounded, but eventually re-
covered. In addition to the wound
in his chest, a bullet struck him a
glaneing blow on the forehead.
Hall again might have called his
work done and applied to be invalid
ed out of service, but after rallying
from his desperate injuries he again
reported for duty, and was made a
captain in the American aero service
when the Lafayette escadrille was
transferred into Pershing's army.
.R A Literary Genius.
Hall was not only brave soldier,
he was a literary genius OF marked
n nc rpff - "A
of poetry. His book, "Kitchener's
Mob" published during the short per.
iod he was out of the service, is rec
ognized as historic classic of the
early days of the war, and had a
marked influence in the development
of American war sentiment.
AS Norman HalP' he was a regular
contributor to the Atlantic Monthly
and other periodicals.
Germans Out in Force.
German machines were out in force
apparently hunting for the Americans
all day despite the bad weather The
Americans answered alarms through.
out the day, just as the boche hoped
they would. Once lieutenant an
swered an alarm for one enemy ma
chine, which was reported to be fly.
ing low. When he approached the
enemy, Ave additional German ma
chimes, which had been Sitting up
above. dropped from the clouds and
attacked the American plane. which
was driven by Lieutenant Cunning
ham, who, despite odds. put up a des
nerate fight.
One OF the German machines rar
for home after emptying its machine