Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-17


WV An American bank clerk,
in the last raid, watched the
night battle over Paris from his bal
eony. He saw Gotha dive to 600 feet
drop three bombs and get chased off
by a French plane He. saw three
French planes at different attitudes
prevent another Gotha from rising,
while they peppered it, pursuing.
Then came whistling noise" he
said. louder and louder. crazy whist
ling, right down on us. We're hit,' 1
said, as my wife pulled me in the win
dow. and a ripping crash, to deafen
you. burst panes. tore pictures from
the wall and flung US in a corner. All
by simple air conclusion. The bomb
exploded in the middle of our street,
and made hole as big as a room We
went to the cellar
AT daybreak he went hunting relics
in the street. On the edge of the bomb
crater he found a mans shoe There
was foot in it. Seemed to have taken
last step and stayed. Some business
man was walking there just as the
bomb exploded Nothing else was left
of him. l quit hunting relics"
One of our hospital doctors walked to
a public place, ito get a good view"
During his absence his wife read a
novel in her bed. Crash. Their three
story detached house rocked as a
torpedo burst in the neighbors' garden.
Half the windows were broken. Ed
rnund. there's draught," she said
when he returned. still reading her
novel.
"Our boys are practical" continued
the doctor. while 1 was in the place
French fighting plane came down,
disabled. 1t made fine landing on the
night amid fighting pilot intact,
machine gunner's leg broken. As 1 was
helping, an American ambulance came
up and offered to take him. While they
were getting him on board the chauf-
feur boy collected aeroplane petrol in
an empty can. He had seen it's reservoir
leaking, pierced by a bullet. NO use to
let it waste" he said.
An American business man saw q
Gotha descend to 400 feet over park
like area between a hospital and a
museum. Il don't know which itswas
hunting" he said. but it flashed it's
searchlight all around and missed 1iem
both. What gets me was the nerve
of the assassins"'
Whereupon Il Y. M. C. A. worker of
considerable experience declared that
French and British ayiators admire
German airmeu's courage. They've got
the nerve" he said. "One came past a
barrage of seventeen 75s in q little
aviation field SO low that the men on
the guns firing at him could see him
perfectly. He dropped seven bombs
among the sheds and batteries and got
away. Another machine was brought
down disabled They burned it and
walked into the battery and surren-
dered"
He did not tell how they were re-
ceived, but he affirmed. in general, that
when our aviators of the front capture
Germen alrmen on war work the cap
tive lives beside his captor three days.
He is treated as an equal three days
before being sent to the rear" said the
Y. NJ. C. A man. land the same treat
ment is accorded by Germen airmen to
captured aviators of the allies. It's
the only case of such treatment-the
ariStrocracy of the air"
He seemed to make little distinction
for bombers of babies in London and
Paris. Those fellows execute orders"
he argued You have got to give it
to a man who dashes through 100
miles of barrages and hostile souadril-
las to execute orders"
Then Madrid editor, on a trip to
Paris. a famous man of whom we are
all proud( famed up. slammed the
table and expressed the view of all
civilians:
Execute such ordersi It's a threat to
civilization. Crime and folly! Remem-
Der the names of the men who organ
ICED these raids on Paris and London.
The soul of 1t Is Gen Won Hoennner
personal friend of the kaiser, and his
chief-of-stah is the notorious Col.
Thomson. Both were decorated last
April by the kaiser"
merely mention the prona ranAa far
boche bombers In passing. hut h v,e are