The sun., 1918-03-12
FOE CAPTURES
TOM HITCHCOCK
New York Aviator Disappears
After Pursuing Enemy
Airman.
MESSAGE RECEIVED HERE
Chicago Flicr. Also Serving
With French. Is Killed in
Aerial Fight.
IESSAGE RECEIVED HERE
By the United Press.

WITH THE AMERICAN ARMIES IN FRANCE.
March 1i.--Thomaa Hitchcock. Jr.. OF
westbury. l.. l.. serving in the Lafayette
Escadriile. disappeared while pursuing
an enemy plane toward the German rear.
He Is believed to have been captured.
". J. Winter OF Chicago. also serving
with the French aviation corps. was
killed in an aerial fight last Friday
night. lie fell within the German lines.
Capt. ard Mrs. Thomas Hitchcock,
parents Of the aviator. are in Aiken, s.
G.. Yesterday morning a cable message
reading deepest sympathy and love-
was received at the Hitchcock home in
Westbury from Capt William G. Eustis
United Press correspondents statement
that young Hitchcock Is believed to have
been captured. the housekeeper who re-
ceived Capt Eustis's message was in
doubt how to construe IL. and last night
was anxiously awaiting further infor-
nation to be telegraphed to Aiken.
~ II hate to be the bearer OF bad news"
she said. "If Mr.. Hitchcock was made
prisoner know he gave good account
Of himself II was in him"
Thomas Hitchcock. Sr. sold his stable
Of steeplechasers when the United States
went into the war and devoted himself
to aviation. in whicl, he was already
skilled. He was pronounced by experts
one OF the hest natural fiiers they had
ever known. but he was over age for ac-
tive military service. He was made eX-
ecutive officer OF the training field a..
Mncola.
Son Goes to France.
His son. who was also "a polo player Of
renown ard student IN 81. Pauis
school, Concord. tried to get trto -ftIe
American army, but after passing the
100 hours endurance test was rejected
because Of his youth. lie strai2h.way
went TO France, entered the school at
Avord. was graduated at Pau and as
signed to the Lafayette Escadrille in the
French aviation corps. lie soon distir =
guished himself for daring exploits that
were deemed phenomenal even for tha.
daredevil band OF American airmen. o.,
January 8 he downed his first German.
plane within six weeks he had disposed
OF two more. meantime celebrating his
nnetcenth birthday and applying for "A
commission in the American aviation
section. for which his age had previously
made him ineligible.
With his first fighting exploit he won
a corporars stripes. Describing in a let
ter to his family his first pursui; of a
German plane. he wrote:
The German pilot suddenly turned
and made for his line. BY cutting the
corner thus formed | arrived at about
zoo meters from him and still above. I,
was evident then that II was two
scatter. and his gunner opened fire.
could hear quite distinctly the rat-tat-
tat of his gun. I dove right off to try
to get under his tail. He KEEP. making
spirals to prevent Inc. his machine gun
firing away merrily all the while, After
about two circles l got pretty close to
him and under his tail. He then made
a sharp turn to disclose me to his gun.
ner, 30 decided IT was about time Cor
me to start shooting.
Suspected n Trick.
MY gun hadn't gone Off SIX times
before the Hun made a spinning nose
dive. I shouldn't have thought hit
him If 1t hadn't been for a tracer bullet
that seemed TO go right through where
the pilot was. Anyway. ! was nor going
to take any chances. so started right
down after him II is a common trick
to pretend you are hit and redress just
above ground.
Gee. ! have never gone down 81
fast before. At about 1000 meters hs
seemed to come out Of his spiral nose
dive and go into steep spiral ther
caught up with him and took couple
of shots. They were. however, wasted
because hc spiraled right into a hill ii
tho NosRcs Mountains. circled him to
make sure he was down. There was nc
mlstaking the machine nose down in the
hill.
Some women ran out Of a little house
near by and shouted at them at the
top of my voice. waving all the while
| had rather an abrupt awakening. A
whole swarm OF luminous bullets wen'
tearing past me- It was Germany I was
over. not friendly France.
II started home with very little ga.
left In my tank. When I tried to catct
my motor to make the field there wa.
nothing doing. made a forced landing
not far from it and rolled over roat
into a ditch. There II stood straight III
or its nose and left me hanging on my
belt. I left the machine there and re
turned by train
As n matter OF fact. the two German.
and their machines had been toprlot
fifteen miles within their own lines. RI
Hitchcock was awarded the CroiX d,
, Guerre with one palm.
A week later ne and W. A. Wellmai
Of Cambridge. Mass. flying separately
together brought down another German
plane.
Young Hitchcock's grandfather. Thoma
| Hitchcock. was for many years treas
urer OF the Sun Printing and Publishing
| Association. and under the name o
Matthew Marshall wrote THE SrN'
| financial articles Matthew Marshalls
! grandfather. another Thomas Hitchcock
was "a Lieutenant in the American arm!
Of the Revolution.
The W. J. Winter mentioned in th
| despatch from France n having bee'
| killed is supposed to he Wallace G. Win
ter, Jr., whose home IS at 3,i Park ave
nue.. New York, according to James j
| McFlhone, the American representative
Of the Lafayette Flying Corps. Their
is said to be no American In the Frenci
living service by the name Of White