Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-10-27
Suffered Agony
Ere They Met Death

Der 6, they were landed from a
canoe on the shores of Bahia Los
Angles, by the same fishermen who
are accused of having killed them
five days laler. and at that time were
only IL miles from Los Flores Sill
yer mines, where they might have
received protection and food.
Describe Losing Way.
One of their messages, scrawled
on the airplane fuselage with knife
or nail, gave details Of how the
aviators lost their way. The mes
sage said the airmen remained in
the air four hours and five minutes,
that they ran into rain storm and
lost their sense of direction. When
they sighted the Gulf of California
they thought they were flying up
the coast instead Of southwark along
the east coast of the Gulf of Cali
fornia.
Another message traced on the
wings and fuselage told how the air
men attempted vainly for two days
to catch fish to appease their hunger.
They then started walking north
ward toward the border, but re-
turned to their airplane in Sc hours
when their supply of water became
exhausted. The airmen drank the
water from the radiator of the air
plane. This proved sufficient to al
lay their thirst up to the time they
were taken to Bahia Los Angeles
from Guadeloupe bay, where the
plane landed, by the fishermen.
The party, which left San Diego
October 16, included, besides Ma
jor Bratton, who is attached to the
25th infantry at Nogales, Ariz., two
other army officers and several
officials and soldiers of the north
ern district of Lower California,
and Joe Allen Richards, mining
engineer, who first reported finding
4 the bodies.
Account of Expedition.
Major Bratton in an account of
the expedition said:
THE Aaron Ward arrived at
Bahia Los Angeles, at 3:ls p. m.
October lo, We Immediately went
ashore, with Richards acting as
guide, and in a few moments had
discovered the grave. The bodies
had been disturbed, the skulls being
found under some brush 10 feet dis
! tant from the bodies,
THE bodies were then disinterred
and the formal inquest started.
''There was absolutely no question
that the bodies were those of Con-
molly and Waterhouse."
The officer then told of the
party's going up the gulf to Guade-
loupe bay, Is miles to the north
ward, where the plane piloted by
Connolly and Waterhouse was dis
covered on the beach.
"The two airmen had made per-
feet landing" he continued, but
Mexieans subsequently removed
the motor from the iuselagc, stole
all the ammunition for the two ma
chine guns, and carried away other
equipment The motor evidently was
too heavy to carry away. and it was
found rearby. The wheels, engine,
machine guns, compass and other
equipment worth salvaging were
taken aboard the Ward.
1--WE took notes of all the mes
sages scratched on the fuselage and
wings, the first one of which was
made FIVE days after the men had
landed.
Told of Losing Way.
TN this. the men told how they
had lost their way, how they had
tried unsuccessfuliy to signal pass
ing boat, their lack of success at
catching fish and the growing hun
ger which rapidly was making them
weaker On the last week of their
vigil both men scratched farewell
message to their mothers. At that
time the men must have been near
starvation.
September 6, the aviators were
picked up by two fishermen from the
Mexican sloop \Esperanza, who
rowed them in a canoe to Bahia Los
Angeles. 1t is doubtful If Con-
molly and Waterhouse were given
anything nourishing by the fisher
linen. Just what the two ayiators
did between the time they landed
at Bahia Los Angeles September E
until they were murdered the night
of September II, is not known def
Iinitely. 1t is a pathetic fact, how
ever, that Waterhouse and Connolly
could have secured food and shelter
at the Los Forres mine II miles to
the southwark, if they had had the
strength to traverse the rough
mountainous trail that led to this
refuge.
Stabbed to Death.
Through investigations conduct
ed jointly by ourselves and the
! Mexican court officials. we found
that Waterhouse and Connolly had
been murdered by two fishermen
from the Esperanza. Waterhouse
was stabbed to death, evidently
while asleep. Connolly was killed
by terrific blow from some instru-
ment which fractured his skull. He
also was stabbed. The evidence
shows the motive evidently was rob-
berry. The Mexicans, however, Sc
cured only few dollars.
after the murder the Mexieans
covered the bodies lightly with
sand. A few hours later, the morn
ing of September IL, to be exact,
the bodies were discovered by Capt.
Jack Ross of the American schooner
Trojan. Ross discovery was di-
rectly due to the fact that one arm
of each of the airnlen was sticking
up out of the sand. The index
finger of Connolly's right hand had
ASPIRIN FOR HEADACHE