New-York tribune., 1919-10-27
Lieutenants Connolly and
Waterhouse Leave
Tragic Notes Telling
of Terrible Hardships
Lost and Rescued.
Then Murdered
Long Without Food and
Water Before Put to
Death by Fishermen

SAN DIEGO, Calf, Oct. 26.-It was
officially announced here tonight that
Lieutenants Cecil H. Connolly, of San
Diego, and Frederick B. Waterhouse.
of Weiser, Idaho, army aviators miss
ing since August Fl, were slain In
Lower California by two Mexican fish,
ermen.
The announcement was made upon
the arrival here Of the destroyer
Aaron Ward, bringing the bodies Of
the two aviators from Bahia Los
Angeles on the Gulf of Lower Cali
fornia, to which point they had flown
patrol fight from Yuma, Ariz, to San
Diego.
According to Major R. S. Bratton,
head of the military party sent from
here to recover the bodies, the slayers
were from Mexican sloop. Their
identity is known to the United States
and Mexican governments, and steps
are being taken to capture them.
Scrawled Messages on Phone
The destroyer also brought a part
by the young aviators, in the form of
notes scrawled on part the wings
and fusilagc of the De Haviland air
plane in which Connolly and Water
house made their last fight.
Some of these messages, evidently
written while the aviators had almost
lost hope Of being found, were of
such tragic nature that Major Brat
ton asked the newspaper reporters to
refrain from using them, out Of con-
sideration for the officers families.
Major Bratton said that the two avi-
ators had gone nineteen days without
food, or at least without much to sus-
tain them. The fate that drew them
far from their air path remained with
them until the very last Major Theo-
dore Macauley, in one Of his flights to
find them, few within sixty miles of
their plane. Later, on the afternoon
of September 6, they were landed from
a canoe on the shores of Bahia Los
Angeles by the same fishermen who
are accused of having killed them five
days later, and at that time were only
twelve miles from Los Forres silver
mine, where they might have received
protection and food.
Suffered of Hunger and Thirst
One of their messages, scratched on
the airplane fuselage with knife or
nail, said the airmen remained in the
air four hours and five minutes, that
they ran into a rainstorm 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 west
coast Of the Gulf of California.
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 northward
toward the border, but returned to
their airplane in thirty-six hours when
their supply of water became ex-
from the radiator of their plane. This
proved sufficient to allay their thirst
up to the time they were taken to
Bahai Los Angeles from Guadeloupe
Bay, where the plane landed, by the
fishermen.
Graves Found Desecrated
The party which left San Diego Oc-
tober 16 included besides Major Brat
ton, who is attached to the 25th In
fantry, at Nogales, Ariz-, two other
soldiers of the northern district of
Lower California and Joe Allen Rich
ards, mining engineer, who first re-
ported finding the bodies. Major
Bratton in an account Of the expedi-
tion said:
"The Aaron Ward arrived at Bahia,
Los Angeles, at 3:15 p. M, October 10.
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
about ten feet distant from the bod
les. The bodies were then disinterred
and the formal inquest started. There
was absolutely no question that the
bodies were those Of Connolly and
Waterhouse."
The officer then told of the party
going up the gulf to Guadeloupe Bay,
twenty miles to the northward, where
the plane piloted by Connolly and
w Waterhouse was discovered on the
beach.
Airplane Is Looted
"The two airmen had made a perfect
landing" he continued, "but Mexicans
removed the motor from
the fuselage, stole all of the ammuni-
ton for the two machine guns and car
ried away other equipment. The
motor evidently was too heavy to carry
away, and 1t was found nearby. The
wheels. engine, machine guns, compass
and other equipment worth salvaging
were taken aboard the Ward.
I'VE took notes Of all the messages
scratched on the fuselage and wings,
the first one Of which was made five
days after the men had landed In
this the men told how they had lost
their way, how they had tried unsuc-
to signal a passing boat,
their lack Of success at catching fish
Continued ON p@ps eIsven