The sun., 1919-04-05
TALLEST AVIATOR
GETS FRENCH CROSS
Capt. c. NJ. Jones of Manhat-
tan Says 1t Is a Reward
for Being Thin.
MORE HEROES BACK HOME
0klahOman Can't See Why
They Picked Him Out for
Distinguished Service.

The most conspicuous American who
treated 'em rough in the battle period in
France arrived yesterday by the French
steamship Roma from Marseillea He
was utilised as an accessory to the
crows nest observer and admitted that
he might be at least six feet six. Any
how, he got the Croix de Guerre. 10 he
said, with a fine Manhattan accent, be
cause he was the tallest soldier In
France. He Ia Capt. Charles Maury
Jones Of SO East Thirty-ninth street.
Capt Jones Is not related to Capt
Paul Jones. but he has the Paul Jones
spirit. inherited psychologically by most
warrior Americans. He simply had to
20 into the war game when he noted
that the Germans had attacked France
Four years ago he offered all his alt-
tudinous spunk to France and they
looked up at him and said, We'll. how In
thunder are you going to miss the bull
lets and shrapnei and things that are al
! ways exploding or exploring the upper
air:'
He responded, with the modesty pecu-
liar to Americans from this borough,
that he suspected that he might be doing
something himself taking advantage Of
his altitude, to the fellows on the other
side bombardins him, IL they would only
give him chance. SO they made an
aviator OF him Perhaps hts. leanness
saved him, as II IL harder to hit bean
pole than pumpkin.
Never Got q Scratch.
While with his original command the
Seventy third French Squadron, Capt
Jones did not bet wound. He was also
lucky--what's the use of firing at a
billiard cue. anyhow?--with the Lafay-
cite Squadron. Later. with three squad
rons Of the American air forces, ne did
not get a scratch. He few. as an Ameri-
can and Manhattan aviator. on all
fronts, and put up a special front OF his
own. which simply sliced the bullets in
tended for him. They smashed his ma
chine once. but he arose triumphant
from the ruins like a Cleopatra needle
from metaphorical haystack.
We'll. Captain, why did you get that
cross, anyway
As I said In the beginning. my boy.
just for being tall"
Lisut. Edward Lyman Bill of New
Rochelle also returned by the Roma. He
served with the Ambulance Corps at
America to recuperate. Then he Joined
the French artillery and helped the
Poilus do things, for which he received
the Croix de Guerre.
Another Modest Hero.
Aboard the cruiser Frederick there
was gallus fellow OF Altus, Okla. who
fought with the Ninetieth Division, in
Company X, s57th Infantry. He al
lowed that his name might be Edgar
Pennington. He was told by his su-
perior officer three days ago that the
Distinguished Service Cross had been
awarded to him and that he would get
IL later. He said drawlingly to the re-
porters who asked him about IL that
he would be derned II he knew why
he had received it or why no was going
to receive II. 1t was suggested that
he may have carried some wounded
officers off the field. Pennington bright
ened UP n bit and said well. now that
| you mention II I do recollect that
| took several Lieutenants back from No
, Mans Land"
Sergeant C.. W. Allen Of Oklahoma
also of the 357th Infantry. almost as
modest as the Manhatta nese. admitted
| that he got the Distinguished Service
Cross for doing something quite out of
the ordinary. He noted that two ma
chino gun nests were GRIPPING his out
At. He went out at the head of his
platoon and crept up under the shelter
OF railroad embankment until he was
within fifty feet of the enemy. They dis
covered him and began firing. He
mashed in with his platoon and they
| sui rendered.
| Medical student Becomes Ace.
Capt. Thomas Cassidy OF Spencer,
| Ind, who was a medical student at the
| University of Chicago when the war be-
gan. went across seas as an ambulance
driver three months before he would
have been graduated Later he became
an aviator and downed nine German
planes, thus becoming an ace He few
under the command Of Lieut.. Col Will
lam Thaw and won the Distinguished
Service Cross, the Cross OF the Legion
of Honor and the Croix de Guerre. He
said he preferred not TO speak of his
| achievements "out of respect to those
| who will never come back"
Corporal Theodore G. Heath of Brook
Ign had a close call on the trip of tho
| Arizonian. He had won glory as an
/ aviator of the Forty-third Aero Squad