Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1919-01-29
LIEUT.. DONALDSON's STORY
'feils of His Thrilling Escape from
tho Germans.

The following account Of the ex-
citing experiences of Lieut.. John 0.
Wilson Donaldson. son Of Brig.
Gen. T. @. Donaldson. and grandson
and namesake or DR.. John 0. Will
son, was written for the Greenville
News by Roger C. Peace:
Greenville has sent many soldiers
to the front, and they have had many
wonderful experiences, but to-day a
GTeenville boy Is home ON furlough
who has had one Of Of the most spec
t%cular experiences Of any soldier
curing the war; who has had more
than score OF rendezvous with death
and has missed them all; who has
twice escaped from German prisons,
downed nine German airplanes, and
Eeen awarded two service crosses by
the U. S. Government, besides being
decorated by the King OF England.
He is Liout. John o. w. Donaldson,
son of Gen. T. @. Donaldson, Of the
u. S. Army. and now visiting his
relatives, Mr.. and Mrs. Albert
Barnes, on Crescent avenue.
Lieut.. Donaldson Is only twenty
years old and would have been a
junior at Cornell had he continued
his studies there the last two ses-
sions. He is a graduate Of the Green
vile High School and attended Fur
man University for one year. He
decided to study civil engineering
and entered Cornell, from which in
stitution ho enlisted in tho flying
service, receiving his training first
with the Royal Flying Corps near
Toronto, Canada, and later in the
American aviation fields in Texas.
lie arrived in France in March of
last year and Immediately began
ono of the most Interesting careers
nf any aviator on the whole front.
Like all real heroes. Lieut.. Donald
son Is reticent to discuss his exper-
iences, but regards them merely as
an athletic contest in which
he was the victor. "It was all
perfectly natural he said, land
nothing wonderful about it. They are
experiences that might have happen
ed to anybody and luck was with me
that was all. When look back
at the events l can hardly see how
I took them so lightly, but somehow
or other l never seemed to worry"
But when he does finally relate n
few Of the many thrilling adventures
that he underwent one realizes that
they are no less brilliant than news
dispatches have already recorded
them.
Story Of Capture.
At the time of his capture Lieut..
Donaldson was in charge Of six aero
planes, which we're selected to escort
bombing plane into the enemy ter
ritOry. After the bombs had been
dropped and the expedition was
ready to return they were attacked
by large force Of Hun airmen.
Several Of the enemy planes were
successfully disposed Of when one
vi tloll So( L"O 6OCu CIdCkS dL
Lieut.. Donaldson plane, one she'll
going through the engine and the
other through wing. but at the
same time a German plane had got
ten full dose and was forced to
make a landing. Lieut.. Donaldson
was above his plane and decided to
follow 1t 10 the ground. since 1t was
probable that tho enemy airmen
knew the territory pretty thorough
1y and would be able to pick out a
good landing place. 1t developed,
however. that he was unacuuainted
with the terrain and ran his plane
straight into a railway track where
it was wrecked. caught fire, and the