Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-08-18
GENERAL ERWIN ISSUES
OFFICIAL CONFIRMATION

flClal statement ISSUED at Military
headquarters here tonight and signed
by Brig. Gen. James b. Erwin. dis
trict commander, it was announced
that Mai l.. A. Walton. commander of
the aero unit at Fort Bliss. has re-
ceived a message from Lieutenants
Paul H. Davis and Harold G. Peterson
stating they had been captured by
Mexicans and We're being held for
Sl5,O 900 ransom which must be paid
| by August Is, according to the mes
! sage.
| Arrangements were being made
here tonight to obtain $4,000 gold
coin and send it to Maria tomorrow
| for the payment of the ransom as 1t
is feared they will be killed by the
bandits unless the ransom is paid be-
fore tomorrow night.
Lieutenant Peterson, the pilot of
the biplane which has been missing
since last Sunday. is 25 years old and
is from Hutchinson, MINI. Lieutenant
Davis is 23 years old and is from
Strathmore, Calf. buthas relatives in
Berkeley, Calf.
The full text of the statement re-
ceived at military headquarters to-
| night by General Erwin reads as fol-
| lows:
"a telegram was received this af-
ternoon by Maj. l.. A. Walton. com
mander of the aero unit at Fort Bliss,
| repeating a message signed by the two
| aviators who have been missing since
! Sunday, sitting they had been eap-
/ tufed ny Mexfeans ana We're befiis
held for $4,000 ransom which must
be paid by August IS, or they would
| be killed.
This message was brought into a
! town in the Big Bend district by a
we'll known bandit Col. George T.
Langhorne, commanding officer of the
Eighth cavalry and the Big Bend dis
trict, wired the commanding general
! of the Ell Paso district the message
| that the message is authentic, and that
he is taking all necessary measures to
secure the release of the aViators and
has presented this matter to the prop
/ err authorities. The name of the place
1 from which the message was sent
as well as the place where the ransom
! is to be, is not given, as it might in
terfere with the release of the avia-
| tors"
! Avators Peterson and Davis are a
l part of the personnel of the Fort Bliss
| aviation corps, but were on detached
duty with the Big Bend district mill
tary headquarters at Maria, Tex, al
! the time they disappeared. They left
I Maria last Sunday morning for the
usual patrol of the border, planning
to follow the north bank of the Rit
| Grande, to the end of the district.
1t is believed by aviation officer'
here that they confused the Conchos
river which flows into the Rio
Grande near Preside, Tex, with the
Rio Grande, and followed the course o1
this river into the Interior of Mexico
| Another theory advanced here by fel
low aviators, is that they were forced
l to land, either on the American ol
| Mexican side of the border in the wild
u country of the Big Bend district, ano
were made prisoners by the Mexican
| bandits, who make marauding trip:
across the border at frequent interval:
in search of cattle and other prop
Il erty which they carry off into Mexico
i When it became known at For
Bliss tonight that the aviators were
reported he'd by Mexican bandits
there was much discussion amont
! army officers of the possibility o.
American troops crossing the border
in search of the bandits who were
holding the aviators prisoners. Thi
/, was discredited by higher officers fol
two reasons The principal one ad
| vanced was that the American avia
| tors would be killed if an expedition
/ crossed in pursuit of the bandits. Tht
/ other reason was that the orders foI
! expeditions to cross the border in th'
Big Bend district applies only to thu
pursuit of bandits who have stolei
property on the American side, ant
then only to follow 'hot trail
Replies to messages sent their rel
atives by Lieuts. Paul II. Davis ant
Harold G. Peterson, American avia
! tors reported held for ransom il
Mexico. were received at Maria, Tex
late tonight. The messages from tn
aviators were received at the sam
time the demand for 5000 ransom
] for the release of the aviators wa
brought to the border today An ef
fort was being made to get the reptile
, to the aviators in the bandit rendez
vous in Mexico.
The messages from the aviator
were sent to their relatives at Strath
more, and Berkeley, Calf, AM
Hutchinson. Mimi, as soon as received
at Marta The text of their messag
was not given, out but it was under
. St0Ou the dVlatOrS requested their TEL
atives to urge the payment of the ran
som. The contents of the replies wer
also withheld, but courier who /
/ familiar with the district opposite th
Big Bend was obtained and an effor
made tn get the replies to the avia
tors tonight.
While no official announcement
J was made here tonight. it was under
|, | otnod tha ransoro would ha maid IN n
n lcontinued on Page Two,l