Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-01-30
SHAFFER, HOME OUT
OF FRANCE, is JUST
PLAIN YANKEE BOY
Without Trace of Emotion, Dauphin'S
Daring Aviator Explains What His
Many Decorations Stand For
KEPT BUSY SHAKING HANDS WITH
HUNDREDS OF OLD-TIME FRIENDS


our sink" said Miss Esther Shaffer,
this morning. at the Shaffer home in
Dauphin, which is located on a high
kopje just above the new villa built
{ by Lieutenant Governor Beidleman.
With an affectionate arm resting
on the stalwart hsoulder of her hero
brother the premier "cloudvuster" of
all this neighborhood, little Miss
Shaffer gazed her sublime admira-
! ton at a figure which will surely at
\ tract much attention in Harrisburg.
! Shaffer, a sergeant in the Lafayette
squadron, one of the famous flying
units in the late war, laughed boist-
erously at his kid sisters remark. He
arrived at Dauphin last night, just
released from a German prison and
he looked the part of the very mod
ern cloud climber, the real prototype
of daring Americanism. He wore a
skyblue French uniform consisting of
bright red leather puttees. blue
! trousers and tunic, with Il French
gabardine over the top and a saucy
two-pointed cap. On his breast glist-
ened various medals, each with its
particular narrative for bravery.
Medal Upon Medal
Il guess that's the most precious"
said Shaffer, without any show of
pride or triumph, for he is delight
fully human. and just as natural as
any American boy who represents
the result of real Democracy. 1t was
beautiful French military medal
Next to this was the CroiX de Guerre,
and above that the Lafayette ribbon.
Then there was the French aviator's
medal, for Shaffer served under the
banner of France, and the Lafayette
corps pinion. His uniform was given
him by the French government on
being released from a German pris- |
on. When the Germans captured
him they took fancy to his fur
shoes and fur coat. They put wood
en- shoes on him and SAYS Shaffer:
, Mix on them; they would never be
popular in America"
The arrival of Shaffer Yesterday
afternoon in the quiet village of
Dauphin brought the great war
wildly to this locality. To-day he |
cannot begin to meet the demands |
or his friends. He represented all the |
daring, ingenuity and dash of the
Yankee fighter whose arrival at the
front forced Germany to surrender.
Along with him returned another of
the Shaffer family. Ernest, who be- (
came sergeant-major of infantry
and did not have the luck to get
abroad. These two boys are part of |
FAMILY of seven who have lived at
Dauphin twenty years, the typical |
Penn SX-lNl min cn1id
the basis of our Democracy.
How 1t Started
Il got the flying bug from that
fellow Peck who was smashed up in |
PaXtang creek" related Walter. "I
went out there and saw his smashed
machine and I thought that l would |
like to hum through the air. Sister |
says l could not fix the spigot. and !,
1 guess she is right" Miss Esther
nodded her head emphatically. and
the point was settled. But it is not
knowledge of mechanics that makes !
the aviator; it is the wild desire to /
fly get me; fly! Say the first time
you go up alone; that's an expert |
ence. On the level you would laugh !
to see fifteen or twenty kids on the |
first hop. You are scared TO death.
Gee, I'm glad to get. on earth they
all say"
Shaffer after his mind got fixed on
cloud climbing with the Peck dis
aster worked nearly two years at the
State Printing shops here, then he
got a job at Essington, down the
Delaware where he flew seaplanes
Here he imbibed the careless. reck- |.
less, daring of the cult. Lucky dog
was" he reflected this morning.
while sister Esther silently expressed
her admiration. THE man with me
was killed ] managed to jump free
and here l am" The machine fell
into the Delaware.
Hard Examination
Shaffer went to Buffalo after this
and worked at his trade which was
a linotyPer. He migrated to Brook
lyn, got some experience there, all
though the flying school only had
one machine. Hearing about the
Lafayette corps he wrote to Wash
ington, for Shaffer, though but 90,
years old, has all the initiative in the
world.
Say" he interpolated. THAT was
some examination we had to take
to get in. the Lafayette. You had to
have perfect eyes and your moral
character had to be testified to by
half a dozen substantial persons"
OpedhlnB VI HlOIdlS SndlleF Sa1u ne
was shocked in France, where NOR
ality seems to be only a shibboleth.
He said it was a dangerous expert
ence for American troops.
Shaffer paid a fine tribute to the
English Cloudclimbers. "They had
nerve" said he. Three or four of
them would so out on patrol and If
they met fifty Boche machines they
would butt in and give them battle.
The French were more careful, be-
cause they were always thinking
about safety first. The English did
not care whether they got blotted
out or not. The Frenchmen loved
the Yanks for their daring they de-
spised the Germans, who are only
animals. The Germans were al
right when they flew in groups of
fifty or sixty. 1 have to hand it to
them for formation. One day / was
out with five of the Lafayette SQUAD
ron. We were up about ten thou
sand feet in the clouds. A heavy
thick cloud lay just below-and say,