Arizona republican., 1919-10-27
TRepubIlcan 4. p. Leased Wire1

SAN DIEGO. Cal, Oct. 26-It was officially announced here tonight that Lieutenants Cecil H. Connolly of San Diego, and Frederick B. Warehouse, of Weser Idaho, army aviators miss ing since August 21, were slain in Lower California by two Mexican fish erman.
 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 California to which point they had flown after losing their way in a border flight 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 a Mexican sloop, their iden- tity is known to both the United States and Mexican government and steps are being taken to capture them.
 Brings Story of Sufferings
 The destroyer also brought part of a story of the sufferings endured by the young aviators, in the form of notes scrawled in part on the wings and on the fuselage of the de Haviland airplane in which Connolly and Water house made their last flight. Some of these messages evidently wruen when the aviators had almost lost hope of being found, were of such a tragic nature that Major BrattQn asked the newspaper reporters to refrain from using them, out of consideration for the officers families.
 Major Bratton said that the two aviators had gone 19 days without food, or at least without much to sustain them. The fate that drew them far from their air path remained with them until the very last.
 Major Theodore Macauley. in one of his flights to find them, flew within 60 miles of the spot where they stood guarding their plane. Later, on the afternoon of September 6. they were landed from canoe on the shores of Bahia Los Angeles by the same fish ermen who are accused of having killed them five days later. and at that time were only 12 miles from Los Flores silver mine where they might have received protection and food.
 One of their messages, scratched on the airplane fuselage with a knife or nail, gave details of how the aviators lost their way. The message said the airmen remained in the air four hours and five minutes, that they ran into a rainstorm and lost their sense of di- rection- When they sighted the gulf O, California they thought they were flying up the coast instead of south. ward along the coast of the GuR o California.
 Another message, traced on thu wings and fuselage. told how the ali men attempted vainly for two day. 10 catch fish to appease their hunger They then started walking northwart toward the border but returned to thei airplane in 36 hours when their sup ply of water became exhausted. Th' airmen drank the water from tn, radiator of the airplane. This prove, sufficient to allay their thirst up t, the time they were taken to Bahi, Los Angeles from Guadalupe Bay where the plane landed. by the fisher men.
 The party which left San Diego October 16. included, besides Majo Bratton. who is attached to the 25tl infantry at Nosales. Ariz- two othe army officers and several officials an, soldiers of the northern district O Lower California. and Joseph Ale Richards. mining engineer who frs reported finding the bodies.
 Identification Positive
 Major Bratton in an account of th expedition said:
 The Aaron Ward arrived at Bahi Los Angeles at 3:15 D. m. October 1s We immediately went ashore wit Richards acting as guide and fin a fe, moments had discovered the gray, The bodies had been disturbed, tn skulls being found under some brus about ten feet distant from the bodie,
 'The bodies were then disinterre and the formal inquest started.
 There was absolutely no questio that the bodies were those of Conoll and Waterhouse."
 The officer then told of the party going up the gulf to Guadeloupe ba 20 miles to the northward, where th plane piloted by Connolly and Water house was discovered on the beach.
 "The two airmen had made a perfe, landing" he continued, but Mexicar subsequently removed the motor frol the fuselage, stole all the ammunitio for the two machine guns and carrie away other equipment. The motC evidently was to heavy to carry, and was found near by. The wheels, CT zine machine guns, compass and oth, equipment worth salvaging were take aboard the Ward.
 Farewell Notes to Mothers
 We took notes of all the messag, scratched on the fuselage and wing the first one of which was made fl, days after the men had landed. this the men told how they had lo their way, how they had tried unsut cessfully to signal passing boat, the lack of success at catching fish ar the growing hunger which rapidly W; making them weaker On the last wee of their vigil both men scratched farewell message to their mothers. that time the men must have been ne; starvation.
 September 6. the aviators we picked up by two fishermen from tl Mexican sloop Esperanza. who row, them in canoe to Bahia Los Angelo It Is doubtful if Connolly and Wate house were given anything nourishir by the fishermen. Just what the tv aviators did between the time tn, landed at Bahia Los Angeles Septen Der until they were murdered u night of September II is not know definitely. It is a pathetic fact. hoy ever, that Warehouse and Connol could have secured food and shelter the Los Flores mine 12 miles to q sout1rvzrd;~1f'>fhey had had t ||..|'| ||I IIII.|||I