Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-10-27
AME ERICAN FLYERS
ERHQIISE and
C0NNOLlr >>,.,.!A!N
EVIDENCE SHu:>s,;>::: :
u. S. AyiatorS, Missing Since
August q, Were Murdered
in Lower California By Two
Mexican Fishermen,
STEPS BEING TAKEN TO
CAPTURE THE SLAYERS
Their Identity Known Notes
SCraWIed on Airplane Parts
Tell of SufferingS Endured
By the Birdmen,

San Diago, Cal, oct 26,---It as Of
ficially announced here tonight that
Lieutenant Cecil H. Connolly, of san
Diego, and Frank B. Waterhouse, Of
Weiser, Idaho, army aviators missing
since August a. were slain in Lower
California by two Mexican fishermen.
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 Cali
fornia, 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
identity is known to both the United
States and Mexican government and
steps are being taken to capture them
Endured Untold Sufferings.
The destroyer also brought a 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 DeHaviland
airplane in which Connolly ana
Waterhouse made their last flight
Some of these messages, evidently
written when the aviators had almost
lost hope of being found, were OF
such tragic nature that Major Brat
ton asked the newspaper reporters 70
refrain from using them, out of con-
sideration for the officers families
Major Bratton said that the two aVla-
tors had gone nineteen days without
food. or at least without much tc
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
sixty miles of the spot where they
stood guarding their plane. Later, OF
the afternoon OF September 9, the!
were landed from a canoe on tn
shores of Bahia Los Angeles, by tn
same fishermen who are accused o
having killed them five days later
and at that time were only twelV
miles from Los Flores silver mine
where they might have received pro
lection and food.
Ayiators Lost Their Way.
One of their messages, scratched
on the airplane fuselage with a knit
or nail, gave details of how the avla
tors lost their way. The messag
said the airmen remained in the al
four hours and five minutes, tina
they ran into rainstorm and los
their sense of direction. When the
sighted the Gulf of California the
thought they were flying up the coas
instead of southwark along the coas
of the Gulf of California.
Another message, traced on IN
wings and fuselage told how the air
men attempted vainly for two day
| to catch fish to appease their nun
ger. They then started walking north
ward toward the border, but returne
to their airplane in thirty-siX hours
when their supply of water Secam
| exhausted. The airmen drank tn
water from the radiator of the air
plane. This proved sufficient to al
lay their thirst up to the time the
were taken to Bahia Los Angeles iron
! Guadalupe Bay, where the plan
| landed, by the fishermen.
SEARCH BEING MADE FOR
MURDERERS OF AVIATOR
Washington, Oct. 26.--At the direc
tiop of the state department an in
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