Mexico weekly ledger., 1919-04-10
AVIATOR sH OF DOWN
BY &c RMANS HERE

Lieut.. Paul W. Eaton, who was
shot down by &c rman aviators in a
fight staged at n n altitude of 10000
feet above the ( ierman lines, and
who was a prison .er of the Germans
for seven months Y vas in this city Mon
! day the guest of This aunt, Mrs. R. ].
Blair. He left for the West late Mon
day afternoon. He is on sick leave,
convalescing from a wound in the lung
received after his plane was smashed
in landing behind the German front
line trenches.
Lieut.. Eaton, a member of the old
Lafayette Esquadrille, which later
was known at the 103rd Aero Squad
ron, is wearing the ~fourragere of the
Croix de Guerre, conferred upon
members of the squadron after it
had been cited three times. Only n
other American unit besides his squad
ron was thus honored. The squadron
was attached to the French Fifth
Army.
The aviator told it was on MAY II,
last, that he was shot down and made
a prisoner.
"Seven aviators had been ordered
to fly over the German lines to pro-
tect two French photographers who
were to take pictures Of the enemy
defenses in the Ypres sector" he
said.
Ran Into Heavy Mist.
"We had been up in the air but a
short time when we ran into a heavy
mist, and suddenly a nurnber of
planes darted down on us. In the
mist it was some time before we de-
termined that they were British
planes, and when discovered this I had
become separated from my compan-
ions.
81 flew with the British, for nearly
one and one-half hours, when 1 dis
covered that my gas was running low
and I swung around and started home.
81 dreaded falling into the hands
of the Germans in the event I was
compelled to land.
"Flying home, I observed three
planes coming toward me. l could
easily have avaided them, but 1
wanted to discover what they were.
I found out. all right, for when 1 got
within firing range it developed they
were Germans.
81 was flying in a French Spad, a
one-seated plane, used by the pur-
suit squadron, and unfortunately my
shots went wild. Bullets began whis-
Ting around me, penetrating the
wings of the machine and suddenly
my motor was put out of commits
sion.
81 went into a tail spin and was
enveloped in a cloud Apparently the
Germans concluded T was finished, for
they made no attempt to follow me and
1 Strengthened out my machine and
endeavored to volplane home. l was
too far away, however, and came down
Immediately behind the German first
line trenches.
81 couldn't pick my landing place,
of course, and as my landing was
pitted with shell holes my plane was
smashed. As I was endeavoring to
free myself from the straps which held
me in, the Germans in the trenches
opened fire. l was running to a shell
hole, when a bullet struck me in the
lung. l tumbled into shell hole. 1t
was then 8 p. m.
"About 10 minutes later two Ger
man Red Cross workers armed with
rifles made their appearance and
looked me over I saw nothing more
of them until 10 p. m. l had deter
mined to make a bid for our lines I'M
der cover of darkness, but suspecting
they were watching me, l called to
them and one o fthe Red Cross men
answered. He had been hiding in a
shell hole with his rifle waiting to
shoot me if l attempted to escape.
Walked to Dressing Station.
81 walked back to a dressing sta
ton a mile away, and then was car
ried to a field hospital. I remained
in various hospitals for three and
one-half months and then was taken
to a prison camp, where I remained
three and one-half months longer be-
fore I was freed because Of the sign
ing OF the armistice."
Lieut.. Eaton told of being ques-
toned by an intelligence officer, a
Prussian, who refused to believe the
United States had sent over 750, 900
soldiers. He maintained that there
were but 10000 and that the U-boats
had effectually curbed the transpor-
tation of American soldiers. News
papers which made this boast came to
the hospital where Lieut.. Eaton was
confined.
"The prison camp was not as bad
as the hospitals" he said. "We did
not receive proper treatment and not