The sun., 1919-10-27
MEXICANS SLEW
TWO j. s. FLIERS
FOUND STARVING
Pathetic Messages Reveal
Fate of Officers Lost on
Border Patrol.
MURDERERS ARE KNOWN
Bodies Brought to San Diego
Show Crime Was Com
mitted for Robbery.
MURDERERS ARE KNOWN

SAN DIEGO, Cal. Oct. 2S.-It was
officially announced here tonight that
Lieuts. Cecil H. Connolly of San Diego
and Frederick B. Waterhouse Of
Weiser, Idaho, army aviators missing
since August 81, 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 California. to which
point they had flown after losing their
way in a border patrol 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 the United States
and Mexican Governments and steps
are being taken to capture them.
Notes Tell of Suffering.
The destroyer also brought a part Of
a story of the suffering endured by
the young aviators. in the form Of notes
scrawled on the wings and fusilage Of
the De Haviland airplane IN which
Connolly and Waterhouse made their
last flight Some OF these messages.
evidently written while the aviators had
almost lost hope of being found, were
OF such a tragic nature that Major
Bratton asked the newspaper reporters
to refrain from using them. out Of con-
sideration for the officers families
Major Bratton said the two aviators
had gone nineteen 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 worry last. Major Theodore
Macauley. in one of his flights to find
them. few within sixty miles of the spot
where they stood guarding their plane.
Later, on the afternoon of Septem-
Der 6. they were landed from a canoe
on the shores of Bahia Los Angeles
by the same fishermen who are accused
OF having killed them Ave days later.
and at that time were only twelve miles
from Los Flores silver mine where
they might nave received protection and
food.
Lost Direction in Storm.
One OF their messages, scratched on
the airplane fuselage with a knife or
nail. said the airmen remained in the
air four Lours and FIVE minutes, that
they ran into a rain storm and lost their
sense OF direction. When they sighted
the Gulf of California they thought they
were flying up the coast instead Of
southwark along the east coast of the
Gulf of California
Another message told how the airmen
attempted vainly for two days to catch
| fish to appease their hunger. They then
started walking northward toward the
border, but returned to their airplane
in thirty-six hours when their supply
Of " ater became exhausted. The airmen
drank the water from the radiator of
their plane. This proved SUFFICIENT to
| allay their thirst UP to the time they
were taken TO Bahia, Los Angeles. from
Guadeloupe Bay, where the plane landed,
F, by the fishermen.
The party which left San Diego 90
tobcr i6 included. besides Major Brat
| ton, who Is attached to the Twenty
fifth Infantry at Nogales, Ariz.. two
other army officers and several officials
and soldiers OF the northern district OF
Lower California. and Joe Allen Rich
ards, mining engineer, who first re-
ported finding the bodies
Major Tells of Expedition.
Major Bratton in an account OF the
expedition said:
| The Aaron Ward arrived at Bahia
Los Angeles at S:l5 p. M. October 10
We Immediately went ashore, with Rich
ards acting as guide. and in a few mo-
ments had discovered the grave. The
bodies had been disturbed, the skulls
being found under some brush about
ten feet distant from the bodies
The bodies were then disinterred and
the formal inquest started.
There was absolutely no question tha
the bodies were those Of Connolly ant
Waterhouse."
The officer then told Of the party,
going up the gulf to Guadeloupe Bay
twenty miles to the northward, wher,
the plane piloted by Connolly and Water
house was discovered on the beach.
The two airmen had made a perfec
landing" he continued rbut Mexican,
subsequently removed the motor from
the fusilage. stole all Of the ammuni
ton for the two machine guns ant
carried away other equipment. TIL,
motor evidently was too heavy to carr.
away and It was found nearby. Thu
wheels. engine. machine guns, compass
and other equipment worth salvagini
were taken aboard the Ward.
Last Message Copied.
I'VE took notes of all the messages
scratched on the fusilage and wings, tn,
first one OF which was made five day