Connecticut western news., 1920-12-16
SERGEANT WOODWARD
 KILLED IN SERVICE
Smash Came in Snow Storm Near Laramie,
 Wyoming

Sergeant John P. Woodward, who landed his DeHaviland plane here in August, 1919 was killed on Novem- Der 9th near Laramie, Wyoming. The only two aviators who ever landed here, Lieut.. John Greer and Sergt. Woodward, were killed in service. The following self-explanatory let ter and details regarding the acci- dent will undoubtedly be of interest: MitchellvilIe, Ia. { Nov. 30, 1920. MT. A. W. Krouse, Canaan, Conn. My dear Sir:
 Am enclosing clippings which l thought might be of interest to you' as I had often heard my brother speak of you and the trip you and he took in August 1919. 1t came as a great shock to us.
 Yours truly, Mrs. Vallie Bess
 "Cheyenne, Wyo., Nov. 7-The body of John P. Woodward, air mall pilot, was found in the wreckage of his plane at Tie Siding, forty miles west of Cheyenne and fifteen miles southeast of Laramie, Wyp., late this afternoon, according to word brought here tonight by railroad men. Woodward was last reported over Laramie at 2:40 o'clock yester day afternoon.
 I Woodward left Salt Lake City d l n .3O a. m. Saturday and wal , scheduled to arrive here with mai , at three o'clock yesterday afternoon A snow storm was in progress throughout this section. It was pc lieved here tonight Woodward Tel while attempting to make landine Woodwatd's body, still strapped , in the seat of his wrecked machine was found in a small pocket or roc by searching party from Laramie :. Other searchers during the day na [ passed within 100 feet.
 2 Indications were the plane ha 2 crasbed into ledge of rock risln ', barely 100 feet above the ralLroa ,, tracks. which it is presumed Woof ' ward was following.
 s.l Woodward had been in this dlv \, s;on of the service three months an
 four days. He was 26 years oil .r His home was at Mitchellville, low |, On october 26 Woodward mac s:I whaf was described as darlr Fl flight from Rock Springs, Wyo, nl Cheyenne, flying the entire dlstan' I. tance in a dense fog. On that occ n- sion he followed the railroad track K Percy Woodward was a nati' F. Mitchellville boy, the son of Geori V. Woodward. When war was declar' ,. with Germany he was the first ioc boy to enlist, choosing the ar oi' ne sion and was among the first pile n, to be taken to France for servl ce in that country, where he recelved
 commission as Second Lieutenal
 He served Uncle Sam faithfully I
 three years retiring from active s'
 vice as a commissioned officer a
 was nlaced on the reserve list. of He came home but the faselr as t;on of the air service was still stro he and when the government organz 1,s inc New York-San Francisco air m v's service he made application and V <. given a position as pilot. 1t fell
 his lot to be transferred to the al at sion from Cheyenne to Salt La of City, the most dangerous and dl i'm cult one to navigate of any on
 route. He carried the first mail W from Salt Lake City when the serv las began. He was in the mail serv list three months and four days.
 Abandoning the Armistice
 celebration that had been plan1 ap- here Thursday, the citizens of N
 chellville united in paying last he ith age to Pilot John P. Woodwa ear mail plane pilot who was killed
 few days ago when his airship fell at the ground near Laramie, Wyo. op- All the business houses W au- closed, and the church bells tol lrs' for fifteen minutes. A military
 neral was held at the Congregatio oa a' church, with former classmates oo @ 'buddies" forming the choir. iias .I7 pallbearers were Claire Patters Mlli WI. Sam Lightner, Lee Robinson Russell Downey.
 Woodward was the first man .1 Mitchellville to enlist when war .ne declared. He served in the avia
 section.