Cavalier County farmers press. (Langdon, N.D.) 1920-1921, 1921-05-05

How an American officer, an I'm.
acclaimed Illinois boy, played the part
of Nathan Hale in the World war, dy.
ing as a spy that the first serious often.
sive Of the A. e. f. might be crowned
with success, was told in Chicago re-
Gently for the first time. Its nara
ton was made possible by the dis.
covery Of an unmarked grave behind
the lines nee held by the kaiser's
forces at Cantigny, and an investiga-
ton following the discovery of the
body of an American lieutenant in the
grave!
When America entered the war, one
of the first to offer his services was
Oliver Julian Kendall, son Of an old
Illinois family for which Kendall coun-
ty was named, and which still resided
in Naperville, west of Chicago. Young
Kendall entered the first officers train.
ing camp and was commissioned first
lieutenant shortly after the death of
his father, Frank Kendall, former
mayor and superintendent of schools
in N%aperville.
The young man had been connected
with the engineering department of the
Chicago & Northwestern railroad, and
his experience led to his being at
tached to the engineers Of the First
division and sent to France.
Commands Advanced Party.
On May Is, 1918, the First division
was about to attempt the first impor.
tant offensive in which American
troops had been engaged in France.
The struggle was to prove whether
the despised American troops could
cope with the crack troops of the kai.
ser. This vas the situation when
Kendall took his place in the jumping.
off trenches directly in front of Can.
tigny and in command of the advanced
party.
AS he waited noises came from No
Mans Land calling for a volunteer.
Kendall and a private started to in,
yestigate. They had not gone far
when the noises grew louder. Order.
ing the private to remain where he
was, Kendall went forward. He was
see again.
That night the German raiding par.
ties, seeking information, attacked the
jumping-of trenches. The men who
held them were alert, and when the
Germans were repulsed several Prls-
sian officers were left behind as pris.
oners. From them it was learned that
an American lieutenant had been cap.
tured in No Mans Land shortly be.
fore the raid.
Reported Missing In Action.
Colonel e. j. K~ierkesson, command.
ing the First engineers. wrote to Ken.
dall's family that the young man was
missing in action. That was all at the
time. Then gradually the story OF
Kendall's fate became known. In
May, 1919, Maj. Gen. G. P. Summerall,
one of, the commanders of the First
division, was told of the finding of the
lone grave in the area that had been
behind the Prussian lines in Cantigny,
which had been captured in the first
great American victory, two days after
Kendall disappeared. The body found
there had been removed to the Amer.
lean cemetery at Bouvillers, France
1t was later identified as that of Ken
dali. From German sources it was
learned that, although he was in full
uniform when captured between the
lines, Kendall had been shot as a spy.
The German officers suspected he
could tell them about an American
offensive which was about to take
place. When he refused, he was shot
The official records and the report
of the Red Cross. finally have reached
Mrs. Frank Kendall, mother Of Lieu.
tenant Kendall. at her home, 1927
WaShtenaW avenue. lihicapn