Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1921-07-07
TALE Of HER0'S
DEATH NOW TOLD
III, DIS Boy ii Role Of Nathan
Hale at Cantigny.
IS SILENT UNDER THREATS
lie~ tenant Kendall Refused to Betray
p Of Army, Enabling United
States to Win It's First Battle-De.
coyed to German Line. Falsely Ac.
eused and Then Exeeuted-6ecret Of
Solitary, Unmarked Grave Is Finally
Solved-Seion of Old Family.

How an American officer. an un.
acclaimed Illinois hoy, played the part
of Nathan Hale IN tbs World war, dy.
ing as spy that the first serious often
sive of the A. +. 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 once held by the kaiser's
forces at Cantigny, and an investiea-
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
I'm Napervile. 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 Napervile.
The young man had been connected
with the engineering department OF the
Chicago 4 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 %. 1918. the First division
was about to attempt the first imp"r.
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 kat.
ser This was the situation when
Kendall took his place in the jumping
off trenches directly in front of Cav.
tigny and In command of the advancef
party.
As he waited noises came from M
Mans Land calling for a volunteer.
Kendall and private started to iu-
vestigate. They had not gone f9r
when the noises grew louder. Orde'>
ing the private to remain where ha
was, Kendall went forward. He was
never seen again.
That night the German raiding par.
ties, seeking information, attacked the
jumping-off trenches. The men whn
held them were alert, and when thu
Germans were repulsed several prus.
sian officers were left behind as priS-
OnerS. From them II was learned that
an American lieutenant had been cap
tured in No Mans Land shortly DO
fore the raid.
Reported Missing In Action.
Colonel e. J. Kierkesson. command.
ing the First engineers, wrote to Ker-
dall's family that the young man was
missing In action. That was all at the
time. Then gradually the story OF
Kendalrs fate became known. In
May, 1919, Maj. Gen. q. 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 aftec
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 1t was
learned that, although he was In full
uniform when captured between tho
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, Chicago