But there is an end to successful adventures as to other things, and
the brilliant career of this Arizona lad came to abrupt conclusion,
leaving the shadow of mystery as to just how the hero passed on. Here
is the story of the last exploit as Col. Hartley tells it:
“His next official victory was on Sept. 28, when he shot down a German
Hanoveraner airplane which was being escorted by a single-seater Fokker.
“That evening he did not return to his own aerodrome, but remained
all night with the French squadron and went out the next day for the
express purpose of destroying three balloons. The wonderful story of
his exciting fight against hopeless odds and of his glorious death need
not be dwelt upon. For his work on Sept. 29 he was awarded the Medal
of Honor.
“Briefly, what happened was that he flew over an American aerodrome
and dropped a weighted message. The message asked that a lookout be
kept for three drachens over on the German side. He was next seen to go
over in that direction at a very high altitude, and when very nearly
over the drachens was attacked by ten enemy machines. He engaged all
of them single-handed and crashed two of the ten. Then he dropped—out
of control, as it seemed, but most likely only pretending to be so.
When he reached the level of the balloons he shot them down one after
another in flames—all three of them. The anti-aircraft guns were very
busy about the second balloon. After that he disappeared.”
Beyond this all that is known is more or less speculative. Jan. 3,
1919, the Graves Registration officer of Neufchateau reported to the
Chief of the A. E. F. Air Service on the subject of the grave of an
unknown American aviator, killed Sept. 29, 1918, in the village of
Murvaux (Meuse), and asked for possible information to identify the
body. “Reported as having light hair, young, of medium height and
rugged physique. Reported by the inhabitants that previous to being
killed this man brought down three German balloons, two German planes
and dropped hand bombs, killed eleven German soldiers and wounded a
number of others. He was wounded himself in the shoulder and evidently
had to make a forced landing, and upon landing opened fire with his
automatic and fought until he was killed. It is also reported that the
Germans took his shoes, leggings and money, leaving his grave unmarked.”
Supporting the report is an affidavit (Jan. 15, 1919) signed by twelve
inhabitants of the village that gives the foregoing facts in detail and
adds this:
“Certify equally to have seen the German Commandant of the village
refuse to have straw placed on the cart carrying the dead aviator to
the village cemetery. This same officer drove away some women bringing
a sheet to serve as a shroud for the hero, and said, kicking the body,
‘Get that out of my way as quick as possible.’”
Two of the villagers placed the body on the cart.