AMERICA DAY BY DAY

Evening Star, Issue 16195, 17 August 1916, Page 3

AMERICA DAY BY DAY

[From Our San Francisco GorresI'ONDKNT.] CHAPMAN IN MANY EXPLOITS. Chapman's parents, who reside in New York, were greatly overcome by the news of the death of the intrepid aviator, for it transpired that a week (previously Victor was reported'to have been wounded while returning from a reconnaissance, which he had made alone, when he was attacked from behind by a German Fokker, which swooped down upon his from a great height. At that time his father said in New York: "If Victor i* killed in battle I am resigned.' I am proud that he joined the, French army." Like, many of his fellow-student® at the Beaux Arts in Parish he joined the Foreign Legion. His bravery gained him promotion to the flying corps. As a member of the Foreign Legion Ghapman served first in a machine-gun 1 section. He was wounded, not seriously, after one month of fighting, and about five months later he was transferred to tie Aviation Corps, where he served first as pupil, then as observer, and finally as pilot. He was reported several times slightly wounded. " A regular hail of bullets ail around ify machine riddled it," Chapman wrote to a fr«cnd in Paris, in describing his air battle the week before he met disaster. "The controls were so damaged that on'v by holding them with the hand was I able to make a landing. I was lucky to get off with <l scalp wound, insufficient for me to leave the front." Chapman called this escape bis narrowest, but he had had previous daring encounters whicli won honor for him. Early in May tho Franco-American Flying Corps was organised as a separate unit in France's air service, and on May 18 it set off on its first individual raid of the German lines. Chapman's machine was hit and he was driven from his course, being the last to return to the American base, the locality of which has not been stated, except that it 16 " behind the French front." On May 22 a German aviator, seeking revenge because a companion had previously been shot down, flew over the American camp. Chapman went up in pursuit and drove him off. For this exploit Chapman was in Una for promotion to tho rank of sergeant. He was a comrade of Sergeant Phil Racier, of San Francisco. CANADIAN OFFICER AND NEUTRALITY LAWS. A good deal of comfort has been, extracted by German-Americans at the arrest in Seattle of Lieutenant Ernest Austin, of the Canadian ormy, on a. charge of violating the neutrality laws of the United States by recruiting men in Seattle. Ho waa taken before a United States Commissioner, who fixed Ins hail at 5,0l)0dol, in default of which he was locked in the city gaol. Russell Anderson, special agent of tho United States Department of Justice, who signed the complaint upon which the arrest was made, charged that Lieutenant Austin had offered to pay him five dollars a day to obtain bandsmen for tho American Battalion being recruited ut Victoria, British Columbia. _ Detectives who searched Lieutenant Austin's room found his enlistment papers in the Canadian army, and a newspaper advertisement calling for bandsmen and offering "« good chance to see the country."' The advertisement was signed "Carl Bollmberg." Government agents said that besides the evidence disclosed in the complaint they had additional evidence showing that Lieutenant Austin had been engaged in an active recruiting campaign in Seattle for the Canadian army. When the Canadian officer reappeared in court three days later in Seattle he had the satisfaction of being discharged unconditionally, to the utter discomfiture" of local Teutons, who had closely followed the case. United States Commissioner R. W. M'Clelland ruled that the United States Government had not produced satisfactory evidence to warrant holding Lieutenant Austin for the grand jury before whom it was sought to have him and his activities investigated. TAUSCHER ACQUITTED. Much astonishment has been caused bv the termination of the series of charges preferred against Ha-is Tauscher, former German army officer, and which resulted in the alleged bomb plotter being acquitted in the New York courts by a jury who had heard patiently tho mass of conflicting evidence of a conspiracy to blow up the ""Welland canal, and thereby prevent tho passage of supplies to tho Allies from Canada. Judge Hand, in his charge, instructed tho jury that if they found that Captain Tauscher knowingly furnished the dynamite or the pistols they must find him guilty of conspiracy. " Testimony i which I do not find has besn disputed," the Judge said, " has been adduced to show that. Von der Gohz, sent by and equipped by Captain Von Papen, did go to Canada, and, finding the canal guarded by soldier's, returned to the United States. The only matter of dispute is whether Tauscher was aware of the purpose for which Von der Golks and Caplain Von Papon wanted the dynamite and the pistols furnished by Tauscher." Testifying on his own behalf, Tauscher intimated that he had been duped by Captain Von Papeu, former military attache to tho German Embassy, whose recall was asked by the United States Government. The .specific charge against, him was that he furnished the explosives with which tho Government contended the others iu the alleged conspiracy were planning to desirov the Canadian waterway. When the jury announced that they found tta accused " Not guilty" German sympathisers in court became so assertive that the Judge had to threaten to clear tho court. Madame Gadaski, the prima donna, the wife of Tauscher, was the centre of this German throng, and she enthusiastically congratulated every cue of tho " twelve good" men a.nd true " of the jury. _ Almost simultaneously t at a special sessions court in another" part of New York, another German, who ha/1 been under a cloud of suspicion for several months, in the person of Paul Kocnig, made his appearance to answer to one of the many German schemes of " frightfulness" in which he terrorised Eastern nauufacturers in their fulfilling orders to the Allies in Europe. He is implicated in most of the bomb plot cases, apd on this occasion pleaded guilty to a charge of giving Fred Scheir.de], an employee of tho National City Bank of. New York, tho sum to steal letters and telegrams from the bank referring to -tvar supplies. Koenig was released, at District Attorney Swann's suggestion, on a suspended sentence. Koenig now realises that the evidence collected by the United States Federal agents is incontrovertible. AMERICANS TEACHING BATTLEBLINDED SOLDIERS. The whole-heartedness with which a noteworthy section of the American public has displayed itself for the cause of the Allies has been further exemplified in that charming American lady, Miss Winifred Holt, who has transferred her activities for the blind from New York to Paris, where the need among the battle-blinded soldiers is at present more urgent. In the course of an appeal for funds with which to carry on her "Lighthouse" there, Miss Holt says: "I wish every American could walk into my office some day, here at the Phare do France, and let me show him our home and, best of all, our pupils. We have 18 men with us now—men who came to us blinded from the battlefield with hope dead in their hearts. To-day they are learning new trades with their 10 fingers, which have become to them eyes, and they are beginning to see again the light of contentment. These men are from all walks of life, but interesting, every one of them, in some special way. We have a sunny studio at the Phare, and two inspired Americans, who are devoting to teaching our men to become deft with their 10 eyes. We can boast already a remarkable exhibit from our modelling class, and a still mora remarkable achievement in re-educat-ing the blind and giving them new sight through new facility and sensitiveness of touch. The Lighthouse is day by day reaching out to bring light and hope to more and more of those men blinded in the service of their country." CASEMENT VERDICT AND AMERICA. The verdict of the jury in the trial of Sir Roger Casement occasioned no surprise in United States, and was accepted as justifiable by the whole country, with the exception of a few disgruntled renegade Irishmen, who continually are airing their grievances in America; but although they support the Germans it is only in words, and refuse to accept the invitation of decent-minded Americans to transfer their presence to Germany and show their sympathy in a practical fashion by joining the Kaiser's army! They prefer to fight with their mouth. These are the people vho have besought President Wilson to save Casement from the gallows. "Jim" Larkin, the exiled revolutionist and Labor leader of Ireland, who has been in San Francisco on a lecturing tour, and has been endeavoring to spread discontent even more among the Irish of Western America/ has delivered himself of his usual oratorical pyrotechnics, and when the verdict was announced to the exile Larkin lauded the devotion of his condemned colleague to "tho cauoe." In the course of a message which Larkin addressed to Casement, the Labor agitator said: "We honor you in life, Casement. We envy you in death. And you may rely on those who are left to carry en the work to its ultimate conclusion to make Ireland 'a nation once again."'

On his arrival in New York to tpeak hefore the New York Press Club, President Wilson was besieged by 30 or 40 New Yorkers, who besought him to take some action regarding the. death sentence passed upon

Casement. The President hoard their plea,' and returned a non-committal answer. In Washington, at the same moment, a resolution requesting the President to ask the Bri- j tish Government for a stay of execution of Casement pending presentation of new facts was introduced in tho Senate by Senator I Marline, of New Jersey, and referred to the ( Foreign Eolations Committee. Senator Martine introduced the resolution at the -request of Mrs Agnes Newman, Casement's sister. WAR THRUSTS TITLES UPON CALIFORNIA!* WAITER. War plays strange pranks on position, and because of the present European war Mr Valentine Brodie St. John, former waiter of the exclusive Bohemian Club at San Francisco, will rule a castle in Scotland and a mansion in London, and carry enough " titles "to burden him. He has filled many roles—was a shipfitter's helper, a gardener in tho Golden Gate Park of San Francisco, and a. uniformed guard at the Panama Exposition. He has also been a soldier. He is 61 years of age, and is at present in Canada recovering from the effects of German shrapnel and German gas bombs. He fought with Lord Roberts in 1878-80 as a sergeant with the Gordon Highlanders, then going by the name of Brodie. At the outbreak of the present war he was employed at Mare Island—the United States Government shipbuilding station of California —and left there in December, 19U, for Canada, but was refused enlistment because of " apparent over age." He returned to San Francisco and served throughout the Exposition as a guard. At the close 'of the Exposition he again went to Victoria, 8.C., and on that occasion had no trouble in enlisting. He was sent to England, and later to Fiance, and after "being laid out by a diabolical gas bomb," as he has just written to a Mare Island friend, splinters from an exploding shell cut up his temple and broke his leg, so that he was sent back to Canada to bo returned to his placo of enlistment. But where war injured him it has dealt far more harshly with his titled relatives. Prior to the Boer War there were five Brodies, all cousins, who stood between him and tho wealth that will now be his. Two of these cousins, officers in the British Army, were killed during the Boer conflict. The three others have all been killed on the battle line in France, Major Brodie, of the Seaforth Highlanders, going first, followed by Captain Brodie, also of the Seaforth Highlanders, and finally the most dashing of the trio, Lieutenant Brodie, V.C., of the Highland Light Infantry, has been included in the death list. Mr St. John is now returning to England to claim the estates. He will assume the title of "Laird o' Brodie Castle," in Morayshire. He will also inherit Major Brodie's mansion in London. He is going to the front as soon as fit, so will have littlo timo to visit his Scottish estates. As the one castle and title were not enough, another branch of the family has been exterminated, tho last of the Aberdeen Fletchers having been killed lately, and the Fletcher estates go to the last of the Brodies. Friends of Mr St. John in San Francisco say that he will not be out of place in any castle, as he is a man of splendid appearance, and possesses the manners of a Chesterfield.