CARPENTIER.

NZ Truth, Issue 604, 13 January 1917, Page 11

CARPENTIER.

Some Facts About the Famous Frenchman.

Georges CaTpentier has just been decorated for the third time by the Government of France for another conspicuously daring action on the battle line, writes Bob Edgren m the "St. Louis Post Despatch." This third decoration, the military medal, is the- highest /war honor that can be 'given to any Frenchman. CaTpentier earned it at the capture of the Douaumont fortress. He was one of six aviators sent out to fly over the German trendies and. batteries to direct by signal the fire of the attacking French, artillery. The success of that action— the recapture m a few hours of a powerful fortified position that had been taken by the Germans only after several months. of desperate fighting— was due m part to Georges Carpentlev. During the bombardment of the German position Carpentier flew over the enemy lines at a height of only 200 feet. He flew alone. As lie sped over the Germans he signalled back their position to the 'French gunners. Down below thousands of rifles and machine guns rattled furiously. . BULLETS ALL ESCAPED HIM The air was split by screeching bullets looking for Carpentier. From behind the lines the German guns were lowered to cover him and bursting shells filled the air with shrapnel. But looking back he could see the French shells crashing into tbe r trenches and the gun emplacements. Until his work was done he zigzagged back and forth over the enemy. When he returned at last and fled for the French lines' the wooden frame of his plane was splintered by bullets and Its oiled silk wings were riddled with ragged holes where bullets and shrapnel had gone through. But no bullet touched Car-r pentier. In battle, as m ring, he seemed the favorite of the gods. . For that feat Carpentier was givph the medatyle miiltaire. He earned it. Incidcntlly,^ he was three times mentioned m J'ordre dv jour. The first time, Sept. 15, 1915, when he was first decorated, this was the" official commendation : "Georges Carpentier, aviator, of great courage, never returns, until his mission has been , accomplished ami frequently not until his eqtilpment is damaged by projectiles. Ho does not hesitate to fly over the enemy's positions at a very low height to direct

effectively the fire of our artillery." WAR A "GAME," TO CARPENTIER. A few days ago Carpentier, interviewed at the front, laughingly said that fighting m the air, like boxing, was a game that interested him. He feels no more fear with shells bursting around and machine-gun bullets clipping through his plane than he did m the ring. ~ "Fof," so said Carpentier (with a shrug- of the shoulders I imagine), "it is all m the game," Carpentier's army career has been as full of action as his old career m the ring. When the war broke out he was m the first mobilisation, although then only 20 years of age. At first he was detailed as driver of an officer's motor car, for he was known as an expert mechanic and a daring driver. He drove one of his own machines, given to the Government. There was a story, that the French people were "saving" Carpentier, keeping him out of danger as much as possible, because of his great popularity and a desire to have him go on boxing after the war. But if anyone had such a thought it wasn't Georges. Not content with driving a car and occasionally scooting around the firing lines as a dispatch bearer, he asked to be transferred to the aviation corps. Here he soon learned to fly, and at first was engaged 'in";. taking machines to the front from the factories. Then he became a dispatch carrier, by aeroplane, and when he fully qualified as an expert was sent to. thfe first line among the aviators of the highest class. In air battles he has brought down several German planes, flying alone and handling his plane and machine gun at the same time. But his greatest and most daring work has been m scouting for enemy guns and directing the French firfrj— a thing that i cannot be done at a great; height m comparative safety from bullets. HE IS IN CONSTANT DANGER. • It will be impossible to measure the popularity of Carpentier among the French people if he survives the war. It is said that Carpentier on furlough is to visit America to box Willard, It would be. a pity. After two years of xeal war he can hardly be m practice for the ring. And even if he was, the fame he has earned now is infinitely greater than anything he could gain even by laying, low the conqueror of Jack Johnson.' Carpentier was born on January 12, 1894, at Lens. His father and mother are still there, civilians imprisoned behind the German lines. The Germans are working Carpentier's coal mining properties. Georges began boxing when he was only 13 yeaTS old, m 1907. Boxing was just coming into popularity m France. In a short time he went to Paris. Georges was, a tall, lithe, handsome boy, quiet, modest and friendly. In the ring he was remarkably skillful, but as furiously aggressive as a Terry MpGovern. • To show.how Carpentier grew while he was fighting, m 1909 he fought Charles Ledoux, and won the decision m 15 rounds. Ledoux was the wonderful French bantam-weight champion who visited America just before the war, and who has been reported killed m battle. ' - FOUGHT AS ' BANTAM IN 1909. ... A couple of years after that Carpentier began knocking out English champions. He defeated Jack' Goldr swain, Evernden and Young Josephs, winning the welter-weight title. In Paris he fought Harry Lewis, one of the best American middle-weights, and wpn m 20 rounds. In 1912 he scored his first great sensation by knocking out Jim Sullivan, English middleweight champion, m two rounds. Sullivan was regarded as a sure winner by the English, and'hundreds of prominent sporting men journeyed from London to Monte Carlo to bot on the British champion. As the Frenchmen were backing Carpentier eagerly, the betting ran into many thousands ot pounds. Carpentier finished Sullivan with euse. A little over a year later, when the young Frenchman was becoming famous all over the world, England brought out her greatest heavy-weight to stop him. Carpentier was still a; middleweight. Bombardier Wells towered over him and looked a giant In comparison. Twice he knocked Carpentier down. Nobody who saw Wells massacro big Al Palzer for two rounds will ddubt that he could hit. But CarpenUeT fought on as furiously as ever, and In the fourth round knocked Wells out. This fight was at Ghent. The Englishmen were dumbfounded. They could not understand it. A French boy, 19 years old, a middle-weight, knocking out the cleverest English heavyweight developed since Mitchell's time! It wus impossible— an accident — a fluke! KNOCKED OUT BOMBARDIER WELLS. So Carpentier gave Wells another i chanco. He went to England and fought him m London, his own home t town. This tlmo Carpentier utterly i Ignored the Bombardier's heavy punches, wont into him with headi long fury, and knocked him out In less than a mlnuto, In the first round. Forty days later, for good measure, he

fought the English middle-weight champion, Pat O'Keefe, and knocked hjm out, too, m two rounds. In July, 1914, he won from Gunboat Smith m six rounds, on a foul. And then came the war! Carpentier had already challenged Jack Johnson to fight him for the heavy-weight title. He was m England when France called out her men. That night he crossed the Channel m a fast steamer, and the next day he was m uniform. A man of action- — Carpentier. In the time he was boxing, Carpentier grew from a bantam-weight to a heavy-weight, and whipped the European champions m each class as. he went along. After beating Bombardier Wells he was so popular m France that without making any effort to "go after the coin" he became a very wealthy man. At the outbreak of the war he was worth half a million dollars, most of it invested m the coal mines of Lens, where he worked as a small boy before he became a famous boxer.