Show Year Old Soldier s. s L. L Draftsman Once Fought in Abyssinian Abyssinian Abys- Abys sinian Army at Tender Age Abe I Over O a drafting board in the department department depart depart- ment of commerce airways divisIon bends a quiet little man the senIor draftsman No one would guess that G. G A A. A CapronI Leland avenue Is to and known as Cap people high low on two continents It is a tar far cry fro from in the wilds of t Ab Abyssinia to the quiet of ot-a ot a Salt Lake draftIng office Mr Caproni was born In Chicago December 10 1880 His parents died when he was 8 years old leaving him to shift for tor himself Fired with the desire to become a soldIer he stowed away on a vessel in the harbor ot of New Orleans eventually landing In Abyssinia w where cre he joined the Italian army at the age or of 13 In the excitement of the AbyssinIan Ian campaIgn he explained everyone everyone every every- one thought I 1 was an officers officer's son and let it go at that He He went into the battle or of Adua with Italian n soldiers Four hundred returned Officers discovered ered then who he really was and tIred fired him from the army He enlisted In the United States army In time for tor the Philippine insurrection insurrection Th The war over he entered college in the eastern states desiring to become an engineer His army experience won him the post of cadet commander ot of his col- col ol- ol lege The night before he was to take command though he and some of the boys dragged a cannon to the fourth floor of the administration building tiring firing it in celebration of his appointment The next day he was on his way to Alabama where he engaged In the newspaper business editing a country paper for a year He returned to school in 1904 however graduated as asan asan an engineer and came west to follow ollow his profession He has hns held man many engineering positions positions' throughout the west As a cavalry offIcer in the World war he h traIned troops at the San Francisco PresidIo but was discharged dis- dis discharged charged of physical disability y before he could see France x ref i h y r G. G A. A Caproni For a time Mr Caproni commanded Salt Lake high school cadets then joined the Granite hi high h school faculty as drafting a teacher where he re- re re-I re until 1926 He was assistant engineer for tor the American Falls Idaho h hydroelectric project until 1929 when he joined the department ot of commerce airways division Mr Is doll known In Salt LIke Lake for his female impersonations |