Show THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE SUNDAY MORNING JULY 29 1931 sc Joys Sorrows Came to 7h ®y inf 4 ' Slipping a Message Into the Small Cylindrical Receptacle Attached to a Carrier Pigeon’t Leg Accompanying Article Telia How Theae Feathered Heroes Succeeded in Transporting Messages During the World War Cylinder Portrayed Above Was Used Exclusively by the German Force over another in there around the gating modern fashion “Bea trice" just laid two neat little eggs in a corner on the floor If “John” had any visions of a felicitous old age and the companionship of A young and beautiful mate he was loft In casual Silver Battle-Scarre-d rt Flapper Pigeon Who Vamped tha Heroic "John In Uii Old Ageand Then Descrjed Him Leaving the World War Veteran to Caro for Their Egg cal waters Soma even saved lives by bringing requests for aid from parties of army officers lost or injured in reconnaissance over the difficult mountain range of the Hawaiian group of ifllnids “John Silver' had ceased to attract attention His reputed citation for braver in battle was either lost or so carefully filed away that no one had seen it for years His fading reputation rested solely on the memory of a few a verbal tradition of gal- pigeoneers TT rudely disillusioned Almost immediately after the eggs were laid “Beatrice” lost interest in them and in married life She wanted to stretch her wings and gad about perhaps to attend the Hawaiian chapter meeting of the Pigeon Hens' - Aeronautical League with other adventurous young females of her kind For the remainder of the incubation hero period it waa the old husband “John Silver” who kept the home fires burning by sitting on tbe eggs that lay in the corner Perhaps it was a sense of duty inculcated during his martial youth perhaps it was the veteran’s desire to pass on to his offspring the memory of his valorous deeds that caused this paternal cate Or maybe “John Silver” wanted the eggs war-scarr- la-'- preened themselves on his arrival became mothers grandmothers and Many of them passed away at a ripe old age The young hens wasted no more notice on "John Silver” than a sub-de- b would give to a nonagenarian Then a remarkable metamorphosis took place After thirteen years of confirmed s v - rf ry" A bens of the Hawaiian Dtvl frHE I slon pigeon loft at Schofield Bar JL racks bachelorhood “John Silver" last season devoted himself to “Bet- -' trice" a very young flapper whose soft feather-reflectethe light like changeable silk Perhaps flighty young “Beatrice" was thrilled by the romance of “John Silver’s” reputed exploits in France Perhaps she was too dumb to refuse “John's" proposal of mar-riag- e But she and John didn’t bother to take one of the nests which were built like apartments for human newlyweds one ever them directly toUnited States preened themselves A ward tho rear areaa 4- Where food and the War hem was coming amongst them comforts of tho loft "John Silver” who wore the red and ribbon of the Croix d Guerre awaited him bad heard of his shapely stream Itched to tbs bird’s leg by flexible metal Forty minutes later a bleeding bird crept body the sheen and lustre of bis bands The bird was released It started to circle in ths wind to gain altitude into tho trap doqr of plumage bis brilliant eyes They had beard of hie valor In ona Unfortunately its course took it ovtr the pigeon loft An of the most sanguinary conflicts of ths ths German lines The anxious watchers alert attendant spied World War the battle of the Meuse- - saw it suddenly tumble in flight The him and removed the Axgonna A front line battalion waa be-- shot was indistinguishable of course message from his retng desperately assailed and heeded from the thousand! of others which maining leg No one additional artillery support Telephone were decimating the bird’s human comrad- could tell what had delines bad not been laid up to iti there es-in-arms stroyed his dther limb was ao method of visual signaling in ' Ths officer turned to find the plgeoneer but probably it was a flying piece of that rolling wooded terrain no human already taking a second bird from his high explosive perhaps a shrapnel ball messenger could survive an attempt to basket “This Is a young bird sir” he or a ricocheting machine gun bullet ‘carry word through ths inferno of fire said “But he’s the last one and he’s ' Whjle the bird was being given first aid One aoldler crouching in the shell been pretty well trained He’s got to the message was rushed to the division bole carried on his back a wicker basket commander who had the authority to make good”' To him erawled the battalion comorder the required artillery support for It was indeed a young bird tut mander The soldier produced a pad of with strong wing muscles and the endangered troops thin paper and on three of the sheets pinion feathers gloaey and healthy As It was tho impending arrival of this the officer wrote a triplicate massage yet he had no name merely a serial famous bird which In 1921 caused tha explaining tha desperate plight of the number to distinguish him from hun- hens of the Hawaiian Division pigeon dreds of other pigeons serving in the loft to preen themselves After some men under bis command Without artilweeks ne arrived now being Called A E F lery assistance they would perish Two of ths messages wars inclosed It is highly questionable of course if “John Silver” because like the famous character in Robert Louis Stevenson’s each in a separate aluminum capsule he knew that the lives of several hunThe third waa retained by tha battalion dred American soldiers depehded on his “Treasure Island” he had but one sound record of his appeal for making a successful flight over-N- o commander leg Man’s Land though enthusiastic pigeon He had been sent from the United help From tbe wicker basket was extracted fanciers tell remarkable stories of theae States to improve the breed of carrier Islands and carrier pigeon cramped and weary of birds' intelligence plgedds In the s imprisonment and ths jostling be If not no knowledge of hie mission was at that time In the prime of hie life had received as his hearer had run for-- -- it hie danga£ could have made- the - With hit distinctive white wing mark-- to shell-hol- e from shell-hol- e and winged messenger act more wisely Redived into shallow declivities for pro leased ho banked steeply and Circled in the little clearing then haring reached tection One of the eapsules was carefully at-- the elevation of the tree tops skimmed ths largest post of the :r to me However that may be “John’s” devotion was rewarded by the breaking ultimately of the two white shells and the emergence of two tiny squabs Father and children are now doing' well in the loft of the Hawaiian Division of the United States Army and a strain of pigeons tracing to the heroic “John Silver” is now perpetuated While “Silver's" age is remarkable the average life of a pigeon being from seven to nine years there are other instances of birds of the species living twice their allotted span "Mocker" bred in 1917 remains at the Army loft at Fort Monmouth New Jersey More fortunate than “John Silver" his record of war achievement haa been officially preserved On the Beaumont front September 12 1918 he carried message of great importance giving the location of enemy machine gun nests which were doing fearful damage This message enabled the artillery to silence the enemy guns in twenty minutes “Mocker’s” sight was destroyed during the flight supposedly by a piece of shrapnel v Si well-form- ed aa -- t tnld-Pacif- lo -- - S Ql The War Hero Himself He Was Named d John Silver for the Famous “Treasure Island” Character After He Had Limb Shot Off While Serving Uncle Sam on the Western Front ings-hwaa a very handsome bird inOne-Legge- e deed At first the hens thought he might he weary from his long journey Then they decided his honors had pone to his head As time went on with “John” remaining to all appearances unaware of their charms they decided that he was a confirmed misogynist Years passed Other birds cams from Jhasminland and sired progeny which won silver cups for tha Army loft in poultry shows These also set new distance record by their flights from island to distant island and from d tropi-war- d chip to shore over mid-Pacif- io shark-infeste- 8 Army Officers Read a Message Just Brought to Them From Troops Maneuvering Miles Away Training These Carrier Pigeons Is a Regular Part of ’the JJuties of a Section of the American (1 Army "Mucker unlike “John Silver” was once quite a lady’s man In fact he has been- accused by other jealous male pigeon of being a bigamist Four years ago he teemed to have settled down to a loveless quiet old age This season though he underwent a sudden rejuvenation and i creating no small animosity among his rivals by his Don - 4- Juan-lik- e Wd Animosities Forgotten (It 1 Hoped) German and Frenrh Soldiers Are Shown Working Side by Side (in the Trenches Where They Had Fought) to Reproduce Authentically Some of the Actual Events of the World War In Cat Masks the Doughboy 1 Go Over the Top The Alertness of the Signal Corps Which Includes the Carrier Pigeon Division Credited With Saving Many Thousands of Live During the Big Scrap ways Still another war veteran at Monmouth is “Spike1 who is officially cred-ite- d with carrying fifty-tw- o messages while at the f ront during the war Since neither “Spike” nor "Mocker” can live much longer plans have been made to preserve properly their remains when they ultimately pass to the pigeons’ paradise' Their stuffed bodies will be installed in the Smithsonian Institution at Washington as examples of feathered heroes of the great war “John Silver’” memory however will probably be preserved only in his progeny so lately engendered CaswiiM IMS lias IWUuw lymtUM X bs a - - |