Louis Goetter Bernheimer

Louis Goetter Bernheimer was born on 5 December 1894 to Fanny Goetter (1869-1938) and Sidney Bernheimer (1858-1952) in New York, New York, the younger of two children, Leona Clara (1891-1958). Sidney Bernheimer was a successful businessman, at one point working as a senior partner of Sidney Bernheimer & Co., a mercantile distributor, in New York. The family lived in Rye, New York in 1905, later Manhattan (138 E 72^nd St) into the 1910s; Bernheimer attended Yale University from 19?? to 1917;

“Gunnery School. Went out for Freshman football, engaged in work of Hope Mission contributed to Yale Literary Magazine; member of Yale Battery, during the summer of 1916 training for the Artillery at Tobyhanna”*

Bernheimer graduated with his B.A. in 1917; he attended training at Plattsburgh Barracks, New York for an unknown duration.

*Bulletin of Yale University; Obituary Records of Graduates of Yale University, Deceased during the Year 1929-1930

Bernheimer was called into active service and assigned to the 88^th Aero Squadron; he left the United States on 14 November 1917. 1^st Lt. Bernheimer received the Distinguished Service Cross, Oak Leaf Cluster (DSC #2), Silver Star, Belgian Order of the Crown (Knight Class) for multiple actions;

His first DSC was received due to actions on 11 August 1918 near Fismes, France:

“The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant (Air Service) Louis G. Bernheimer, United States Army Air Service, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 88th Aero Squadron, U.S. Army Air Service, A.E.F., near Fismes, France, 11 August 1918. Together with John W. Jordan, second Lieutenant, 7th Field Artillery; observer; Roger W. Hitchcock, Second Lieutenant, Pilot; James S. D. Burns, deceased, Second Lieutenant, 101st Field Artillery, observer; Philip R. Babcock, First Lieutenant, pilot; Joseph A. Palmer, Second Lieutenant, 15th Field Artillery, observer, Joel H. McClendon, deceased, First Lieutenant, Pilot; and Charles W. Plummer, deceased, Second Lieutenant, 101st Field Artillery, all attached to the same squadron. Under the protection of three pursuit planes, all carrying a pilot and observer, Lieutenants Bernheimer and Jordan, in charge of a photo plane, carried out successfully a hazardous photographic mission over the enemy’s lines to the River Aisne. The four American ships were attacked by 12 enemy battle planes. Lieutenant Bernheimer, by coolly and skillfully maneuvering his ship, and Lieutenant Jordan, by accurate operation of his machine gun, in spite of wounds in the shoulder and leg, aided materially in the victory which came to the American ships, and returned safely with 36 valuable photographs. The pursuit plane operated by Lieutenants Hitchcock and Burns was disabled while these two officers were fighting effectively. Lieutenant Burns was mortally wounded and his body jammed the controls. After a headlong fall of 2, 500 meters, Lieutenant Hitchcock succeeded in regaining control of this plane and piloted it back to the airdrome. Lieutenants McClendon and Plummer were shot down and killed after a vigorous combat with five of the enemy planes. Lieutenants Babcock and Palmer, by gallant and skillful fighting, aided in driving off the German planes and were materially responsible for the successful execution of the photographic mission.”

Bernheimer’s Second DSC (Oak Leaf Cluster) was received due to actions on 2 November 1918 near Tailly, France;

“The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Second Award of the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant (Air Service) Louis G. Bernheimer, United States Army Air Service, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 88th Aero Squadron, U.S. Army Air Service, A.E.F., near Tailly, France, 2 November 1918. Lieutenant Bernheimer and First Lieutenant Ralph P. Bagby, observer, on their own imitative, went on a reconnaissance mission, flying 15 kilometers behind the German lines, securing valuable information, the condition of the bridges across the Meuse River and enemy activity in the back areas, and harassing enemy troops.”

Bernheimer’s Silver Star was received due to actions on 30 October 1918 near Dun-sur-Meuse, France;

“By direction of the President, under the provisions of the act of Congress approved July 9, 1918 (Bul. No. 43, W.D., 1918), First Lieutenant (Air Service) Louis G. Bernheimer, United States Army Air Service, is cited by the Commanding General, American Expeditionary Forces, for gallantry in action and a silver star may be placed upon the ribbon of the Victory Medals awarded him. First Lieutenant Bernheimer distinguished himself by gallantry in action while serving as a Pilot with the 88th Aero Squadron, American Expeditionary Forces, in action near Dun-sur-Meuse, France, 30 October 1918, while on a visual reconnaissance mission.”

1^st Lt. Bernheimer’s Belgian Order of the Crown (Knight Class) citation is unknown, as is any context surrounding its awarding (i.e., why Bernheimer qualified to receive it; the Knight Class is typically restricted to commissioned officers with 15 years of service or non-commissioned officers with 35, for “contributions to the military, society, or Belgian State”).

1^st Lt. Bernheimer left St. Nazaire, France on 13 December 1918 aboard the U.S. Army Transport Ship Virginian, arriving in the United States on 4 January 1919. He was Honorably Discharged on 10 January 1919, and received his New York Conspicuous Service Cross (#1504) in July of 1922.

Upon his return home, Bernheimer worked for his father’s company into 1922; he married Mary Elsas (1897-2003; stage name, Mary Ellis), opera singer and stage actress, on 6 February 1920 in Manhattan.

“Conspicuous bravery brought not only the Distinguished Service Cross to Louis G. Bernheimer, of 138 Seventy-second street, late of the U.S. Army Aviation Corps, but also the love of Miss Mary Ellis, of 33 West Eighty-fifth street, who sang the role of Mytyl in the Materlinck-Wolff opera, “The Blue Brid”, and who will appear in the revival of the Wagnerian opera, “Parsifal”. It was because of the war record of the dashing young officer that Miss Ellis first became attracted to him a year ago, just after he had returned from overseas, and their engagement quickly followed”.

The couple separated, and divorced before 1923- they had no children. Bernheimer wrote for an unknown number of editions of the New York World newspaper in the early 1920s- his professional activities throughout the decade are largely unknown, though he travelled extensively internationally. On 19 June 1923, he married Lillian Kemble-Cooper (1892-1977), an English film and Broadway actress- they also had no children. The couple separated before 1930. Bernheimer died on 10 January 1930 after falling out of a window in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California. His estate went into probate in London, England.

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“Louis G. Bernheimer, 35, New York, leaped from the fourth floor window of his hotel January 10. The coroner says he thinks he came here to write for the films, as papers were found showing correspondence with studios. Suicide was the motive, said the coroner, due to losses in the New York stock crash. The coroner also said he was a radical.”

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“Louis E. Bernheimer, writer, was killed instantly when he fell from the window of his room at the Astor Hotel, Second and Hill Streets, to the paved court below. The noise of the fall brought people from the hotel and the body was removed to the morgue. Manuscripts ranging from poetry to theses on radicalism were found among Mr. Bernheimer’s effects. He registered at the hotel last night as being from New York, and press clippings in his room associate him with Sacco-Vanzetto protest meetings. A scenario and a telegram addressed to Miss Lillian Cooper, care of Basil Rathbone at MGM Studios, indicate the nature of his trip to Los Angeles.”

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“Murder and not suicide, the vengeful spite of dope peddlers and not a self-destruction urge. This was the theory officials here favored today in a dramatic revival of interest in the case of Louis E. Bernheimer, radical writer and poet, who mysteriously fled from Carmel the night of January 6. A man plunged to his death from a Los Angeles hotel three days later. The body was declared by police to be that of Bernheimer and it was first reported the man committed suicide.

It began to appear yesterday that the man may have been thrown to his death by a paid assassin of an international dope peddling gang…That Bernheimer was in mortal terror for his safety was indicated by statements made by his land-lady, Mrs. B.C. Jessena. Lillian Kemble-Cooper, actress and former wife of Bernheimer, scouted the theory that Bernheimer was connected with narcotics in any way”.

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“Louis E. Bernheimer, radical writer and poet, lion of recent social functions among the literati of Carmel, who committed suicide on January 10, yesterday became the center of a narcotic ring investigation. Narcotic agents, searching for Ernest Granout, alias de Lignier, alias Laurent de d’Eglisse, notorious European trafficker in dope, yesterday announced that the trail of the man they sought had led them directory to the door of Bernheimer’s little cottage in Carmel.

Mail delivered to Carmel for Laurent de L’Eglisse is believed to have been handed to Bernheimer, they said. Chief of Police August Englund of Carmel was ‘almost positive’ that a picture of de L’Eglisse portrayed the features of Bernheimer.”