史海钩沉－－生当作人杰，死亦为鬼雄。纪念抗日義士萧特（2）

肖特身后，极尽哀荣。

当我试图在网上查找当年有关肖特身后事的原始资料时，我发现在中国的网站上几乎没有－－大多是后来的人编辑的。

于是我就转向美国的网站，结果找到了一些，虽然不多。

网络上查到美国报纸《The Palm Beach Post》1932年4月25日的报纸的扫描件。

其中有一篇当时从上海发来的报道标题为：

CHINESE HOLD LARGE STATE FUNERAL FOR AMERICAN WAR FLIER

中国人为美国飞行员举行了高规格的国葬

下面是其中与葬礼有关的部分摘录：

Colonel Robert Short Is buried Amid Great Honors at Honjo Airdrome

肖特上校被厚葬于虹桥机场

Tens of thousands of Chinese today lined the streets of Shanghai for the state funeral of Robert Short.

为了肖特的国葬，数万中国人今天涌上上海的街头

The nationalist government buried the flier with full military honors

国家政府以全副军礼厚葬了这个飞行员

When Short was shot down over Soochow on February 22 in a Chinese airplane, he was "just an aviator." Today he was buried as a colonel in the nationalist government army in recognition of his effort on behalf of the Chinese.

当肖特于2月22日在苏州被击落时，他“只不过是一个飞行员”。然而由于中国政府承认他是为中国而战死的，故追授他为中国上校军衔。

The funeral was the largest ever witnessed in Shanghai for a foreigner.

这是上海迄今所见的为外国人所举办的最大规模葬礼。

Rain came pattering down as the echo of final rifle salutes died away, and Mrs. Short and her son Edmund, stood with bowed heads before the flower-draped tomb.

当为死者致敬的最后的枪声回音消失之后，雨开始下了起来。肖特老夫人以及她的小儿子爱德蒙德低着头站在鲜花蔟拥的墓前。

萧特義士之墓

 
　
美国网站上还有一封由上海的十九路军总司令蒋光鼐与蔡廷锴将军联名写给肖特老夫人的吊唁信的扫描件，看样子是被人从当时刊登在报纸上的报道剪下来的。

此份剪报，估计是由肖特的生前好友Carl Douse的儿子Richard Douse保存下来的，因为扫描件的右下角有几行标注：

Feb 23, 1932　（1932年2月23日）
Dad's (Carl Douse) best friend. （父亲的最要好朋友）
One of the first Americans killed by the Japanese.（最早被日本人杀害的美国人之一）

Mrs. Elizabeth Short
809 South 39 St.
Tacoma, Wash

Dear Mrs. Short:

With the greatest respect and deepest regret we beg to inform you that, when on February 23 at about 3 PM, six piratic airplanes from the invading Japanese Navy were circling over Soochow, dropping bombs on an entirely unarmed and innocent civilian population, destroying lives and property alike in a wanton fashion unheard of before, your heroic son, Robert Short, flying a Boeing plane, engaged in a fight with the above planes, and after a 10 minute machine gun fire, he was shot and nose-dived to death.

怀着最大的敬意和最深切的遗憾，我们告诉你一个不幸的消息：在2月23日下午3点左右，6架侵华日本海军的强盗飞机包围了苏州，向手无寸铁的平民进行轰炸，以闻所未闻的狂轰滥炸方式夺去许多无辜百姓的生命。此时你的英雄的儿子，罗伯特肖特，驾驶一架波音飞机毅然对那些强盗飞机开战。经过10分钟的激烈交火后，他被击落身亡。

It is true that Robert Short failed to bring down any of the invading planes, but he did kill the Japanese flyer who headed the raid,thereby preventing the Japanese attackers from carrying out their bombing raid to the extent that they originally intended.

虽然罗伯特肖特没有击落任何入侵飞机，然而他当场击毙了这些强盗的头领，因而阻止了这些日本强盗们原定的杀戮计划。

The best words of condolence are insufficient to express to you our sorrow and sympathy in this bereavement of yours. But we can at least assure you this: No parents could have a more heroic son than Robert who gave up his own life that others might live. He dared Might　and died to defend Right for humanity and civilization. To say that he was fighting for China alone would be belittling his gallant and humanitarian deed, because it is for humanity and justice that he died. The name of Robert Short will live long in the scroll of honor of great men, and his meritorious service will ever be in the memory of all Chinese.

任何哀悼词都不足以向你表达我们此刻的悲伤以及对你的丧儿之痛的同情。但我们至少可以向你确认一点：没有任何的父母能有像肖特这样的一个英雄儿子，他献出自己的生命以换取其他人的生存。他不惧强权，至死捍卫人性与文明的正当性。若说他仅是为中国而战，恐会贬低他的豪侠仗义以及人道主义的本质，因为他是为了人性与正义而死的。罗伯特肖特的名字将长存于历史长河的伟人名单上，他的功绩将为全体中国人所铭记。

Yours sincerely,

(signed) Chiang Kwang-nai (Nominal Commander-in Chief of the Chinese 19th Army)
Tsai Ting-kai (Commander of the 19th)
Tai Chi (Chinese Shanghai Chief of Police)

扫描件的右边还拼接了另一份剪报：

Shrilling the  "Star Spangled Baner,"  Shanghai Boy Scouts and Shanghai Girl Guides escorted Mrs. Short to the biggest funeral Shanghai has ever given a white man. His body lay embalmed in a steel coffin of immense weight. As it passed through packed Shanghai streets, the crowd panicked. Overhead zoomed Chinese planes (prudently withheld from action two months ago against the Japanese). Chinese pilots showed their skill in daring turns and sideslips. At Hungjao airdrome, from which Robert Short went up to certain Death last February, his steel coffin was lowered into a hole in the ground.

在哀婉的“星条旗”国歌声中，上海男童军和女童军陪着肖特老夫人来到这个上海给予一个白人的迄今最大的葬礼。他那涂满防腐剂的尸体躺在一口厚重的钢制大棺材中。当灵车经过上海的人山人海的街道时，引起了街边民众的一阵骚动。在天空轰鸣的是中国空军的战机（两个月前对日作战中精心保存下来的）。中国飞行员在空中勇敢地做转弯和侧滑。在肖特二月份殉难的虹桥机场，他的棺材被置入地下的墓坑中。

During the funeral Mrs. Short once collapsed into the arms of her other son Edmund. but smelling salts revived her and she gamely stuck out Robert's funeral to the end.

葬礼中，肖特老夫人曾瘫倒在她的小儿子爱德蒙德的臂膀上。但在闻了嗅盐之后，她最后一直坚持到葬礼结束。

"During the darkest hour of China's desperate defense," cried Chinese Banker T. V. Soong, speaking for the Chinese government, "Robert Short, a friend from a distant land,  flew out of the sky and gave his life... To the Chinese people this act of courage and sacrifice was electrifying." Posthumously Hero Short was created a Chinese Colonel.

“在中国遭遇最黑暗最无助的时刻，”代表中国政府发言的中国银行家宋子文哽咽着说，“罗伯特肖特，一个从遥远的国度来的朋友，飞上了蓝天并献出了他的生命。。。对中国人来说，这种勇敢的牺牲精神是一种激励。”英雄肖特被追授为中国上校。

此外，鲁迅在1933年2月写的《航空救国三愿》一文，可算作中国方面关于此事的一个原始资料：

【累得他母亲从美洲路远迢迢的跑来，痛哭一场，带几个花圈而去。】