The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1917-05-12
VETERAN OF WAR
IS IN GOLOF|ELD
SERBIAN WHO HAS FOUGHT ON
BOTH SIDES ARRIVES
HERE

4 23-year-old veteran of the Euro
pean war, who has fought in the
armies of four of the warning ma
tions and has been in battle with
the troops of both the entente and
central allies, arrived in Goldfield on
Friday night.
he is Dan Kovacevich, a Serbian,
a boyhood friend of Gus Knezevich,
ore OF the p~roprietors of the Grand
cafe. He mas fought with the Aus
trian, Russian, Serbian and Monte
negrin armies and finished the ex-
perience without a wound.
At the start of the conflict, Kova-
cevich was living in Herzegovina, one
OF the lost Serbian provinces. He
was forced into the Austrian army
and SEN to the Carpathian front,
where he participated in the Aus
trian retreat of the winter of 1914
1915.
He vas in the C~arpathians for
four months, during which time the
Austrians were holly pursued by the
victorious Russian forces. He was
finally taken prisoner by the IsUs-
slams with 500 Austrians and placed
in a detention camp. He was in the
camp for two months and at the
end of thai time his nationality was
established and he was released.
On gaining his feedom he immedi-
ately volunteered his services in the
Russian army and was with the
forces of the car during their re-
treat, when the Austrians drove
them over the same ground covered
winter of 19~14-1915.
Late in the summer of 1915, ko-
vacevich, with so Serbs, asked per-
mission to go to Serbia and join the
army of the little nation. The per-
mission was granted and he travelled
through Rumania, reaching Serbia at
the start of the combined Bulgar-
ian-Austrian-German offensive that
wiped Serbia from the map.
He was in the great retreat dur
ing October and November, and
through an interpreter told the
Tribune of his experiences in n
of the most terrible campaigns of
the war.
After the Serbs had been driven
from their country, Kovacevich en-
tered Montenegro and enlisted in
the Montenegrin army, fighting with
it until the country was overrun by
the Austrians. He states that when
they realized that the little mountain
nation was doomed, the heads of the
army gave the order for all volun-
teers to scatter and save themselves
as, if they fell into the hands of the
Austrians, they would be executed.
He succeeded in boarding a steamer
and reached Italy.
Ten months ago Knezevich sent
him money with which to pay pass
age 10 the United States. He left
shortly after receiving the money
and on his arrival in Butte, Mont,
spent several months visiting friends
there.
Naturally there is little love lost
between K~ovacevich and Germany
and her allies. He says that while
with the Austrian army fighting the
Russians he never vent out of his
way to kill a Russian. He says that
while fighting in the Carpathians
with othes Serbs, they were digging
trenches on top of a hill under an
Austrian officer.
Artillery fire had accounted for
all but himself, another Serb, work
ing down the hill, and the officer.
The officer exposed himself for an
instant and received a rifle bullet in
the forehead killing him instantly.
Kovacevich called down the hill to
the other Serb, telling him that the
officer had beer shct The Serb re
piled, That's good"