The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1918-08-30
wOUNDED AT THE FRONT

,.,,ors recently received from Ear
usrlin by his father and his sisters
Mrs Herbert Gregg and Mrs. ]. L.
Masters of this place. The plucky
.oung soldier was formerly a resi-
aort of Loomis, and in the days when
that paper could boast of an existance
900 general utility man in the old
palmer Mountain Prospector office
slllne the position yclept the printer
Aavi, One day Earl elected to buck
,hs wide wide world, and started out
- GEEK his fortune At first Earl
found the going rocky. but he had
the tenacity and pluck to stick it out
the same pluck and tenacity that is
making him one of Uncle Sans kaiser
Killers that are winning the admira-
,ion Of the world by their fighting
oualites-and If he had not made his
fortune by the time he answered the
call 10 the colors, he was gradually
working up in the printing business
and had a bright future before him
Besides his staying qualities Earl
Harkin was a sterling, honest, up
right likeable red blooded American
how one for whom We have had the
most kindly and fatherly feeling ever
since he flrst started work in the
Prospector office.
When young Harkin reached Camp
Lewis, and learned some OF the mys-
teries Of soldering, he was assigned
10 the 162nd Infantry, made up large
" Oregon national guards. That
regiment was assigned to the 4lst
Division, afterwards known as the
Sunset Division" which included the
End Washington, subsequently the
l6lst Infantry, and also the Idaho
and Montana regiments. This 4lst
Division was constituted OF national
guard regiments. that had had much
training, and sailed for France in
December. For some reason that mas
never been satisfactorily explained,
although recognized as one of the best
A lTalueQ anu liOSl nal lldi poUy Vi hhS'a
in the new American army, the 4lst
Division was largely broken up on
its arrival in France. the men being
ASSIGNED to other regiments and diris-
IONS Young Harkin, and probably
most of the Oregonians, were wished
of on the 101st Infantry, 9th Divis-
ion and the Lord only knows what
has been done with the members of
the l6lst, the old Washington fegi-
ment, as letters from former mem-
bers would indicate that they are
scattered. However, there is O sam
blance of the regiment somewhere,
~ letters to some of the old members
are still addressed to the 161st In
fantry, 41st Division.
In the late offensive on the Marpc.
during which Gen. Foch erased the
German salient that was threatening
Paris, and the Hun was made to re-
spect the dash and hitting qualities
OF the despised American citizen SOL
diery, young Harkin's regiment took
part with the marines, that made such
a glorious record on the Chateau
Thierry sector. His part in that great
drive came to sudden end in a very
few days after the drive commenced.
as he had the hard luck to run up
against a bunch of shrapnel that put
him out OF the going. In his second
letter quoted below Earl tells about
his sensations going into action ana
his experiences after being wounded
that makes quite interesting reading:
Under date of July 13 Earl writes
as follows:
Considerable changes have been
made since ! wrote you last, and al
though at first the news may cause
you little anxiety still there is no
use in worrying as everything Is 60
ing to work out nicely, and we Will
all be home again as soon as pos
sible
ITO begin with | have been trans
ferred and am now in Co. G, 1Ols'
Infantry, 26th Division, and a. pres
Sht Ou Ole Vi Iuc lTOul llIlco.
Naturally | have had some pecu-
liar experiences, and though most OF
them were of the nature that causes
one to wonder If their hair is going to
leave their scalp entirely, yet after
thinking them over they were not
nearly as bad as they seemed at the
time.
The villages along these lines pref
sent pitiful aspect. The roofs are
caved In, great gaping holes are IN
their sides, while in many places moth
Ing but heaps of masonry mark the
spot where a dwelling once stood.
We are at present living II
trenches, caves and wine cellars.
snail never forget the morning tha
went into the house over the cellar
wnere We are quartered The people
mat lived here were evidently very
wealthy. and when they left did so II
hurry, leaving most of their things
penind. Glassware, silverware ant
china We're scattered from one enc
OF the place to the ether. Linen wal
iylng all over the place and stacked
IN way In closets. Fine se.s D
mahogany and walnut were lyinl
ABOUT In all stages of dilapiiation
on the mantles were fine clocks prar
ucally untouched, but the big rlocl
IN the dining room vas in bad state
Inc piano was Of ebony, and ther
was a quantity of musj, still left II
the closet. The reading room, o
norary. was evidently upstairs 20
mere were magazines and books scat
Tered over the floor From the it'll
nave written you can imagine WA
spectacle this place presented. an
just think of the home coming OF thes
people when this war is over.
Laying aside broken idols and dis
sipated hopes we will get back to tn
main idea of this narrative. To be
eih with can truthfully say that thl
Is the first time since being In th1
BUSINESS that I hava haap at oll aatis