The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1918-08-02
A SOLDIERS STORY

warfare and life in the trenches on
the fighting lines in France that our
neople have yet heard was the ex-
neriences related in public talk, in
the Civic League park, Monday even.
inr before a large audience, by Pri-
yate Chat Mcclellan, an American
soldier who served for 25 months in
the Canadian army, during which time
he took part in some of the most
severe and bloody battles in which
t0e Canadians were engaged, and in
which they showed the world how
brave men fight and die for a prin-
ciple, immortalizing the Canadian
soldiery.
Mr.. Mcclellan is Stevens county
boy having lived in that county for
rs years. His home Is at Kettle
Falls. Recently he attended a pub
lie gathering on the south half of
the Colville reservation. He was in
duced to get up and tell some of his
experiences in the war. He had never
talked in public and was timid at re-
spending, but after much urging he
consented His effort struck resi-
dent of Republic. who was present,
SC favorably that he insisted that MIR.
Mcclellan should speak in Republic.
After he had given his talk at Repub-
lie this friend made out a short list
OF towns in which he insisted Mr..
Mcclellan should visit and relate his
experiences. Among the towns named
was Orovile, and the date of his ap-
pearance was set for Monday even
ing.
Mr.. Mcclellan appeared on the band
stand at the park clad in the pictur-
esque uniform of Highlander. Not
outstanding his fearful wounds and
his months of confinement in hos
pitals Mr.. Mcclellan is still large,
fine specimen of physical manhood,
making a striking looking soldier. He
was introduced by his old friend, DR..
D. H. Lewis.
Mr.. Mcclellan prefaced his remarks
: by saying that he was in no sense a
public speaker, and then proceeded
to talk to the audience very much as
he would talk to an acquaintance on
q street corner, in his own language
telling Of his experiences in the war.
1t was the most clear and concise
story that has been told before an
Oroville crowd by returned soldier,
and nothing in the way Of description
Of certain phases of the war, espe-
cially the gas and barrage features,
a more intelligent idea of those new
methods of destruction that have de-
yeloped out of modern warfare. Add
ed to his ready faculty of description
Mr.. Mcclellan has fine sense of hu-
NOR, and at times he had the large
crowd, that seemed to hang upon
every word he said, convulsed with
laughter. Moreover, there was moth
ing repulsive or narrowing in his
story, although his accounts of whole
sale sudden deaths were fearfully re-
alistic and he linked the cruel side
of war so closely with the ludicrous
that the story at no time became
gruesome.
Mr.. McKellar stated that he was
working in tunnel near Revelstoke,
B. c., when the war broke out, and at
the first call 500 out of the 1900
so employed enlisted many of them
being Americans. At the end of the
month 500 more joined the colors. He
took lay off for the winter. He
thought at first he had no call, as an
American, to take hand in the scrap,
but after a few weeks idleness he
commenced thinking he ought to dc
MS bit, especially as SO many of his
friends had enlisted. He talked II
over with his wife, and securing her
consent he decided to enlist. He went
to vancouver to offer his services
There he met a sergeant in a High
land regiment and fel lin conversation
with him. The sergeant urged him to
enlist with the Highlanders. Mac
oalked at wearing skirts, but when
the non-com. declared that the girls
thought he looked cute in kits,
decided as he was a better looking
man than the sergeant he would take
chance with petticoats. His recital
Oh how he felt when first logged Out
IN kits, and how he bashfully kept
out OF sight on the occasion Of his
hrst trip from camp to Vancouver
was ludicrous in the extreme. He
soon became accustomed to the uni
form and declared that he would
rather wear it than any in the service
Inc new recruit was put through sew
eral months of hard drill and was as
signed to the 72nd Highlanders.
When the battalion to which Mr.
mcclellan was attached reached Eng
land they expected to go through sii
months more training, but after re
turning to camp after fortnight
leave of absence they were at onc'
sent off to France. They were no
long in France before they were in
corporated with the regiment, ant
soon they were in active service IL
the trenches. He described the Loaf
mat each soldier carried on activ
duty. consisting of extra ammunition
gas mask, helmet, entrenching spade
XII rife, etc, weighing altogethe
some 10S pounds.
HIS first great experience in actua
war was at the storming Of Vim
Ridge, and in that description he toll
OF the use of gas the barrage, goin
over the top and digging in. He sal
the first gas the Canadians faced, an
which proved so destructive to lif
being a new death-dealing elemen
OF which the allies were ignorant
was prior to his service in tn
trenches. although he had occasio
time and again to wear the mask pro
vided as a protection against Ga
fumes. The first gas came acros