The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-04-30
BOYS "OFF ALLEN"
Members 13Sth Field Artillery
Jeer at Kansas Governor.
Deeply Resent Charges Made
Concerning 35th Division.
HERE EN- ROUTE To FUNSTON
Buck Privates and Officers Take
Rap at Governor.
'AlleH, Oh Hell!- One Top Ser
geant Remarked.
HERE EN- ROUTE TO FUNSTON

The voice Of the men who manned
the guns-the enlisted men-was
heard for the first time IN Topeka to-
day relative to the Governor Allen
General Traub-war department debate
over the ArgOnne losses and lack or
artillery support of the 35th division
The voice came from members of the
12Sth field artillery, which fought
alon gside or in advance of the 13Oth
field artillery at the Argonne. and 500
Of whom stopped for an hour or more
shortly after noon today at the Union
Pacific station The men, who arrived
by a special train. were Oh their way
to Funston to be discharged
When the topic swung around to the
Allen charges. the opinions and asser-
tons of the governor were met with
grunts of indignation. and some men
who had manned the 12S guns as the
Hun aviators dropped bombs, killed
their horses and sent over poison gas,
openly 1eered-
OFF of Governor Alien
Governor AIIen?" questioned a St
Louis lieutenant. who injected himself
into the group of twenty-five or more
men who were giving their various
opinions of the governor. Well, take
il from me, the 55th is off of Gov
ernor Allen. The governor got his in
formation from men who were she'll
shocked, and in an excitable condi-
ton"
Governor Allen" unused a buck
private, with two gold service stripes
on his arm. surely would not have
looked at things the way he does If
he had been where L was the seven
days we were in the Argonne. But
then. I didn't see him around any
where
A top sergeant took the floor for
second only Allen. Oh, He'll" was
his only comment.
The detachment of the 13sth field
artillery which stopped here was on
its way to Funston on its last lap of
the long. long traiI'' which began
back in the fall of 1917, when the men
put on their uniforms and started for
Doniphan- They were a husky. good
natured, quiet bunch, concerned most
| Iy over their prospects of getting to
Funston and receiving discharges in a
few days They are among the first
units of the 55th Division to pass thru
Topeka
Coffee and Pie Here.
During their stop here the men
were passed out coffee and pie, with
a few sandwiches thrown in by the
Red Cross canteen service. They
rolled into Topeka expecting dinner
\ but owing to a tangIe in telegra phed
instructions. the pie, sandwiches and
coffee of the canteen workers were
substitutes. Numerous passing pedes-
TRANS and not few unintentionaI
soldiers who missed previous trains.
met the special here.
Stories of the Argonne fighting were
retold by the artillerymen with little
hesitation They told how they went
in, how on the seventh day the Ger
mans found them" with airpla mes
and dropped bombs causing a dozen
or more casualties in the regim ent
and how wave after wave of gas swept
over clipping off casualty after cas-
uaIty.
A lieutenant reviewed the battle,
illustrating with a drawing on a news
paper how the 35th went in He told
how the regiment started out with
/ 1900 head of horses and came out
with a few hundred The artillery
men declared ths 138th artillery Jared
little better in regard to horses The
1S0th. they asserted. fought the same
two great hardships. air bombs and
poison gas
An arti1Ieryman was handed a
doughnut by a canteen worker Looks
like the Salvation Army" he said
And. say. boy. you know the Saliva
| ton Army and the dough boys fought
this war in the front line trenches
| That's lot more than I can say for
another organization
What Won the War
Yes. and say" chined in another
1 lieutenant, who was taking part in the
! discussions Of the men in a most ''uu-
autocratic" manner, do you want to
I know what won this war; The two
| things2'' The reporter present readily
asked to be enlightened.
Just this" he said pointing to z
cigaret. and cuss words
Another thing that we men know
and there isn't much printed about it
Tell the dear public To the B. P O.
E--the EIk-goes A lot of credit in
| this war They were the big brothers
TO the salvation Army-the Salvation
Army over there says so-and altho
I'm not an~Elk I'm for any one that's
| back of the Salvation Army, tell the
world
The men on the train were prac-
ticaIIy all from st. Louis and Kansas
I City.