The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1919-02-14
A WICKED WOUND

tration, in 1917, among the young men
who were enrolled by the local draft
board was Edward Rowlands. At that
time Mr.. Rowlands was in the local
hospital recovering from an operation
| for hernia. His questionairre was
made out and sent in with others. III
| course of time Mr.. Rowlands was
| called to the colors. At the time of
his first examination at Camp Lewis
| he was rejected as the incision made
at the time of the operation mention
| ed had not entirely healed. Later
Mr.. Rowlands passed the examination
| He was sent to Camp kearney Cali
fornia, where he entered the Sunshine
Division. from that state This was
on May "a, 1918 He was sent across
| the water at once and was subse-
quently sent to Co. A, 109th Infantry,
18th Division, one of the first divisions
in the great push that sent the Huns
reeling out of France, and one that
made fighting record that will live
while the world endures After see
ing considerable hard fighting on the
morning of September 81, at 9 o'clock,
in the Aragonne forest the scene OF
the most desperate fighting of the
i war, Mr. Rowlands acting as SER
geant, went over the top with his
squad. There was a slight raise in
the ground in front of the section
where the boys broke out and not
knowing the location of the machine
gun nests that his men were to tackle
he made them hold back while he
went over the knoll to take observa.
tionS. Just as he raised over the
higher ground he was hit on the right
of the backbone, several inches above
the waist, with a machine gun bullet
fired from tree. The proiectle was
soft nosed bullet that passed through
the liver and tore way out of the
upper part of the abdomen, making
hole larger than a mans hand. Not
withstanding he was SO shockingly
injured young Rowlands crawled to a
tree nearby, and locating the Hun
with the machine gun fired at him
three times, the third shot hitting
him in the neck, topping him out OF
his perch a good German. Rowlands
then walked a half mile, notwith-
standing the pain and loss of blood,
to dressing station, where he was
put upon a stretcher The doctor said
that the wounded boy had no show to
live, and the Identification .ag was
removed. He was operated on anil
his wound was dressed, but when he
came out from under the influence
of ether his physician again stated
that there was no hope of his surviv-
ing, but Rowlands told him that he
was mistaken as he intended to get
over it, And he did, although con-
fined to different hospitals for several
months. He was sent back to Ameri-
ca, arriving at New York December
II, and when fully recovered YVES for
warded to Camp Lewis to be must
cred out.
The honorable scars of the wound
shows how close a call the young man
must have had, and looking at the
cicatrices one wonders how human
being could survive such frightful in
juries. The scar where the bullet
entered is hardly larger than the end
of ones little finger, but there is
large ragged blemish where the soft
nosed bullet made it's exit, which Mr..
Rowlands says was an opening nearly
as large as his two hands. He tells
funny story in connection with his
examination at Camp Lewis. He had
not mentioned his wound and when
the doctors examined the scar in his
stomach, and there were several OF.
ficers present at the time, one of the
| doctors stated that the physician who
! operated that high up for appendicitis
did not know his business. Mr.. Row
lands had the laugh on them when
he turned over and displayed the evil
dence of the wound in the back which
resulted in the wound in the front.
! Space does not permit of a repet-
ton of the interesting stories of the
battle front as told by Mr.. Rowlands
the desperateness of the fighting and
the fearful slaughter that he witness.
ed. One incident is worth repeating.
He said that he was with a squad
creeping up on machine gun. There
lwere five in the squad. At times the
gunner would lose the range and then
the boys would dash forward twenty
five or thirty feet and again hug the
iearth. One of the squad struck out
to one side to get in the rear of the
Igunner That individual was so busy
watching those in front that he over
Hooked the Nemesis slowly closing up
on his rear. AT last the creeping
soldier was near enough to get action
and he drove his bayonet through the
machine gunners back.
| Mr.. Rowlands worked for John
Woodard. at Loomis for several years
before going into the service, and no
doubt will be able to again secure his
job if he so desires. To see the bright
eyed, rosy checked, outstanding sol
dier on the street one would never
dream that he had passed through
such a dreadful experience. He is
|supremely happy, in cheerful spirits,
curses the Hun with the most delight
full fuency. and while glad 10 get
back to the good old u. S. A., would
not have missed the great adventure
for any consideration.
|
Jas. Jackson has been busy during
the past week bailing his alfalfa hay