Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-01-15
Number Thirteen
Holds No Teyrors \
For Local Soldier

!. name of the attraction. Inside the
theater he discovered that he was to
witness The Thirteenth Chair Fol-
lowing the customary course of train
ing ne was sent to France, and II took
Just thirteen days to cross the water.
| He recalled tho frequency with
which the number thirteen bobbed up
in his military life, hut he did not
puavcr Hs was not supcrstitious,
Had he believed in signs he might
have felt his courage oozing away
when he learned that his command
faced the Thirteenth pioneer COM
pany, from Wurtcmhurg. on the Ar
gonnC front. But there is no bad luck
in the number thirteen, In proof he
calls attention to the fact that he
landed IN New York City from the
battle front on Friday, Dec 10. and
wos discharged from the service on
Jan, 10. after having served his coun-
try faithfully for thirteen months and
thirteen days.
IT Kuud J. Olsen. OF tho Second hat
TALON intelligence department. Se5th
infantry. Eighty-second division, ever
had any fear Of thcfthirtccn buGaboo
Il has passed. He probably will de-
clare that fourteen is his unluchy
number, for it was on Oct. "A, 1915
that he rcCcived~a wound in his hand
from a shrapnel splinter while in &C.
ton IN the Argonne forest. Olsen has
Just returned 10 this city, his former
hum, from Camp Dodge, where he
was mustered out Of service.
Olsen probably has seen as much
Of the great war as any man to enter
( service from this city, having served
a. a scout on the Toul sector. on the
/ Metz, front. and in the ArgOnnc forest,
up 70 oct. "a last, when he was
wounded and sent hack TO the hos
pitaL Four days later. on Oct. rs.
Harry Everist. or tbs city. a member
Of Olson's company. was killed in the
Nrgonnc, hut il was not until Olsen
had returned to Marshalltown that he
learned Of his comrades fate.
1t was Olson's duty. as n member
Of the intelligence department. TO
serve his command as a scout. Choos-
/ Ing his observation posts as hest he
might in tree tops. on house tops, IN
shell holes. or in any nook or corner
whcro he might he screened from the
enemy. and to report to headquarters
or to the artillery. by telephone, tele-
Graph or wireless. when the FritzieS
would permit Of connected communi-
eating lines. which was seldom If the
+ Hun guns We're trained on the wires.
This service took Olsen into the
! Dhirl II the fighting and exposed hum
, t. extreme dangers. He and his COM
rldC,s sought 10 capture Germans for
. identification Purposes and TO secure
. uerrua'lnn II military valuo from
Ithc nolongin-s ~ dead and captured
. Germans. He has brought back many
! trophies of his service. one Of tho
most interesting souvenirs being
silver watch. with heavy chain and
charm. taken from dead Hun lieut.
tenant. The watch IS worth about
/ s. says Olsen. but he was offered $50
for it in New York City. He refused
I the offer. for. as he said, II wouldn
90 hack for another for $1,000"
! From the same German officer. who
was attached to the WrrtcmhurS
ntonoer battalion 40 4N2. he secured
the officers service record. including
coupons 70 he torn off when he re-
ceived his pay a post card photo
graph or the young officer, whose
service record shows him TO have
been % wears old when he met death
in battle. his furlouGh papers, cloth
ing record. a letter from Berlin, a
Ginning from his home paper refer
ring 10 his promotion TO the rank Of
lieutenant. and his purse containing
more than % marks in German scrip.
! Olsen brought back photographs
taken from dead Germans. Including a
fnc-looking young soldier and 81
| conely young woman. probably MS
! wife or sweetheart, and group OF
fifty or sixty well-fed, contentcd look
ing German soldiers
| Olsen saw the most severe fighting
in the Argonne, which he describes as
a dense tangle OF underground over
Il difficlIlt-erraln, covering an area about
sixty miles long and ten miles wide.
Here his command was in support OF
the famous Seventy-seventh battalion,
now famed as the lost Battalion n
the Argonne he was out On numerous
patrols and was sent over the top as
one of the five scouts to lead his COM
\ pany in attacks agaiDst the enemy. On
oct. II orders were issued that BAR
rage would be laid down at $50 a. IN.
l The men are instructed to keep iVg
wards back Of the barrage, which is
lifted every three minutes for the ad-
vance rushes On this occasion Olsen
went over the top with the five scouts
in advance Of the company. The COM
mand had advanced about two kilo-
meters when he was wounded and his
military career came to an end.
Olsen's impression of the enemy wGs
that he was we'll fed and well clothed
and as rule was a good sold:e:. That
the Heinies were we'll fed was shown
by the fact that when rations were de-
layed and the American troop; were
without food in th7 Argonne. Olsen
and his comrades subsisted on hard
tack taken from the pa'ks o. cetd
German soldiers, ana this they found
to be plentiful.
The Germans IN the Argonnc had IN
advantage in sup 2rior machine guns,
their weapons being equipped with
belts carrying 800 cartridges. Many OF
the American machine guns were
equipped only with clips carryir g
eighteen POUNDS.
The war came to a sudden termina-
ton. Olsen believes. when the Ger
mans discovered that the Americans
were in France in great numbers. At
first they scoffed at the participation
of America II tho war, believing the
Yank force to be negligible. After the
great st. tMihiel drive. which was one
of the crowning events Of America
J participation, an in which few men
were lost in the great smash which
was completed in the rapid time OF