Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1871-12-04
To Whom it may Concern.
OFFICE OF SPECIAL CLAIMS CoM'R.

Knoxville, Tenn, NOV. %, 1871.
As Special Commissioner to take testi-
mony in the case of claims pending before
| or hereafter to be presented to the Com
missioners of Claims at Washington, ID. c.,
/ find it impossible now, as heretofore,
to answer each separate inquiry constantly
| being prOpOunded by letter and otherwise,
and therefore once more announce:
| |. That claims not exceeding Three Thou
| sand Dollars should be presented directly
to me, when they will be proceeded with,
provided the lcaimant shall have first filed
his petition with the Clerk of the Com
| missioners of Claims at Washington, D. G..
III. That no claim in excess of Three
| Thousand Dollars can be entertained or
| acted upon by me, unless it shall have first
| been presented to the Commissioners of
Claims at Washington, D. c., and by them
specially referred. 1t will therefore be
seen that all claims of greater amount than
| Three Thousand Dollars must be presented
directly to the Commissioners of Claims
at Washington, D. G. To address such
| claims to me is to throw them away. i
can do nothing with them.
| III. That it is useless for claimants to
apply to me with their claims without
| having first had them made out in proper
| form, to do which it will be found both
necessary and profitable for claimants to
secure the services of some intelligent at
| torney, or other business man, who is ca
pable of presenting claims in such form
as is required by law. Claimants and their
attorneys may be supplied with suitable
blanks by application to Powell, Ginck &
Co., $50 f Street, Washington, d. G..
These blanks are not prescribed by any
authority, but are well prepared and suited
to the purpose. They will serve as in
structions and answer the many questions
as to forms with which / am daily per-
picked.
w. That the Rules and Regulations
require the Special Commissioner to visit
such localities as have sufficient number
of claims to justify the trouble and eX-
pense of going there to take testimony.
In other cases he is authorized to nego- |
tiate with claimants for the payment of
his expenses by them.
V. That, as the Special Commissioner |
will have to visit perhaps each of the |
thirty-four counties of East Tennessee in |
the discharge of his duties, it is desirable |
that persons intending to present claims |
for his action should file their applica- |
tions at once, in order to enable the taking |
of testimony to proceed with system and |
dispatch.
VI. That the act of Congress under
which these claims are presented, limits |
the Commissioners, in taking testimony,
to "Stores and supplies taken or furnished
clude such as damages to real estate, &C.,
but confines the testimony and limits the
claim to actual supplies. Pasturage, grow
ing crops, and the like, when consumed
by being furnished to or taken by the
army for its actual present supply, and
timber either taken from the forest, or in
the shape of rails, or of building material
when used for fuel, have been adjudged
to come within the meaning of "sup-
o1in hotn m !
ty to sustain the army, such as corn,
wheat, oats, hay, bacon, beef, hogs, horses,
cattle, and the like. These are included
in supplies,n and form the legal basis
of an application. But tobacco, cigars and
whisky-unless the latter when used for
hospital purpOses-do not come within
the :purview and meaning of the law.
While the United States provides necessa-
ries for its soldiers, it does not supply them
with luxuries of the kind just named.
VII. That it is not the duty of the Spe-
cial Commissioner to act as an adviser for
claimants, but simply to dispose of such
cases as are presented before him. 1t is,
therefore, time thrown away, and an an
noyance for nothing, to be hdrrGSSia1g the
Special Commissioner for advice. tits not
his place to give it, and claimants should
know that they are infiicting an unpleas-
ant duty upon the Special Commissioner |
In
them that they must seek advice from
their attorneys.
VIII. That the whole proceeding by the {
Special Commissioner is at the expense !
of the claimant and the money must be
paid aUhe1a the aUork is done, and claim
ants and their attorneys are reminded
that it involves large expense, as well as :
time, to attend in the various localities to
take testimony, and they should see that
the Special Commissioner is not put to
the trouble and expense of visiting spe-
cific place for their especial accommodate
ton, and then offered remuneration for r
his services when the claim is paid, or t
by due-bill written on clever piece of f
paper. The expense to which the taking b
Of testimony subjects each claimant can {
not be definitely stated; it ranges from C
sac to eighteen dollars, depending alto s
gether on the number and length of the t
1epositiOns pertaining to the claim. g
To avoid any misunderstanding rela-
i've to this matter of costs, Claim Attor-
neys are requested to properly advise their
clients in the premises. That is to say n
hat no claim will be forwarded to Wash s
ngton until the fees for taking the testi- I
nony, and the necessary postage to trans f
nit it with, are fully paid. '
l.. C.. HOUK, a
Special Commissioner.