The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-02-04
PENSION FRAUDS.
The Frauds i'm this State to be Looked
Up-Thc Clinton Cases-Remarkabie
Testimony.

What Bristow has been doing in the West
among whiskey frauds, Chandler proposes to
do in the East among pension frauds 1t is
we'll known that there are large number of
these cases in this state and the decree has gone
forth to have them looked up. For this pur-
pose Secretary Chandler has sent number of
detectives through the state. When all is
ready the trap will be sprung on many guilty
head. There is one case in this vicinity which
has been investigated recently and the guilty
parties will be arrested in short time. There
will be some surprise wheI these facts are re-
vealed. These cases are very difficult ones to
get at as most of the frauds have been perpe-
trated in small country places. The fraud in
Clinton was only discovered by accident while
investigating the case of N. w. Rand Il, the
forger.
The trial of the Clinton fraud cases began
yesterday morning in the q. S. District Court
before Judge Fox. This is one of the most re-
ma-kable cases of forgery and perjury on rec
ord. 1t appears that in 1874 certain number
of persons formed ring in Clinton to defraud
the government. Crew. N w. Randall, then
the ring, and the persons who are now on trial
were his aids. Mrs. Jane Lewis is the daugh-
ter-in-law of the woman who, if alive, would
be entitled to the pension which was obtained.
She played bold game, as will be seen as the
trial progresses
The first case taken up was that of Aaron
Eldridge, who is charged with assisting Jane
Lewis to procure fraudulent pension. U. s.
District Attorney Webb appeared for the gov
eminent, and Clifford & Clifford for the re-
spondent.
The first witness called was Col. j. Horace
Kent special ageut of the U. S. Secret Service,
who has worked up the case from the first. He
identified the papers presented as being the
same which he obtained in Washington from
the Pension Department. They were those
upon which $3.50 in back pensions had been
obtained. His testimony was simply to open
the case.
Abijah M. Billings, Justice of the Peace at
Clinton and formerly Pension Notary was the
next witness. His testimony was the most re.
markable. He stated that N. W. Randall,
then Justice of the Peace, appeared before
him and the certificate was acknowledged and
certified by kim, although Mrs. Lewis nor
neither of the witnesses whose names were
signed were present. He said he knew Ran
dali well and had confidence in his word. He
thought that the names of the witnesses and
the mark of Mrs. Lewis was in N. w. Ran
dalPs hand writing. Randall stated to a wit
ness that Mrs. Lewis was sick and unable to
appear. Witness refused to sign it, but after
wards yielded when Randall offered to testify
that Mrs. Jane Lewis signed the document.
Witness testified that this was the only case in
which he had signed certificate when the
parties were not present, but the District At
torney produced one signed in exactly the
same manner. This caused deci ded sensa-
ton in the court room. At one time during
the examination the respondents attorney oh.
jected to the question, when Judge Fox re-
marked that the witness had admitted that he
took his oath to false certificate and he
should not confne the government to the strict
rules, as he deemed it best that all the facts
should come out. No new facts were ELECTED
in the cross.examinaton.
In the afternoon Sumner Fl. Flood and
his son George S. Flood, G. FL. Kidder for
merly town clerk, and Francis Low, all from
Clinton, testified in regard to the relation of
the parties on trial. From their testimony it
was shown that Mrs. Jane Lewis was the
widow of Samuel Lewis, who was the son of
Eben Lewis who was a pensioner of the war of
1872 The marriage of Mrs. Jane Lewis was
testified to.
Mrs Jennie Lewis testified to signing GER
tificates that she knew knew Mrs. Jane Lewis
to be the wife of Eben Lewis.
COL Kent was recalled to testify in regard to
a conversation he held with the respondent in
regard to signing certificates.
The government will call several more wit.
nesses this morning, then the defence will
open.