The New York herald., 1878-12-05
PAYING THE PENSIONERS.

SCENES AT THE PENSION OFFICE YEsTERDAY--A
VETERANS ACCOUNT OF SOME OF THE VET
ERANs.
Colonel Coster, the pension agent for this district,
began the payment yesterday Of the pensioners Of
the United States for the last quarter. 1t for
msry the practice to begin the work early four
O'Clock in the morning on quarter day. but Colonel
Coster thought the labor too for the clerks.
and SO begins ut later hour. About fourteen thou
sand pensioners paid in his Office and of these
at least onehalf appear in person with their wit
A il natural. the crowd on the first day is
always very great. and yesterday morning long be-
fore the doors of the Pension Office were opened,
Hanover street and Exchange place filled with
anxious throng, and until late hour in the day
the line extended completely round the building.
pitiful looking crowd IL il impossible 10 imag
inc. The widow. the manned and the sick made up
the multitude Men still showing the scars
Of battle. men with leg
were there in great numbers, and in one
or two instances there were among them men
without arms without legs. ine-tenths Of the
pensioners lay their claims the bounty Of the gov
ernmcnt upon wounds and disabilities received dur
ing the late war or widows or dead soldiers OF the
Republic The other tenth date further back-to the
Mexican War the Seminole campaign and the War Of
1872 Those who come on the first day are, mat
ter OF course, the most needy. and thousand of
them were hand yesterday, with their witnesses.
making three thousand persons In ALL and sll strug-
Cling to be first paid that they might be first away.
Tile dingy little rooms which dignihed with the
name the Pension Ofcc were crowded to suffoca-
ton Everything done with good temper
and with much despatch rules OF the service
would permit.
THE BATTLE WITH RED TAPE.
To the veteran with the wooden leg the sleeve
less coat the marches and dangers of actual
paign must have been slight affairs in comparison N
with the ordeal he IL compelled to undergo every
quarter In his battle with red tape. In the Pension
Office he is compelled to undergo five different pro-
cesses before he is allowed to catch sight of the
ubTreasury. First he must submit his certificate
10 scarcher, by whom IL IL compared with the
voucher. Then he moves on TO another clerk. WHERE
with his witnesses, the signatures affixed to the
papers which are to bring him x24. The oath fol
lows and after this fourth clerk entry of
the amount upon the payroll and makes cut his
voucher. Afinpd with this document he is ready to
stand before Colonel Coster In person. who examines
compares, signs and indorses IT, Then he may 20
The SubSrreasufy and get his money While the
HERALD reporter stood watching long line of per-
going through the complicated ordeal yesterday
he thought he heard one OF the clerks expostulate
with pensioner In the words of Young Barnacle
"Our place., he said. "is the most inolensive place
possible. You'll say We are q humbug 1 won't say
not hnt all this sort Of thing is intended
be and must be. Don't you seeY The pensioner,
however. failed to see.
While this conversation progressing the work
or paying the pensioners went on quietly, thc iivads
being received at ono counter and the widows az an
other. Quiet aud good order reigned throughout the
day. and the officers on duty had n comparatively
easy time OF II. But few fraudulent attempts were
made upon the treasury by married widows although
had letter from 'Onc Who Knows" but who did not
know. that the bercft lady married. About q
thousand cases acted upon yesterday and mos /
Of them will be disposed of during the week.