The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-01-21
Alleged Pension Frauds.
THE GOVERNMENT ROBBED OF
EIGHTEEN THOUSAND DOL
LARS.
Defaminx the Regulations of Dead He
rOes.

II fOess
Sunday noon Col. j. Horace Kent, High
l Sheriff of New Hampshire, detailed for the
| occasion as an officer of the Secret Service
Bureau of the United States, proceeded to the
| residence Of Capt, George Prince of Bath, and
arrested him on charge of defraudipg the
| Uoited States on fictitious pensions, affdavits
| and vouchers. Captain Prince took the matter
very coolly and was taken to the Sagadahoc
House and kept under guard until yesterday
morning when he was brought to this city and
taken before United States Commissioner Cliff
ford. He pleaded not guilty aud was ordered
to give bonds 10 the su N of $4,000 for his ap-
pesrance for trial on Saturday next While
awaiting bail he occupies the Deputy Marshals
room in the Post Office bailding, under guard
Capt. George Prince is man of some 81
years of age, but appeared older as he is bald
on the top of his head and his hair and whis.
kers are very white He is connected with
some of the best known and most Influential
families in the state. Daring the war he com
manded Company X. LIST Maine Cavalry, and
was for long time a clerk 10 the Com mission
er of Pensions Bureau at Washington. For
some years back he has resided in Bath, where
he has wife but no children. Ithas been
matter of gossip for some time what were the
principal means of support of the captain and
his wife, and it may be, that this gossip in
measure turned the attention of the govern
ment toward him.
The method. it is alleged by the government,
ad0ntpd hv Gopto:p T. Joe-
follows: He would go through fhe muster
rolls of regiment until he found the name of
dead officer or soldier, who left no widow or
near female relative. He would forge some
female name, as TIE widow of deceased, then
forge the name of one or more witnesses, for
ward the voucher to the pension agent at Con-
cord, N. H., receive the check that was return
ed, forge the endorsement of the pretended
widow, get the check cashed and pocket the
funds. In many cases, it is alleged be would
succeed in getting one or more witnesses who
really signed these forged vouchers under the
impression they knew the signatures of the
WIDOW to be genuine and that there was a
genuine widow. 1t is claimed by. the govern.
ment they can prove some seven or eight Of
these forged cases on which Capt, Prince se-
cured $4,000
One of these cases shows, if true. the CON-;
temptible character of this man who could not
only defraud the United States but would rob
our dead heroes OF their regulations by giving
abroad the impression that men of means, dead
heroes who died while fighting the battles of
their country, left widows unknown to their
families who had nothing for their support but
the slim pensions they co1ld secure. In the
Boston Post OF December 10Th, appeared the
death notice Of Sabina X. Nudge, AGED 81
years. A few days after in the same journal,
paragraph appeared stating that few days pre-
vious ii ady died in that city under peculiarly
unhappy circumstances. She bad been born
and reared IN affiuence but by misfortune had
all her praoerty and under fictitious
name went TO Bath and Brnnswick wbero sba
secured work. But, notwithstanding her nride
she was compelled, as the widow cf a brave
officer, to send her real name ON the voucne.
by which she secured her pension. Lately she
ascertained that government detec-
tive was on her track to arrest her
on charge of defrauding the government.
The shock, taken in connection with her old
troubles, proved too much for her system, and
she sank under the blow and died. This notice
referred to the same Sabina R. Nudge. This Sa-
bina R. Nudge claimed to bs the widow of
Lieut.. Colonel Charles Redipgton Nudge of the
I'd Massachusetts Vo]un, GERS, graduate of the
class of go, of Harvard College. and one of the
most popular students and bravest officers that
ever rode out of Boston. Col. Nudge was the
son Of the well known banker, E. r. Nudge of
Boston, and Swampscot, who f,rmerlY resided
in Portland, and whose wife's father was at one
time proprietor of the celebrated San Tavern
on Middle street. Col Nudge never was mar
red. He was killed at Gettysburg in 1863
This Sabina Il. Nudge claimed to be married to
Col. Nudge in Iowa. 1t is claimed that Capt
Prince. having forged this Sabina R. Mudge's
name to a pension aud got the money, some
$1,000, discovered that there was going to be
trouble aad procured the insertion OF her death
and this accompanying notice.
1t is also alleged that, in order to facilitate
operations Capt Prince had post.ofics boxes at
Wiscasset, Bath and Brunswick, and had the
checks for his vouchers forwarded first to one
and at other times the other.
We noticed TIE name of Mrs. Leppien as
witness to one Ct the vouchers. This recalls to
mind the fact that story was afloat for some
time that young Capt Leppien-who was de-
tailed by the War Department to organize the
artillery arm of Maine-had left widow who
was drawing pension. but the singularity Of
the case was that all the family stoutly denied
he ever was married, and the fact that the
widow never drew her pension herself but had
friend draw it for her in Augusta.
reporter for this paper visited Capt Prince
and was very cordially recsived. He was asked
If he had anything to say in his behalf He
replied that he was Justice of the Peace; that
these various women came to him with their
witnesses, and all he had to do, and did do, was
to take their oaths that they were the persons
they represented themselves to be, sign the Aft
davits as justice and restore them the vouchers
in an envelope. Gen. G. P. Mattocks has beeu
engaged as counsel for Capt. Prince. District
Attorney Lunt will appear for the government
nfvnrrae nar