The National tribune., 1880-09-01


ceived in the and in the line of his luty He also
says that it is wei known that very many muta
ons received during the have led to the habtua
of opates and death from overdose taken relieve
pain consequent upon wounds is held accidental
consequence of such wound.
The committee are fully satisfied from the evidence
that the death of the soldier not suicidal and there
fore recommend the passage of the bill
Said salome Smith, on the 22d day of May 1869, had
pension granted to her as mother of Josiah II. smith
careful examination OF the evidence shows concusvely
that the soldier allotted most of his pay and of
his bounty to his mother for her support.
In 1871 there neighborhood quarrel and one Dem
nett and others made representations to the Commissioner
Of Pensions that Jesse S. Smith had property aud was
able for his said wife Salome Smith We do not
think they claimed that said Jesse s. Smith was an able
bodied man, as the fact was too well known that he
an invalid.
special agent was sent to investigate and of course
he felt in duty bound the Government from great
fraud He found and reported that jesse 5. Smith had
146 acres of land He did not state the fact that
land in plantation many miles from stores mills post
ces and that all costs to get such land under the
Ting act the State of Maine to-day is pay thirty
in labor on the road did he state the further
fact that all the buildings this old couple had who had
given their to their country, log house and
log hovel but he gets Evans TO this properyis
worth $700 and thus, without any notice to hearing
from the pensoner she is stricken from the rolls not
whsanding the of the plantation in which said
Jesse S. Smith lives show that the property only worth
very small sum, and give the valuation put upon it
since the plantation organized.
While believe the Government should be protected
from fraud, yet submit that these in duty
bound to find about many cases, like Othelo their
many where neighborhood jealousy and detective
zeal have been the of taking from most needy
and most deserving what should be far vested right
not to be lost through such without notice and
hearing. Wethereore report back the bill with
mendation that it do pass
Now, in the first presented case it will be seen
that the Commissioner says the death of Gemmi
did not take place in consequence of disease con-
tracted in the service
He abjures altogether the wounding of the sol
der, which induced the bloodpoisoning and the
DEATH while the committee follows up the facts con-
nected with the case and decides First That the
soldier was wounded Secondly That the wound
never healed up4 Thirdly. That Gemmill died Of
acute pneumonia superinduced by CONGESTION of the
lungs the result of his blood being poisoned by The
absorption of the matter" The difference in the
two decisions grows out of the fact that the Com
missioner took superficial glance at the case,
while the committee having arrived at all The lead
ing facts pertaining to it decided it to be founded
in Justice Who would hesitate moment to de-
eide that the Judgment of the committee was the
most correct? In the Webster case, Mr. Bentley
claimed " the soldier committed Suicide,n while the
committee adopt the view of the Surgeon General
that his death arose from an overdose of laudanum
taken to relieve pain There was no evidence pre-
S6nGed Sh0CGng Ue 1Rt6at or me S0tGl6f 10 cONlhG
suicide, but from the fact of Websters DYING from
the effects of the overdose, Mr.. Bentley decides he
Intentionally took his life Here is big chunk
of wisdom indeed. How many thousands of per-
sons imbibe narcotics to relieve pain and not un-
frequently they take too much and death is the
suit All these intend to commit suicide according
to Bentey's logic. The Surgeon-General says that
cit is well known that in very many cases mutila-
tions received during the have led to the habit
ual use of opiates and death from overdose taken
to relieve pain consequent upon wounds is held as
an accidental consequence of such wound.p The
Commissioner presanles suicide because the soldier
took an overdose of laudanum the committee adopt
ing the Surgeon Generals view, shows the reason
hoao and ,ohy his overdose aoaS inadvertently taken