Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-10-10
ROBBED OF MILLIONS.
ASTOUNDING FRAUDS UNEARTHED D IN
THE PENSION BUREAU.
Results ofa Month lnyestigation-Tusted
Clerks and Outside Claim Agents i'm
pIicated in the Ring-what Col.
Dudley, the New Commission
erof Pensions, Learned.
NAMES WITHHELD FOR TIE PRESENT

contains the following on the discovery
OF frauds in the Pension Bureau:
The development of . scandal
in the Interior Department has
Just come. to light, which
threatens to put to the blush the petty
peculations recently exposed in the
treasury Rings there are or seem to te
in every department of the Government.
They are the natural outgrowth Of long
continuance In Official position Of IRE
spousible persons, not bonded by any
thing save personal honor. There is
one ring that has bad existence for sew
eral years, the operations OF which, as
mentioned above, are being rapidly de-
yeloped. This is in the Pension Bu-
reau.
On the lst of September, one George
VI. Black, q former clerk in the Pension
Office; was arrested and brought before
the Police Court, on an Information
charging him with the presentation OF
false claim for q pension. Black had
but a short time previously appeared
before the same court as one OF the prin-
cipals in the Black Buckley scandal,
which resulted in the dismenberment
of the Buckley family. The reputation
of the man neutralized the force OF the
ofense against the Government, leaving
the public to infer that it was confined
10 him alone.
A new Commissioner of Pensions,
however, has Just been installed; and
Mr.. Dudley could not understand how
ii was possible for single clerk to sue
cessfully get false claim through. The
former commissioner, Mr.. Bentley, had
reiterated the allegation that thousands
of pensions claims, one in every five,
were fraudulent, and was simply de-
nounced for his frankness, and finally
dismissed. Mr.. Dudley, undeterred by
the fate OF his predecessor, Immediately
began an investigation. Black sfslse claim
was filed on the Oh Of June, 1879. The
investigation was begun, therefore, to
include claims filed sometime previous
to that. The conviction OF Col. Dudley
that the existence OF a ring was neces-
sary to the successful operation OF get
ting money on q false claim has been
verified. Itinvolves number OF clerks
in the Examiners branch and Revising
Division, and among them some OF the
most trusted men in the Office. These
gentry have been working in collusion
with outside parties, who will soon be
exposed. The Secret Service officers
have been shadowing these suspected
clerks for q month. They have traced
them from the restaurant to gambling
houses, places ofill.fsme and stock brok-
ing bucket shops. 1t is not yet desir-
able TO make the arrests, owing to the
incompleteness of the evidence neces-
sary to convict the ring leaders. The
plan OF procedure was to ascertain what
person in the army had not yet received
or applied fer pension. The informa-
ton thus gained was then given to con.
federates on the outside, who got mp
claim to fit. This claim was passed by
the ring inside, and confirmed and paid,
those in the pool, inside and outside,
dividing the spoils. Commissioner bud
ley on being inquired of yesterday as to
the facts in the case, admitted that ex-
tensive frauds similar to the Black case
had been Soing on, but refused to di.
vulge the names Of the suspected par
ties.
"You think 1t is the operation Of
ringP" was asked.
Il do, and am just now investiga.
ting that ring, in which, am sorry to
say, appear to Oe some trusted clerks.
The names cannot be given for obvi-
Gus reasons. We are not ready and /
do not want to anticipate in the news
papers. 1t will all come out in time.
Until then | do not care to express an
opinion
In answer as to the amount stolen,
Col. Dudley could not say. However,
the late Commissioner Bentley placed
it at a very large sum. Unfortu-
rately Bentley did not know where to
look for the rt al culprits. He laid it on
the outside agents, under the general
term of "claim agents" and the latter
resented it in q way that left Bentley
out in the cold. Bentley appears to have
never dreamed OF looking for the head
and front OF this enormous steal, con-
stantly going on among his own trusted
employees right under his very nose. 1t
is not improbable that the amount will
be somewhere near that placed by Bent.
ley-among the millions. The per cent
age of the clerks was probably but o
commission compared with the shares
that were divided among the outsiders.
The major portion went to the men
who did the forging of evidence.
Commissioner Dudley's Denial.
WASHINGTON, October 9.-Col. Dud-
lev, Commissioner of Pensions, says in
relation to the published statement that
a ring has been discovered involving q
number OF clerks in his Office in exten-
sive pension frauds: al wish to say that
no public officer was ever sup
ported by trusr, abler, or
more honest. industrious and
efficient set of assistants than am, and
Ihaye no suspicion against any clerks
entrusted with handling claims either
Is examiners, chiefs of divisions or re-
viewers. Hope to put a stop to all
dishonest practices in the prosecution
of claims. l can do so without the un-
inst suspicious of those under nv direc
ton. / prefer not to talk concerning
the case in hand, but l wish to remove
the cloud OF suspicion cast upon the
The Philadslphis Employing Printers.
PHILADELPHIA, October S.-The four
teen principal proprietors OF the job
\ Dr,ntinO houses in Phila telphia met to-