Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-10-08
An Alleged Pension Office Ring.

A SCANDAL GROWING OUT OF THE BLACK CASE
ASTOUNDING FRAUDS CHARGED-wHAT CoMMIs-
sIONER DUDLEY SAYS ABOUT 1T.
Publication was made both in this city and
other cities this morning Of an alleged develop
ment of scandal in the Pension Bureau, the
substance of the scandal being that the recent
detection and prosecution of Geo. w. Black-of
Buckley Black fame-fOr presenting q false claim
for pension, had led to the discovery Of sys-
tematic scheme of plunder, operated by ring of
clerks inside and agents and fOrgers outside of
the office. ASTARrepOrterlearneda at the Pension
office to-day that Investigations had been started
on account of Blacks arrest as it exposed the
fact that it was possible to get fraudulent claim
through the office. These Investigations have
not been finished. The statement that the spells
of the ring amount to millions of dollars
is discredited in the Pension Office. This
statement appears to have been based upon an
Oft-repeated declaration of the late commission
er, Mr.. Bentley, that thousands of pension claims
were fraudulent. The plan of operation of the
alleged rngsters was to ascertain what persons
in the army had not yet received or applied for
pensions. The information thus gained was
then given to cOnfederates on the outside, who
got up claim to fit. This claim was passed by
the ring inside and confirmed and paid. those in
the pool inside and out, dividing the spoils
Whatever the extent of the operations of the
alleged ring may be, the Commissioner is not
ready to make any statement about it, for he
out all about it." A STAR reporter called on Com
missioner Dudley to-day, and brought to his
notice an article in morning paper regarding
the alleged astounding frauds ''That article"
said Col. Dudley represents me as sus-
pecting trusted clerks, and casts discredit
upon the clerks in my office very unjustly.
A reporter who met me on the
street yesterday asked me about the matter. and
| respectfully declined TO be interviewed. l have
no suspicious against those trusted with the
handling of claims-ether as examiners. chiefs
or reviewers. and will say for my clerks. that
no public officer was ever supported by truer
or more honest and efficient corps of assistants.
hope to put stop to all devious and dishonest
practices in the prosecution of claims as fast as
they come to my notice, and believe can do SO
without unjust suspicion of those under me.
The reason that declined to beinterviewed was
that preferred not to talk until knew more
concerning the case in hand"
But these charges, said the reporter. ''allege
that the government has lost millions of dollars
through these frauds
THAT, of course, cannot assert either to be
true or untrue I cannot believe that there is
any ring In this office, and am trying to close
up all avenues of approach by which frauds
might be committed; that is all. So far all that
has been said has been based upon one case
that of Black, which is the Only well defined
case. We think that through that case we NAV
discover some others of similar nature: but of
course, it would be improper to talk about sus-
pected cases until they have been thoroughly
investigated.'
When the reporter arose to go Colonel Dudley
remarked: ''We do not do business here in a
corner What we do is open and above board
and any one is free to investigate it,