The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1883-07-26
A RICH PAUPER.
who Holds q $4,000 Claim Against
the United states.
But nj Present LaBgulshes In the
AlmshOuse.
"Uncle" silas Savage, ss Years Old.

"Uncle" Silas Savage has been an inmate
OF the Hartford alms.house for seventeen
years, and while hundreds of the residents
Of the city know him by sight, very few are
familiar with the history of the old man,
which is of more than passing interest, and
shows the hardships that more than one
person has been and is subjected to by the
seeming heartlessness Of our government.
BY rights, Mr.. Savage should be passin 8
his declining days in aiiluence ana amid
comfortable surroundings, instead OF being
an unwilling beneficiary Of the town and
an inmate of the institution provided for
those who by age or physical condition can
not help themselves. =,
Mr.. Savage Is one Of the many Connecti-
cut French spoiiation claimants,
and for nearly half O century
has lived in constant nope OF
having his claim against the government
adjusted but oaly to know bitter disappoint-
meuts. He belongs To what early III the
century was one of the best families In Mid
dlelown. His father was well known as an
aims manufacturer, and had, besides a
large firearms factory considerable money
invested in the merchant marine SERVICE.
During the Napoleohc wars, when England
| had com bined the nations OF Europe In me
embargo and attempted to starve Napoleon
out, four vessels owned by Mr.. Savage, the
Daphne, Triton, Juno, and Polly, happened
| in at a West India port, and were cofiscated
with many other American crafts. But
| when Napoleon came to sell us the vast
Louisiana territory in Jefferson's time, our
government received several million dollars
for full settlement fthe French spoliation
claims. Instead of reimbursing those who
were the losers, the government has al
ways lodged settlement. Numerous con-
| crosses have passed upon the measure, but
to no effect. When the senate passes the
spuliation bill the house sits down on 1T,
and vice versa. Polk vetoed the bill during
his administration, and Pierce, who said
the spoliation bill would be signed If 1t
reached his official hand, disappointed
every body by refusing to put his signature
| to IL. The last congress came very near
passing it. and concurrent action by the
lower BODY would have sent the bill to
President Arthur. A legion of other claims,
amounting to millions of dollars, and some
of them very questionable, have been set
| tied, but the spoliation claimants have been
persistently deprived of their rights and
more than one home to-day knows suffer-
ing and misery that would have been pre-.
vented if the government had distributed
the spoliation money that was received
from France, ostenslbly for payment TO
|
Uncle" Silas inherited one-eighth of his
fathers claim, and by purchase secured the
interest OF his seven brothers, all Of whom
have since passed away. His claim in full.
without interest. is $4,000. He has con-
suited president after president about his
claim, and more than once our senators
have interceded for him. Every one ac-
knowledges the claim a. just one, but there
the matter ends. He has packages OF let.
<or
them from the chief dignitaries, attesting
the legality OF his claims, which he. treas
ures with devoted care, keeping them in
the safe of large business firm ID the city
with the members of which he has had a
long acquaintance. Occasionally he hob
bles down from the town house and passes
hours in porting over the oft-read epistles
that tell of lifelong disappointment. me
package contains letters from nearly
every occupant of the white
house since 1910, and there are several
from Charles Sumner, Governor Bucking.-
ham, Gideon Welles, and other honored
statesmen. Within the past year Mr.. Saw
age has received three letters from Presi-
dant Arthur in relation 10 the settlement OF
his claim.
MI. Savage in early life was the second
United States bank, and for years was the
first selectman of Middletown, besides
holding other responsible public positions
for a great many years. Very often he has
been solicited to dispose of his claim against
the government, but never has he consid-
cred any of the offers Of the claim agents
and other spectators. "Yes, SIR" he said
to Courant representative yesterday, 81 m
going to have my lawful possessions before
| die, but the United States government
will never outlive the curse that it has
brought upon itself by forcing me to a ter
rible life of poverty" As Uncle Silas is
now 8S years old. there is very grave
doubt if the spoliation claims will be paid
in time to give him the comforts that even
decimal part of the amount due him
would provide. -T Hartford Courant.