The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-11-14
WHO DRAW THE PENSIONS.
A Talk with an Attache of the Indian
apolis Pension Office.
A Hamilton County Case-A Man Who Lost
His Disability in Railway Accident
Remarkable Patronymics.

"Do any pensioners ever voluntarily retire
from the ro!Y" was asked at the Pension Office
yesterday.
"Within the past four years three, I believe,
have surrendered their certificates" was the an
swer of one of the clerks. "They made it a mat
ter OF conscience, and said they thoughtit wrong
for man to take money from the government
when able to earn his own living. Conscienees
of such tenderness are happily extremely rare,
otherwise there would likely be a very material
shrinksge in the length of the pension rolls. One
of these three afterwards recanted, and now his
name again graces the record, or. as the Journal
was pleased to call it some time ago. The roll
of honor And it is u roll of honor in spite of a
number OF unworthy names that are upon it.
The other day a pensioner called here,
accompanied by his wife, with the inten-
ton of surrendering his certificate. He had
read over the list of persons drawing
pensions in this district, and felt that he had
grievance. The government wasn't treating
him fairly. He was only getting $32, and Others
with, as he thought, fewer disabilities, were
getting nearly twice as much. His wife was the
more indignant of the two, and if her counsel
had prevailed the pensioner would have given
up his certificate. He thought better of it,
however, and went away Modified, If not sat
isfied."
"How many pensioners are on the rolls OF
this object"
'We now take in the entire State. There are
1872 names, each representing y case. These
are not all the names have to do with. For
instance, here is widow who draws "a pension
on husband. She has six children, and draws
So month for herself and So month for each
child until it is sixteen years old, when it Is
dropped. Now, these children are mustered
out as follows: May 1s, 1884, May %, 1887;
Jan. 81 1889; two (twins), April 81, 1891; July
81, 1893 These cease by limitation, and FOR a
while run down rapidly. The greatest number
of cases of this kind ever on the roll was 1921.
sons interested In the pension The number at
the last report June 80, 1888, was PAT, at which
figure, little less, IL is likely to remain for
two or three years or more"
what are the different rates paid2' ..s-
There are at least sixty, and they run from
81 10 $72 a month, the latter for total disability
and between these amounts there are great
many different combinations of figures. A miss
ing thumb, for instance, is graded at 81 amonth,
apiece. There are occasional changes in the
ratings, and the tendency now is TO grade up
higher, to accord with S72 for total disability.
"More Germans or Irishf'
"In the matter of patriotism, as represented
by our books think the honors are easy, al out
side of native-boTn citizens the irish and Ger
man names are about of equal number. The
names under the letter So are much more nu-
merous than under any other letter; next in or
der come 'B,' ZIP M 'C' and w; There are
few names under %, ara they are chiefly irish
The Joneses and J ohnsons monopolize the great
part of the ~ list In the Q's' the Irish again
predominate.l There are eight William Smiths
drawing pensions at this Office-plain William
and a robust Showing of William AS, William
BIS, ste. The outlook is, strange to say, not SO
favorable for John, who is not as numerous
Some of theses pensioners have the most
markable patrenymcs How does the name of
Vincenz SantsBhi strike you? or John Czizekq or
Schlostique Peisfot? or the sonorous appellation
of Lettuce Huekleberry2 We also have a pen
SiOnefd who bears the SOul-strrnU 0f
He'll"
"what are the payments at this object"
''The annual value of pensions paid is now
50, III, 800 40; but that is not the full amount
of money paid out at this office. The payments
last year exceeded that amount by nearly four
million dollars by reason of back rensions. Now
and then q naughty widow is suspended. Here
is q case now from New Albany for cohabtation,
but 6ueli easeSare rare. There are things come
to our knowledge that newspaper men might
consider curious and worth putting into print,
but the bump of caution develops in this bust
ness, and full many tale that would make in
teresting reading, is allowed to perish untold.
Had case little while ago 1 don't mind
telling yOu without the names. Decatur
county woman for many years drew a pension
on dead husband He down as missing
on his regimental record, and missing he was,
mill he turned up alive and thriving in Iowa,
He had got taste of freedom in the army, and
at the conclusion of the war quietly dropped out.
We have the case OF Hamilton county man, o
resident of Noblesvle, who for many years
I drew pension under the name of Hedges He
was an ardent Republican and a politician and
while ago, when running for an office, the
/ Democrats cOlared his record and found that,
whilehis real name was Jackson, his pension
papers bore the name of Hedges. But he came
/ out with flying colors. He had enlisted under
age and in an assumed name to escape parental
interference; that was all, and had never made
an explanation or had any change made in his
papers. He now draws under the name of Jack
son. II is singular mis- identity, with the close
scrutiny given TO pension matters, was not dis
covered sooner. He is telegraph operator,
One-armed man. One of our pensioners lost his
disability in railroad accident 1t was Il rather
a a
and in the railroad accident the same was so
badly crushed that 1t had to be amputated. The
pensioner greatly troubled. In losing his
arm he feared he had lost his pension, but the
examining board quieted his fears by passing
him his former certificate"