Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-11-08
Letter from Washington.
Fraudulent Pension AGENTS. - THEIR |
WAYS OF PROCEDURE. - CONFEDERATE |
BATTLE FLAGs.-CAnISET RuMoRs.
WAsHISGToN, ID. C.. Nov. 9th

WASHINGTON, ID. C.. Nov. 9th.
Commissioner of Pensions Dudley has been
doing good W ork and has created quite
havoc among claim agents in this city and
elsewhere by suspending large number of
them from practice before the pension office,
on evidence showing that they have collected
illegal fees. and that their chief business was
to extort money from poor and ignorant ex
soldiers. They have filed great many
claims of ex-confederste soldiers who were
ignorant Of the laws and on getting commu
nication from the pension office it would be
sent to the claimant marked G.. .. d., with
$40 the legal fee. or So, one-half the fee to be
collected before the defrauded claimant could
read his paper and discover that he was not
entitled to anv pension under the law This
Is the plan upon which it is known they
have worked soldiers all over the country.
They use every means BY the most
extravagsnt advertising TO persuade sol
diers TO apply for pension and then col
lect as much of the fee as possible as soon rs
possible, before it might be rejected or al
lowed. Another way of swindiing is to col
lect from each claimant one or two dollars
for postage, etc. and this fee where an agent
has ten, twenty or thirty thousand claims on
file as one attorney in this city is said to have
had, amounts to quite a snug little sum.
return to the old law of giving an attorney
e25 to be paid by the pension office only
when claim was allowed would seem to be
q step towards reform. The following are
the names of some of those suspended in this
city: n. W. Fitzgerald & Co, jenkins A.
Fitzgerald. Milo b. Stevens & Co +. &.
Boudinot. Ida +. LETTERS. A. II. Draper, ID
w. CLASSIC. W. II. Willis, f. ii. Gelston &
CO., Geo. w. Johns. A. b. Webb and Belvs
Lockwood There will probably be others soon
The hundreds of captured confederate bat.
tie flags, which were exhibited for a long
time in the Ordinance Department museum,
have been transferred for safe keeping to the
Adjutsnt Generals Department. where they
are nov packed away and will doubtless be-
come prey to the destructive moth, unless
they are restored to the inner walls of some
public museum, which they certainly ought
TO be. While in the museum, they formed
very attractive exhibition. Among the mum
Der are flags with tragic histories. The Pal
metto flag Of a South Carolina regiment is
said to have been captured from remnant
of the regiment, who had piled up their own
dead and were delivering their fire from be-
hind this CHASTITY protection. A mound of
uehu OouteS was ptieu ABOUT tue nag 10 Keep
Il upright. The flsg of Virginia regiment
was finally captured after seven men had
been killed about il. The famous black
flag which Was hoisted over Fort Pillow is
there and others of equal interest These
relics Of the war shosld be preserved with
great care, as there is hardly any one place
that is more interesting to visitors than the
exhibit Of the War Department museum.
Rumors have been plenty of late of rup-
ture in the cabinet and that Secretary Folger
and Attorney General Brewster were soon to
resign. One rumor has it that President
Arthur wants to get rid of Folger and make
Postmaster General Gresham Secretary of
the Treasury, and by the influence of the lat
ter in connection with that of Treasurer
New, secure the vote of Indiana in the next
republican convention. for himself A later
rumor has it that there is trouble between
Secretaries Folger and Chandler, and that
Folger will resign soon after Congress meets,
II this should prove true, the way is opened
to prove the truth of the first rumor. Post
master General Gresham lie making an excel
lent record where he now is, and will prob.
ably remain at the head of that Department
during the remaining sixteen months of this
administration. The Star Route Ring are
extremely anxious that Attorney General
Brewster be relegsted to private life, but as
long ~ the opposition to him 10 confined to
that particular clique it is safe to state that
he will not resign. ALIAS.