The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-10-24
PENSION sWINDLERS.
a Preliminary Step to Stopping the Opera
tion of Dishonest Agents

Preliminary Step to Stopping the Opera
tiOn of Dishonest Agents.
| WAsHINGToN, Oct. 23-The following letter of
District Attorney Curkhll Is the first step in a
| movement on the part of the government to put
stop to the practices of dishonest pension
| claim agents. In the course decided upon, At
torney- general Brewster, Secretary Teller and
| Commissioner Dudley are cordially united,
Colonel Corkhill is very desirous that all soldiers
or Others having copies Of deceptive circulars
from agents in this city, or knowledge of any
fraudulent transactions their part should so
! lar Interest themselves in this attempt of the
authorltles to protect soldiers and their families
as 10 send him full information, to the end that
| each case may be put in shape by special agents
| Tor legal prosecution. Following is Col, Cork
| hills letter:
"Hon. Henry M, Teller. Secretary of the Interior:
"Sir-Some days ago had an Interview wish
Hon w. W. Dudley, Commissioner of Pensions.
in regard to q number of complaints have been
receiving for some time concerning the methods
employed by certain attorneys or claim agents
in this city, in the presentation and prosecution
or claims Tor pensions filed in the Pension Office
I beg to say that have since been making care
full examination of allegations from various per
sons regarding this subject and have become
satisfied that the grand jury of this district
should give these complaints th0r0u ug investi-
saton' SO Ihatlnnocent men may not be sub
Jected to unjust imputations, and that
te tne guilty may be brought to answer
the charges made against them. l have
consulted with Attorney-general Brewster upon
tnlS SUBJECT, and reclted to him, in brief tha
chatg tges. He mas directed me to proceed to n
full and exhaustive examination of the COM
plant, and assures me that I Shall
have the earnest corporation and assist
ance of the Department of Justice
and its officers. The character of the enormous
frauds which are being perpetrated upon appli-
cants for pensions by certain claim agents of
Washington Will, IL these allegations are sns-
tanned by evidence, surprise the public The de-
wees employed are AS numerous the sk5sl of
dishonest men can cOntrive. Some cases Detore
me are heartrendlng in their details Manned
ana decreplt soldiers, and poor widows and
helpless orphans of soldiers pay their pit
tance of one, two, four or ten dollars to
agents VINO must know their claims are worth
less and can never be paid, and these agents
merely hie formal applications to enable them
to collect money from their deluded clients. If
the present law is Inadequate to prevent such
transactions, Congress should provide an eff
clent remedy.
81 sure you will agree with me that some
action VIII be taken. In order to proceed effect
lively, shall need the assistance of the Pension
Office In the investigation, and I have therefore
the honor to request that you will direct the
Commissioner of Pensions to detail an examiner
authority to investigate all claims in
connection with which charges are
made against attorneys, and to specially examine
sucn cases as desire to present to the grand
jury for their consideration and action. The
persons defrauded are poor and comparatively
helpless, and form a class to whom the country
owes special protection. If the representations
made to me concerning the devices used to de-
fraud them of their little earnings are true, they
rival IN cunning the articles of the most eXperi-
enced sWlndlers who practice three-card monte
and similar games Ii nothing else were accom-
pshed by the investigation, it would at least
warn soldiers and their widows and orphans of
their danger and prevent in future their being
Swlndled or their money, and 1t will vlndicate
honest agents from unjust suspicion.
"GEO. B. CORKHILL,
UNITED States Attorney, District OF Columbia"