Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-11-07

LONG WATT FOR PENSION Look
ing over some old papers in The pension
office the other day, the difference between
the old time and the present methods OF
granting aid to soldiers became very
noticeable. Now, almost any soldier
easily obtains relief; then it was matter
involving the clearest proofs. In some
cases even ahject poverty seemed necess.t
ry before the government interposed to
give relief. One case, from the long
correspondence. and interesting character
OF the claimant, is II sample of many
The papers are very volumnous. They
begin in 1919, when Col. Paul Dudley
Sargent OF Sullivan, Maine, asked for a
pension. His memorial showed that in
l772 he lived in Gloucester, Mass, where
he organic d n body of minu,e men.
From his forwardncss in the independent
cnuse he was blacklisted and com PEELED to
flee TO Amherst, N II. Here he organized
regiment OF militia, and so ready was he
that before daylight on April 10. l775, he
was on his way to Concord with his COM
mand, which afterwards became a part
of Washington's army, and was the first
body of troops TO enter Boston after the
evacuation the next March. Here he
fitted out the first privateer of the revolu
tion. 1t carried nine guns and took
several prizes, with the proceeds of which
Smgent paid his troops out of his own
pocket. In June he marched to New York,
was in all the battles there, SO that his
regiment was reduced from 727 men to
1877. He took part in the battle of Tren-
ton, and soon after resigned his commits.
sion for i'll health, but kept on fitting out
privateers, of which he sent AZ sail to sea.
In later years his property was lost by
misfortunes, and at the time spoken of, he
was living upon the scant proceeds of a
ferry at Sullivan, the sole use of which
had been granted him by a vote of the
county. The pension was granted at first,
but soon taken away, on the score that
he was rich. He made an indignant
protest, and filled an inventory at the war
department, by which it appeared that he
was worth $l27O, every little item of
household furniture appearing gscrupulo ously
in the schedule. The pension was refused
although ample testimony was shown that
the old veteran, now 70 years old, owed
about $4,000. In 1928 he made another
effort. His ferry had been superseded by
bridge. his occupation was gone. and
the schedules annexed to his inventory
showed that the scanty property had
diminished to S255, of which 5000 repre-
senled the tumbedown house In which he
lived with his wife, three maiden daugh-
ters, and a grand daughter. His letter to
John G. Calhoun, then secretary Cf war,
was most pathetic and reinforced by the
testimony of judges of various courts, to
his deserving condition, and of creditors
to debts ten times the value of his home
Sui nothing was done The handwriting
of the correspondent showed the growing
H. fl mites OF Colonel Sargent. who IN
1926 sent again in trembling charac ers
"lhe third and last schedule to be made b,
Paul Dudley Sargant, a colonel in the
revolutionary war. have not any prop
erty nor any income whatever. The fact
is, have been living for four years on
charity and the sale of my furni ure, which
IS now entirely gone" AT last. convinceu
that he was not 90 rich 10 be pensione
AT the age of 6l years, and after he had
wailed in bitter distress 30 long, the
officials granted him $40 month. but too
lale to h- oi much good, for he died soon
after. That is the record of The pension
S.Feu so y uuSllSlp anu Wluuelu tIle8dlly
from The MN who led the first New
Hampshire troops to Concord, fitted out
the first privateer, and gave all his pri
vate means without stint 10 The cause OF
Independence. 1t is in striking contrast
o the prodigal bounty now shown in
dealing with the yet young survivors ol
he late war.-W Washington Correspondence
Boston advertiser.