Morris tribune., 1883-09-01
THB NEWS.
WASHINGTON NEWS

"ASEIINGTo NEWS
Another case of alleged attempted swind-
ling of pension claimants was brought to
light recently by the arrest of Gould P.
Austin, discharged clerk OF the pension
office, who, it is said has been writing to
applicants for pensions. representing him.
self as still connected with the department
and able to secure favorable action on their
claims. quantity of official paper and
envelopes and mass OF correspondence
was found at his room when arrested, and
he was held in 1900 bail to appear in
court. The specific charge against him is
that he opened a correspondence ofthe ma
ture described with Mrs Helen r. Richard.
son of Tecumseh, Mich.
A pension office official says there is no
reasonable doubt that more money has
been fraudulently abstractet from the treas
ury in one year on false pension claims
than was obtained by the star route ring in
the same time. Claims by the hundreds
and thousands are made up here in Wash
ington, and sent Ieady-made to the ex-sol-
diers for signature and oath The teIapta-
ton offered by the arrears act, is too great
in most cases, to be resisted. This system
of wholesale perjury is believed to have
been carried on to greater extent than has
ever get been stated.
The postoftice department has selected as
the color for the new cent. or double
rate stamp, shade of green some
what darker than that in (which the
present Scent stamp is printed, As the
Scent stamp will be retired from circula-
ton, no errors are likely to arise from the
similarity of color. The new stamp bears
profile likeness of Andrew Jackson. The
Distribution nv nf tho oo,,f
stamps begins Sept. l, and it is believed
everything will be in readiness for the
changesot letter postage Oct. l.
The Washington Critic says that the
American Rapid Telegraph company has
notified their employees that all the advan-
tages accorded them during the strike have
been revoked, and that hereafter they will
receive the same pay as before the strike
and also be compelled to labor the same
nnmber OF hours. This is the company that
acceded to the demands of the operators a
few days after the strike, and received for
this action great praise.
Acting secretary of the navy received the
following cablegram from Rear Admiral
Crosby, commanding the Asiatic fleets, da-
ted Yokohama: Lieut.. Noyes was killed
this forenoon. A Top gallant mast fell
while exercising" Lieut Moves was a ma
tive of Maine, and was appointed to the
navy from Virginia in 1864. He was regard
ed..as one of theibest officers in the service.
Gath hears that Judge Gresham, the post
master general, was under an engagement
to become the law partner of the Hon Jo-
seph Mcdonald, when he was summoned
into President Arthur's cabinet, and had to
obtain McDonald's consent before he could
relinquish the profitable railway and other
practice of ''Ssddler Zoe, which was worth
last year $65, 900.
During the last fiscal year 81 900 appli-
cations for pensions were disposed of by the
pension bureau Commissioner Dudley
says the office handled every case brought
before it. All applications were passed,
rejected or additional evidence required, so
that no case was left untouched.
Plans are completed for the proposed
new silver vault under the cash room of
the treasury department. The storage ca
pacity of the vrnlt will be % 600, 600 silver
dollars.