The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-10-06
A FIGHT WITH RED TAPE.
The History of an Ex-Soldier's Appli-
cation for Pension.
The Numberless and Vexatious Official Clogs
and Obstacles of All Kinds EncOunt-
cred and Overcome.

manned in the line of duty'-while in the serV-
ice of the United States, during the late rebel
lion. was mustered out on surgeons certln-
cate of disability, which exists at this day IL
is an internal affection, resulting from chrome
diarrhea In 1879 1 applied for pension, at
first through an agent, but finding l could do
the work as we'll as he, myself, dropped him
and his services, which were confined to pro-
curing me- one preliminary blank This
blank was to be filed up with a
full statement OF my position in the army
at the time of my discharge, the nature OF my
disability, what hospitals I was i'll, what doctors
attended me, my occupation for four years pre-
vious to the service, and a variety of informa-
ton which always seemed to me entirely irrele-
want. The surgeons certificate covered more
than half of the questions propounded, and
reference to it would have answered them more
accurately than could after a lapse of fifteen
years.
Then came the question of signature. had to
procure two witnesses who knew me and that L
had served in the army as stated or
course they could only know, being civilians,
whether or not 1 had SO served from
my own statements to them. My muster-out roll
would have covered that ground great deal
better. After good deal of trouble in finding
out such witnesses as are personally known both
TO me ana the CLERK OIL Tue OulIeu oOdloS Soutt'
who took the dispositions, 1 got them finally in
the postoffice. Then the rested for about
four months.
In my simplicity supposed it would take full
that time to accomplish the matter. Little did
1 think that nearly that number of years would
be consumed about it. In truth, L should have
dropped the matter half a dozen times, except for
the fact that was determined to find out whether
the matter would ever come TO a head or not,
and partly because my wife and | had so often
discussed the question of how the arrears OF pay
should be disposed of that didn't like to be
cheated out of the many luxuries we had made
up our minds to have.
About six months after the preliminary state
ment had been filed received a substantial let
ter marked Department of the Interior. Pension
Bureau, official business. Any person using
this envelope for any but official business will
be subject to fine, &C." This epistle came in
the forenoon, and my wife laid it on my
plate at tea, as a pleasant surprise. having pre-
viously, on the strength of the check she felt
satisfied that it contained, purchased six pairs of
new gloves We deferred opening the letter and
taking out the check till after the tea things had
been removed. at the meal we enjoyed the
pleasure of spending the money all over again in
anticipation. On opening the letter, which bore
the broad signature of Bentley, then Commits
sioner of Pensions, we found, alas no check, but
statement that the testimony of my captain
would be required as to whether had contract
ed my disease in the line of duty. That
single statement showed how carelessly my
claim had been handled. belonged to no com
pany; had no captain; Was appointed assistant
Acknowledgement by Secretary OF War Cameron,
and afterward confirmed by the Senate 1t had
taken those w0oden-headed officials six months
to examine one page of printed and written mat
ter aGd then they gott wrong.
wrote to the Commissioner, stating these
facts and in reply, about six weeks afterward,
was notified that my letter had been received
and was file with the other papers in my case.
In another month was officially notified that
in all future correspondence with the
the head of my letters the
number of my claim, which was furnished me.
1t then appeared that there was defect in the
attestatiOn, what, | never found out TO this day,
. and a set of printed instructions az to future
attestations was forwarded. by which Twas to be
guided.
All this took something over year The KID
gloves had, in the meantime, been paid for, but
the new furniture, which we expected to buy
with the pension money was still in the store:
Finally, having saved few hundred dollars and
put it in bank, went TO Washington, armed
and irU after the In dna pros
of bundlng me backward and forward among
the officials had been completed. was ordered
q special examination then and there, with
order to report to the board of medical examin.
ers that afternoon at o'clock. AT O'clock
my case was completed, and l was told the board
had week to report in After some persuasion,
they agreed to sign the examination that day,
and would have done so had not the senior of
ncer suddenly found out that the pension office
would be closed before 1T could get there.
The next day called at the office. and was
told that the pension agent was out of town,
and must the chief clerk. Hin,
after much trlbulation L saw, but it
WAS told that had Better come IN the
morning. The next day called again and this
time got as far as an interview with the clerk who
had my papers i'll hand. The Result was that /
found said papers In a state of eonglOmeration
with another mans Of the same name. The
chief clerk finally gave it as his opinion that I
had better call again the next day, and that in
the meantime should be duly unraveied. Then
my patience overfowed and 1 pulled out my
check book (perhaps with an unnecessary -four
ish OF pride at having such thlng) and told his
High Mightiness that proposed staying there
until the bottom of my deposit dropped ont, in
order to get the thing fixed Finally
compromised the matter the
basis that the special examiner for my district
should take testimony as to my physical condi-
ton during each and every year since my mus
ter out, at his office in my oity. This some
thing In couple of months received noti- |
fcation from said special examiner that on such
day should ne present at his office with my
witnesses. MY witnesses, indeed! FIFTEEN Years
makes many lapses in mans witnesses. Some
who would have testified were dead, Others had
moved away and one or two remembered me, !
but remembered nothing about my ply steal con- |
dition at the time of our acquaintance
Two or three were in Savannah, one was in |
Iowa, and the names or postoffice address of
Others could not remember. However, / made |
a comprehensive affidavit, of elastic proportions,
covering all the data couldn't reach by living |
drum up, waited on the examiner I found |
him very pleasant gentleman, who saiG he had |
been specially instruct ed to hurry up my case !
which have since mistrusted to have been a
sketch of his official Imagination He examined |
my witnesses and told me that while he was not |
permitted to state the fact, he would, neverthe-
lese say that IL is probable the pension would lie !
allowed, but that every year must he covered, in |
order that the government might know how |
much to pay me. My comprehensive affidavit |
amounted to nothing. Then had to set at work |
to hunt up some more Witnesses and since there |
81 or npir frau inc
penses, have their dispositions taken, inciosng |
them money for notaries' fees. Two or three of |
them, no: having any nOtaries living near, AIDE !
their affdavits before justices of the peace, |
yZhinh alila NiLs had he IL. nr.inr 1