The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-10-22
UNIQUE NAMES.
Some Curious COgnOmens Found on the Ma
TUa'"'' tons Pension Rolls.

Some Curious COgnOmens FOUND on the Ma
Toa,"'' lions Pension Rolls.
Washington Star. s.eir
b Eyes, 1 frequently meet queer; people with
queer names" said a prominent pension attorney
in answer to the question of a Star reporter.
3, u can recall a number of names of actual
living persons, he continued, (which are signif-
cant as any to be found in the works of John
Bunyan, Samuel Warren or Charles Dickens
Praise God Barebones' is not circumstance
with some names haveW Vs.
'Ah?" interrupted his questioner ''Do you
mean names suggestive of character or occupa-
tionp
Yes was the response. ''Persons whose
names are associated with colors as Brown or
White, are often met with; so, also, thenames
of Long and Short, and similar cognomens are
so common as not to excite surprise, but there
are many instances where the appellation is Pc
culiarly pointed and even ludicrous in its effect
For example, Pilgrim Crazylouse' is "a school
teacher in Pennsylvania mining district, and
his name reminds me Of the time when | sat in
AN old district school hoose on hard wooden
bench, Just behind a short-haired urchin whose
head would have been benefited by the use of a
fine tooth comb, and whose proximity learned
to dread after my mother had made several
searching Investigations of my scalp" o.
II suppose Pilgrim boards roundr observed
the reporter,
~. 81 don't know" laughed the attorney, "but
here is a man who ought to be one Of his schol-
ars,g and he handed the reporter a letter signed
by I'D. Slatecypher." While the Star man
studied the signature the lawyer pulled from a
pigeon hole bundle of papers and suddenly re-
sumed: - 'Christly Crow is a colored preacher
who was good soldier in the war and was
badly wounded. He is now fighting Satan in an
Illinois city which is big and bad, and l under
stand has had considerable success as a minister
among his own race. l don't wish to be irrever-
emit" continued the speaker, but | have met
several Christs in the line of my business. "A.
Christi from Bethlehem, not. Judea,
but ~ Pennsylvania, applied through me
who was gallant soldier, fighting through the
entire rebellion, is now l think, a clothing
dealer in St Louis Christian Bible is an In
diana German who ought to be good man, but
have forgotten what ne follows for liveli-
hood .'
Here the narrator paused for moment to re-
light his cigar, which having been accomplished
he took up paper and said;
"There is a strange relation of names and in
cidents set forth in this application"
The reporter examined the document and
found that ~ S. Timberleg" was asking Uncle
Sam to pension him because he had been man
gled by splinter during an engagement before
Charleston in 1864, on account of which injury
amputation above the knee was rendered neces-
sary, so that for the last twenty years his name
has been peculiarly applicable. A striking coin
cidence in this case was that the justice of the
peace before whom the necessary affidavits
were made signed the name of Isaac Walking
stick" . .. .. t
Here's another" sententiously said the law
yer, as he showed a second application toward
his visitor who found that Torment Twist"
was suffering the twisting torments of rheuma-
tism, contracted in the winter campaign of Gen.
Thomas near Nashville. The reporter regarded
the paper in contemplattve Silence which was
broken by the attorney exclaiming, "'Dreams go
by contraries and that is true of names some
times, for John Drinklager' never drank lager
or any other intoxicating liquor in his life. He
went through the war in the same company
with me and was wounded in the wilderness. I
know him well, and when he was here to see
about his pension he made a rafting temper
ance speech one evening before the Good Tenn
plars' lodge in this city, which he visited with
me-" After two or three puffs of his cigar
the speaker went on: Reason Twig is
a compound of schoolboy slang and is an
unusual name even for Vermont Yankee, but
is not more peculiar than Skye Leaf which is
Indian. Another enlisted Indian scout is known
as Ka Nj Ye Ulster, who was disabled by frost
bites out in Montana, Notwithstanding the pro-
lection of his name" The speaker here arose
calmly and lighted the gas, saying as he did so:
81 have letter from woman out in Cincin-
natl She is a soldiers widow. and is entitled to
her pension. Her name is Nottingham, which,
/ think is just little suggestive of Porkopoiis,
don't your
The reporter sat helplessly dazed for mo-
ment, buG recovered sufficiently to gasp: 81
guess I'd better be moving and bidding his
companions good night went down the street
when an application to a Legislature would Sc
clrs for them such appellations as We're de
We're" or Percy" OF even plain John Smith"