St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-10-16
a Card From j. w. sencerbox.

noticed in your issue of the 10th inst.
the report of Mr.. Donnely's speech at Jor.
! don, in which he made certain assertions "a
to Major Straits pension business in con-
nection with myself. As Major Strait. in
| your issue Of the 18th positively denied every
statement and insInuation contained in that
| speech relating to his pension business. and
as the story was absurd upon its face.
did not suppose that even I. DonneIv would
have the hardihood to repeat it, but am
credibly informed that he is repeating the
| story, and as the charges made by him are as
! much against me as against Major Strait [
i ask permission to make this answer through
your columns, in which the charges were
published.
That my answer may be better understood,
1 make the following extract from the report
| referred to which contains the charge:
"a poor soldier has pension claim. He
applies to the pension bureau and his claim is
rejected for some informally or for the lack
OF some item of proof. He goes to Strait to
have him secure him pension by a special
act OF congress. Strait tells him to go to Capt.
| SencerboX. Capt. Srncerbox enters into a
written contract with the soldier that he is to
! give him One-half of all that is collected.
| Then, and not till then, Strait takes hold of
| the case. What does Sencerbox do. He is
no lawyer; but ne prepares the papers: ten
| or twenty dollars would be a reasonable com
! pensation 1Ur such services; or perhaps
! Strait gets the papers or copies o. them from
the pension office and Sencerbox docs moth.
ing Strait introduces the bill, does all the
| work, carries it through the committees, and
| the house and senate. A draft is sent to
| Straits ddia6 at !ShakODee for the back paw
The old soldier is taken into the back room
OF Straits bank and there is compelled to give
One-haf of his claim, be it $500, 81, 600 or
81, 900, to SencerboX. SencerbOx would, of
| course swear that the virtuous Strait never
received cent of this money; but if he did
not, what did Sencerbox do to earn itt
And why should Strait refer the applicant to
SencerboX and then work so hard to put
money into SedcerbOx's pocket! 1t is too
! thin. The soldier goes away swearing at the
fraud practiced upon him, and Strait points to
| the act for the relief of the old soldier al
proof of his patriotism and Industry
The only truth or semblance of truth there
is in that charge, are the statements that I
am no lawyer, and that l have occasionally
prepared papers in pension cases, and the
pensioners have generally paid me for my
services.
have never prepared papers in
or had anything to do with any case which
has been rejected except one and that case
stands rejected to-day. | have never entered
INTO written contract with any applicant
/ or pension relating to the compensation
| l or any one else was to receive
l never had anything to do directly or in
| directly in any pension case where the PEN
| sion was granted or was to be asked for by
special act of congress, and have never
! had any conversation or communication di.
| raf.t,, q; -, III
| cant for pension relating in any maner to
the granting of any pension by special act.
never heard or knew Of pension draft be-
| ing "sent to Mai Straits banks in Shako-
pee" or any other bank or person other than
the pensioncr direct.
have never settled with a peDsioner fol
my or any other services relating in any
manner to his pension in the back room OF
any other room of Straits bank or any other
bank in Shakopee elsewhere, except in
one instance.
Straits bank in Skakopee has no back
room.
Strait has no bank in Shakopee.
There never was any Of ''this money! that
Donelly refers to, hence there is no neees-
sity for me to ''swear that the virtuous Strait
never received a cent? of it. But | would
swear aud have sworn that II. B. Strait never
received one cent Of any money that was
ever paid to me or came into my hands for
any services or assistance in procuring
pension.
As have never practiced or been party
to any fraud upon any applicant for PEN
sion, so no soldier has gone away after
settling with me for my services Swearing
at the fraud practiced upon him.
think the foregoing deniaIs are positive
| and explicit enough to put in issue all the
points made in Mr.. Donely's charge, but
will not rest the case upon simple deni4ls
but wish to show that Mr. DOnnelly's story
was not only false but, impossible and alb
surd, and that it could only emanate from
an ignorant or dishonest source.
The whole gist Of the charge is based on
the assertion that Maj. Strait has obtained
by special acts Of congress, pensions grant
ing large amounts Of daeb pay to the pen
sioner and that the drafts for this bqck nan
were sent to "Strait's bank in Shakopee' };
where the pensioner could only get his
money by dividing with me.
Now it is a fact which every one who
knows anything about government pension
business knows, and which a candidate for
member OF congress-, especially when he is
an ex-member of congress certainly ought 10
know, that none of the special acts granting
pensions by congress, ever carry with them
any back pay, except in very few instances
Vi special dclo LOT general omcerS Tor unusu-
ally meritorious service.
1t is another fact, which every pepsioncr
in the United States cap bear witness 10.
that pension drafts are always made PAYABLE
to the order of the pensioner, and sent
directly to him, and never under any cir
cumstances to any one else.
In view Of these facts, Mr.. DonneIlv,s
story is seen TO be not only false. but limos
siblf IL l. Donnelly did not know these facts,
be was very ignorant OF the subject he was
talking about. If he did know them. be was
deliberately circulating falsehood for the
purpose Of iDjuring his opponent.
would prefer to attrit ute Mr.. DonneIIy's
statements to his ignorance rather than to
his wickedness, and it might have been
ignorance in the first IN stance, but l am in.
formed that the facts showing the impo8-
sibility Of his story, were stated TO Mr.
Donnelly on the 10th inst, and if so, his rope
titions OF the story since then can be ac-
counted for only on the supposition that no
falsehood is too low or barefaced for him to
circulate if by 50 doing be secs
chance to deceive a voter into vothing fog
him instead Of Maj. Strait. Respectfully,
J. w. SEECERBox.
J. Gaumer and family, Lying near Coshocton.