The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-21
DEAD OR REMARKED PENSIONERS.
Miss Sweet Explains Why Their Names Are
Carried on the Rolls
Chicago Tribune.

Carried on the Rolls.
Chicago Tribune.
The attention of Miss Ada G. Sweet YVES called
yesterday to the statement made in the Wash
lngton dispatches TO the Chicago papers that an
agent recently sent out to make verifcation of
the pension rolls had discovered that the names
of $50 pensioners were being carried on the rolls
of her Office from quarter to quarter who had
died, remarked. or disappeared.
well really, do believe | shall have to ask
the newspapers to pay me reporters salary for
furnishing them with news" said the gentle
manly pension agent, as she glanced over the
clipping. Il know what this says" she said
without reading it. cit is from the Tribune, and
there is nothing untrue in it. The main state
ment is that my books show the names of $50
pensioners who have died. remarked, or disap-
peared. The number, presume, is correct. it
is the duty of the friends or relatives of pen
sioner to report his death when it occurs, but
they are very Indifferent about doing it, and
there is no way of compelling Thorn. Where the
deceased leaves a widow, or children under six
teen years OF age, we are very apt to hear from
them, because they have right to whatever
pensions have accrued up to the time of death
But there are great many men who die without
leaving any heirs, and we never hear of their
death. A pension is not an asset and cannot be
claimed by creditor When widows Of soldiers
got married they seldom report the fact, but
simply stop claiming the pensions The fact
that no claim is made for pension money is no
evidence Of death. Where pensioners live in the
country and receive only So or So per month
they often visit the Office but once year, when
they get whatever is due them. The Law is that,
if no claim is made in three years, at the expira
ton Of the three years the name shall be dropped
from the roll. Here is the law. You will find
it in Revised Statutes of the United States, No
4, 719 From these facts you can see how we are
always carrying the names Of some pensioners
who have either died Or in the case of widow
remarked In many cases it is not much of an
object to the friends or relatives to report the
death So we are compelled TO carry the names
along for three years and then drop them. That
is our only course in many cases. We can't
make man report himself if he is dead Ex-
amners Of the Pension Department do not in
vestigate cases rule to find out if deaths
have occurred They only examine cases in
which persons are suspected of fraudulent deal
ings. An agent named Rodney Chip was sent
out here from Washington in June to find out
how many none claimants there were on the rolls.
He came to me for a list Of all those who had
failed to put in claims for six months or more.
| gave him something like 2. 600 names Out of
these he found 500 who had died or remarked.
His report was made to the Commissioner, and,
of course, not being notified that these people
no longer entitled to pensions, their names
many of them-still appear. No harm can
result from carrying these names. 1t is true
that their supposed claims are included in the
estimates every year until they are eXpunged
from the record. but if they do not appear no
money is paid ont and all the appropriations are
returned after the three years. 1 report every
month all the deaths hear Of These are usu-
ally cases wherein claimants for part of the
money appear. 1t is very correctly stated that
the same condition of things may be found at
every pension office in tie country. 1t can't be
helped, but the point is that no loss is entailed
by the system. The money is seldom drawn out
by fraud. 1t is not an easy thing to perpetrate
a fraud by impersonating dead pensioner, be-
cause both perjury and forgery must be com
mitted in order to do it, and the penalties are
very severe, while discovery is certain, and at
the same time the prize is small"