Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-12-02
PENSION AGENTS.


Tricks by which Dishonest Members OF
the Fraternity Increase the Legai
Fees.
The dishonest pension agent gathers
very little moss in the Pension Depart
ment when the special examiner attends
to his business, said Major A. X. Banks
of the National Pension agency yester-
day.
Dishonesty thrives as well there as
elsewhere, does it not?' asked a report
er.
Hardly" was the reply. ''The en-
amlners have their system of examina-
ton reduce to point that would aston
ish any one not acquainted with the
business. Why as soon as the claim is
filed, though its Justice is as apparent as
sunlight, the whole matter is turned
over to an examiner who inspects it as
though the claimant was leagued with
Beelzebub himself in a scheme to defraud
the National Treasury. When the ex-
aminer has thus discussed the claim he
makes his report upon it and if there be-
any point that is the least doubtful,
any matter capable of any but
the most absolutely certain construc-
ton. the claim IS ruthlessly sent
again upon its wanderings through the
army of examiners, office specials and
supervisors. When it has run the
gauntlet again, unless every thing is
perfectly square, the whole business is
summarily dropped. Dishonesty on the
part of the agent imperils the ella m at
every step. Of course the agents
realize this, and so. for the most part,
turn their attention exclusively to the
claimant when practising sinuous ways.
Only a certain fee, fixed by unalterable
law. is allowed the agent, and this fee
is often ridiculously small, considering
the amount of labor expended upon the
claim. To take more than his fee isa
statutory crime, and punishment is
swift and severe upon the discovery of
such an offense In order to avoid the
provisions of the statute, however, I'M
scrupuleus agents and attorneys resort
to all sorts of schemes and snbterfuges.
One viii be content with a present to
his wife, either in the way of money or
moneys worth: another will sell the
claimant worthless horse for a fabulous
price; a. third will accept a, present
for himself, while others will perform
some trif1ing service for which the
claimant pays them whatever they may
ask. OF course. all these schemes of
extortioa are merely doing indirectly
what the law says shall not be done dl-
rectly, and consequently are punished
Just as though they were done directly.
This is, only one of their tricks-al.
though, it is the commonest-Ent per-
Jury, false affidavits and forgeries are
part of the stock in trade of the dishon-
est pension attorney. The Interior De-
partment tries to protect itself by re-
curing attorneys to have certificate
of good standing, but, unfortunately,
you can't tell dishonest lawyer by the
color of his eyes. Ten years service in
the department has taught me some
thing of their tricks and ways
s'But are not the claimants some
times DISHONEST"
Frequently, and even the attorneys
don't detect his dishonesty, some
timess'
"What form is most common;n their
dishonesty"
That of showing hurts. wounds,
sores and injuries and claiming they.
erereceived during the war when in
reality they are traceable to buzz-saws,
railway accidents, kerosene and horse.
stealing expeditions. l know of one
case in which man claimed pension
on account of blindness caused by a.
gunsltot wound in the face. when upon:
examination it was ascertained that he
was shot and left for dead when trying
to desert his wife. before tile war. His
wife belonged 10 a very well-known
family. Queer things turn up some
timas, An alleged widow once bothered
me for long time about claim for
pension on account of her husband hav-
ing been killedain the service. She. of
course, stated hat she had not married
again. One day man, came i'm and.
saying that hrs. - was sex, inquir-
led about her claim. ! answered him as,
|, fully as caaed to, and not having very.
much to do, just then, engaged him in
conversation During the course of
the conversation happened tosask him
if he was the attorney of Mrs. -.
| No. he answered, I'm her husband
And he was. Oh. we used ia get some
very queer fish. "--Sk Louis RepK5li-