The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-04-09
Bogus Widows.

From the New York Mail and Express.
Since Gen. Franz Sigel took charge
OF the Pension Bureau iii this city he
had been engaged, in conjunction with
special examiners detailed from the
department in Washington in trying
to unearth evidence of frauds which
it is believed are systematically prac-
ticed on the government. There is
reason to believe, from the immense
number OF widows borne on the pen
sion rolls compared with the number
OF invalids, that persons are drawing
pensions as widows of dead soldiers
who are not their widows. To this
point special attention is being devot-
ed and some interesting Developments
may be looked for. The class ofwom-
en- who are supposed to he engaged in
these frauds are relatives CT the dead
widows OF soldiers, whose pen
sion papers fell into their
hands in the ordinary course
of events, and widowed women who
remarked and have husbands now
living. According to statistics fur
nished by the Commissioner of pen
sions there were on the rolls at the
close of the last fiscal year, 2,945 sur
vivors Of the war OF 1912 and 1922
widows of those who served in the war
a proportion OF six living widows to
II invalid veteran. The war in
which the disabilities arose whickform
the basis OF these pensions vas closed
over seventy years ago. On the roll
of pensioners which the civil var
created, the widows are again in the
ascendant, but in few districts is the
proportion greater than five widows
to three veterans. The figures in the
New York district show that the
widows are in a minority here, the
list containing in round numbers TO-.
600 invalid soldiers, $500 widows
and 500 invalid sailors.
"Do you see anything r~emarkableir
the large number OF widows who arr
pensioned?" Gen. Sigel was asked.
"unless fraud was practiced on tht
government" he said, II do not un
derstand how there could be six wild
ows to one surviving soldier, as the
pension list OF the war of ISL.
shows"
'il'it pIo i1olly III NotI IAtt-
ment, should the number of widow:
bear to the number OF invalid sol
diers?''
That is q very difficult question tx
answer, because we have few authen
tic facts to guide us. and if I should
offer an opinion it would be little bet
ter than surmise. 1t is pretty safe tt
say, however, that of the men WIT
fought in the civil war, one halt wer
single and could not have left widows
Let us presume that ofevery 100 mel
who entered the service, 40 fell in tn
battle or died from exposure. w
shall then have left so veterans an
20 widows. Admitting that a yer,
large proportion Of these veterans es
capped uniniured and never applied TO
J pensions, still, | cannot comprehen'
how the list of widowed pensioner
, could be in excess OF the list OF inva
lids"
"What proportion OF soldiers in til
, late war We're married."
, 81 should say that lessthanh half tn
!, soldiers were married"
"Do you believe that many OF til
| women who are drawing pensions al
defrauding the government"
i 81 have no doubt that frauds ar
beingpracticed but that women shout
! survive their husbands in the nature
order of things is not wonderful
: Women marry from sevent to tenyea,
younger than men, and they are nc
i generally called upon to risk the
l health by exposure as men do. In TT
rush OF pension business which follow
ed the close of the war numerou
frauds must have been perpetratet
g and scarcely q day passes that we d
/ not receive orders from Washingto
to drop names fromtheroll. A perso
cannot draw q pension illegally unles
s perjury is committed and still thepro
0 ecutions for this offense are yer
ro,aD