The National tribune., 1886-04-08
OUR CORRESPONDENTS.
Replies to Questions on Variety OF Interesting
Subjects.

=
| reply to their inquiries. Postal cards Will be
replied to by mail only. Replies by mail will ord-
narily be made within a week and if in this col
| umn within three weeks.l
L., Troy N.Y.. The Mexican pension bill, which
meets with the most favor, and which will probably
be reported favorably to the House provides pen
sion OF IS per month to all survivors of the Mexican
war who served 60 days and were honorably dis
charged. 1t excludes those suffering under poIii-
cal disabilities and extends the benefits to the wild
ows OF deceased officers and soldiers. 2. 1t is not
intended to give an additional pension, and those
who are already drawing pensions would have 10
surrender such pensions in order to obtain the Next
can war pension. 1t would thus benefit those only
who are receiving no pensions those who draw
less than S. per month 8. The widows of all Off
GERS and soldiers who die from stability contracted
in the service draw total pension for the rank of
the deceased officers and soldiers. Such rates may
| or may not be same the pensioners drew. The
amount OF pension that a widow receives Is fixed
by law. 1t can be neither more nor less. Thus the
| widow of an enlisted man can draw but Sl2; of q
Second Lieutenant, but SIS; of a First Lieutenant,
but sl7; of Captain, but S20 of a Major but S25,
| etc.
". IT. c., Peterboro, N HI enlisted Aug 10, 1861,
| ana rc-ensted as veteran Feb. 90 1864. got my
| discharge Feb. %, 1864 but lost it while fur
| Tough. When my furlough out / returned to
my command, and staid with it until it came to
| New York city. Being totally disabled for three
| months previous to that time, started for home
without permission, and never able to return
to be mustered out with the regiment, and am re-
ported as deserter. If i cannot have that erased
from the roll, can not get an honorable discharge
In p lace of the one lost? And if do, why cannot
l
| term of service? 4ns,Uer You do not need dis
charge. The records of the - Department will
and you are entitled to pension For disability con.
tracted Ill the line of duly in your first service The
Commissioner has ruled, in a similar case, that a
discharge from the first enlistment contract per-
fected the soldiers rights hereunder, which were
not forfeited by his failure to comply with the terms
| OF n subsequent enlistment.
| j. X, Guide Rock, Mclean an Andersonville
| prisoner obtain pension under existing laws? A
chum OF mine applied over two years ago, is per-
| feet wreck and received returns this Winter that
,here were no laws for such cases of ex prisoners
AnS,Uer He can obtain pension only by proving
the origin of his disabilities, and existence at dis
| charge and each year since. the same any other
| applicant for pension
Peaches, st. Laurence, Dak.-A. v. enlisted during
the late rebellion In his 10th year. married, before
! going South, against his parents wishes cap
tured and died in a rebel prison-starvedt to death
The girl he married before leaving for the seat of
rled again. L. Was the marriage legal and had she
| any right to draw pension? 2. Can the father of
| A. V. draw a pension now? A. V. was his oldest
son. The old man Is unable to do hard manual labor
| and has hard times trying to make both ends meet
| AnSoer /. Yes. q No. The law does not provide
pension for a dependent parent where the soldier
| left widow or minor child surviving him. The
title In said case ended with the remarrage of the
| widow.
| j. ID. G., Kittaning Pal Soldier was discharg-
ed for gunshot wound in leg, and pension granted
| for same; but upon recovery from wound
listed for second term and allowed pension to STOP
never having presented vouchers or any other pa
pers for payment, and allowed himself to be drop
ped from the rolls He now applies for restoration
| under act of 1868 Can 1t be done? If So from
| when will his pension date? 2. Has the bill for
arrears of pension been reported favoraby from the
| Committee on Invalid Pensions to the House? If
So whose duty will it be to call 1t up for action in
the matter? From your knowledge, what are its
chances for success? AnStoer. 1. Yes, if there is
pensionable disability from the wound In
such an event his pension will date from first dis
charge, deductng period of second service. 2. No,
it has not been reported. 1t probably will be. and
there are reasonable hopes for its passage.
OrIn Dial AN man yhp has
good improvements on his tree claim, and residing
thereon, take a homestead and reside thereon six
months in a shanty worth SIS or $50 break four or
five acres, make final proof deeds it away within
Il month Ito man who had it bargained for before
| proof was madel, moves back his tree claim.
would such a claim be contestabie on the ground
of speculation? 2. A widow woman tax esa pre-em-
! ptiOn, resides thereon continuously seven months
offers proof objections filed same day resides there
| five months longer, then is compelled to go and
work out to support herself and children has good
| improvements, and has complied with the law in
every particular. Who is entitled to the hay grow
Ing on said claim before the case is finally disposed
of? g. Has the objcctOr any legal right said
claim, or Is he a trespasser? 4. Can pensioner
make application for increase without the aid of
attorney? Ifso towhom will he apply for blanks?
ARstVer. l. Such claim could be contested. 2. 1t
belongs to her. The contestor has no right to any
tbr upon the land until the contest has been
de- 1 in his favor. s. He has right upon the
claim, and Is trespasser. 4. Yes. He must fur
nish his own blanks, or get them from some attor-
j. 4. s., Amity Mo.-Gen W T. H Brooks, who
commanded the Vermont Brigade in 1862 died July
10, 1870.
constant Reader, Philadelphia have a friend
who is guardian of minor child of a deceased
sailor by his first wife There is some prize money
due, and just month before the sailors death
he remarked. Will you kindly tell me whether
the minor child entitled to collect the the
widow, or both. If the latter how is it distributed
among them? Ans'0er. 1t goes to the widow, and
not 10 the child.
J. a. F., Drifi,vood Mellow many men were
enlisted in the marine service during the late
plcasantness? " How many were necessary at q
time? Was it ever their duty TO go land TO
fight? AnSwer. During the late war the strength
OF the Marine Corps amounted to about 500 enlist
ed men, with the necessary commissioned and
non-commssioned officers. The navy consisted of
from 1000 to 5000 officers regular and volunteer,
and from about 500 men commencement of the
war; to so 600 at its close Both the marines
and sailors were frequently engaged in land attacks
and took n prominent part III the assault by land
Oh Fort Fisher, n. c., Jan. IL to 15 1865.
S. f., Fremont, Io,Od.-1. Is a person entitled to
pension who had scurvy in the army and lost ali
his upper teeth, and who establish such claim?
2 person drawing pension and suffering with
disease contracted in the army, and is still suffer-
ing thcreirOm, and contracts some other disease
and should die, would his widow be entitled to
pension, provided the attending physician says
that the pensOnable disease existed up to death of
soldier? 3. Can widow get pension by special act,
whose husband was commissioned by the Governor
as Assistant Surgeon and assigned TO regiment, but
could not be mustered on account of there not be-
ing men enough in the regiment? AnsTer. l. Yes,
if lie demonstrate that there Is a pensionabie
disability by reason thereof. q She would have to
prove that the cause of his death due to dis
ability contracted in the line of duty in the service
to cntite her to pension 3. We cannot say what
Congress would do in any case. The widow would
not be entitled to pension under the general law.
f. Il. s., Kendall Creek, PA soldier enlisted in
1861, and discharged in 1852 by reason of dis
ease contracted in the service, and died the same
year from such disease. He left q widow and one
child two years old. The wife not living with
the soldier at time of DEATH and has since remar-
red. Question: Is the child IA daughter, who Is
now widow entitled to pension of 81 per month
from the time of soldiers death to the time she be-
came 10 years of age? IA years. Anst0er. No. She
could only he pensiOned if at ALL from date of re-
marriage OF her mother, if at that time she
under Is years of age. The failure of the widow to
apply for pension for the period of her widowhood
extingushed the right of the child for the same
period.
j. e., Woodstock, Wis the widow of a soldier
entitled to @ pension whose husband died from dis
ease contracted while i'll the army, and who never
made application for pension? 4nst0er. Yes, pro-
yiding the disease was contracted in the line of
duty, and providing she has not remarked.
H. L. L., Wether%ietd C0nn.-A soldier dies with
out applying for pension. Some five years after
his death his widow applies for herself and chill
dren, and her claim is allowed When does her
pension begin? from the date of her application
or from the date ofsoldier's death? AnStUer From
date of application, if claim filed after June 80
1850; otherwise from date of death.
". H. n, Oirdl,tO Station, IO1Ua.-I have lost my
discharge by fire. What steps must take 10 OBJ
tain a duplicate? AnsUer You cannot obtain n
duplicate discharge There Is no such thing as
duplicate discharge because the Government kept
copy of the original discharge and hence it can
not duplicate it il lost. The Government has no
means of knowing who signed your original dis
can obtain in lieu of lost discharge is certificate
from the records q the War DeDartmant and this