Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-07-22
A Soldiers Widow and Draft-Dodger's
Veto.

Veto.
A Vernon County correspondent of the
Sunday Telegraph writes as follows:
With vetoes returned to the House of
Representatives by the President was
one to pension Mary Anderson, sthe
widow of Richard Anderson. His phys
ical condition was such that he was
unable to perform anything but light
work, while mentally he was not bright
could not live by his wits" He was
ordered to Sparta for examination. Ply
sically and mentally he was not fit to
perform the journey alone. He was
found dead on the railroad track: sup
posed to have been killed by Il passing
train.
The pension bureau ruled against the
widow, claiming that his death was not
the result of the disease for which he
was pensioned. Congress unanimously
passed the bill to place the widow on the
pension roll. To those who knew him,
there was no question but the death was
attributable to the weak condition of his
body, from causes for which he was pen
stoned. Richard Anderson "suicided, ."
says the President in his veto, therefore
the widow is not entitled. That news
from Washington in the veto was the
first intimation this community ever had
Anderson had deliberately placed his
body on the track If he did, it was the
result of the disease he was pcnsioned
for.
Anderson enlisted in the regular army
in 1856, and marched from the Missouri
IN, 70 A o.. 4
ney johnson. He marched thence to
New Mexico and in 1861 was at one of
the out-posts in Texas under General
Twiggs and one of the soldiers that Off
Ger tried to turn over to the confederate
government, but this private soldier re-
garded the oath to perform duty under
the stars and stripes too sacred to follow
the advice of one so able rs General
Twiggs. From the exposed outpost in
Texas, Anderson, with others. marched
to St Louis and reported to Benton Bar
racks. where they were assigned to duty
and discharged at the expiration Of SER
vice. Anderson served nearly five years
on the frontiers and then enlisted in the
the volunteer service, from which he
was discharged at the close of the war
and pensioned on well established
claim of disability.
Sunday. July 4, the writer was rid
ing up one of the valleys of the Kicka-
poo, and near the head halted ut a poor
log house, with one room, a broken
stove, II few worn-out chairs. bed with
scanty covering, eight children from
three to sixteen years. poorly clad. shoe
less, bonnetlcss and hatleSs. The pro-
visions were the milk of one COW and
bread earned by boy fourteen wears
old. On that w0rn-out farm was grow
ing little patch of potatoes, one acre of
wheat and few acres of light meadow
This is the home of the widow of Rich
ard Anderson. whom the President in
his wisdom refuses the widows mite
the widow of one who, afoot, had fol-
lowed the flag of his country as private
soldier across more states and territories
than Grover Cleveland ever had in his
life by rail. The widowed mother had
heard that the attention of Congress had
been called to her needs and a bill passed
to place her name on the pension roll,
and her heart was for the first time in
many years glad. She was informed
that the President of government,
whose revenues were large and had to
be reduced, had in his wisdom vetoed the
hill She said they had lived in poverty
and want for long time. and with the
help of the little family she hoped to still
fight the battles of life. and in the end to
meet Grover Cleveland in congress of
people. before a just God, where the sor-
rows of her poverty in this world would
be forgotten and her rights would be
equal TO any who had ruled over gov
eminent of sixty millions of people.