The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-08-11

''"'' because somebody's pension has
oeen refused. People think the pensio,
once can do anything. grant them bis
pensions without form or evidence. loar
'hem money, make holiday Gifts. and se
on One Of the saddest letters ever,
read was from n woman out in Ohio
VINO mad lost boy in the war. lie had
neen SHOT m the swamps near Bator
Rouge, La, and his body was never re
covered. She implored the pension com
missioner TO send men down there Il
hunt tho swamps for his bones. and dc
clared She would die happy if she could
recover the remains Of her boy and hay.
them buried beside herself.
The chief disabilities for which pen
sions are grantcdf That is a question
everybody asks There appears TO be q
general curiosity concerning the iniuric.
men receive in battle and army life
Well. in round numbers 100, 1000 pension
crs suffered rmshot wounds Eleven
or twelve thousand Of these were hit IN
the face, $500 In the neck. 1900 in IN,
chest, $500 I'M tho back, II. 900 i'm the
shoulder, 1900 in the hand. 81 600 81
tha thigh, 10000 in the leg and 1000 in
tho FOOT OF the amputations 1900 ,>ers
of the arm. l.fOO Of "a part Of the lhnd
and only 4 of the hand itself. While
$500 legs were taken of and 400 parti
of feet, only 4 amputations of the foot
alone are ON the records. More than 40
600 cases Of disability are charged q
Ihcumatism. and more than $4,000 O.
chronic diauhca. There are about s0C
cases Of total blindness, the same mum
bor of loss of sight of one eve, $50 case
Of ono eye lost, 10000 diseases OF the
eyes. 300 of total deafness and 10000
partial deafness.
"Ol course Tie pension Office carrie
-'adue-s TO many thousands of homes
but 30 tho same time 10 does great dca
as harm, as you would see ST You could
look into the thousands of cases OF
fraudulent pensions with which tho of
flee bias had % DEAL Many thousands o..
mon have committed perjury in order O.
get 70 pension of IS or $40 a month. and
more than that, have induced Then
friends 10 commit perjury for their bone
ht often wonder 40 the good nature
of physicians and surgeons n holpIn.
poor devils To- get pensions to which they
are notcnf.tlci Doctors sometimes have
wonderfully reicntivc memories, as in d
case which was put through the ofhci
Gav Tile surgeon had seen the claimant
tut once ben his lilo, and that more Shan
quarter of century ago. lcthc pre
summed to remember The condition o.. The
MANS lungs at that time though ho haI
passed bat five minutes in bis company
while on his rounds of vaccination W.
have bad applications come n hero foi
pensions 900 account Of doaayol teeth
falling hair buui0us and c0iu- that w.u
brought on hv 'ho long marchc7 of .hl
WAT. for failu. eyes tl1t wcIc Icrts Ms
good ull tho claimants had reached th0
ago of 90 or more. for frost bites and bad
teeth One man wanted 90 pension in
obesity lie persisted iu bis declaration
That It was on account of ms life il th'
army Chat Die alterward grew so fat De-
couldn't see DDS huoos0r do % day, wIk
ue Didn't eet pension. however. ooi
did the imam who complained that M'
army experiences had SD dcmorallzei Dis
morals that hc could no lon4crioliow Dol.
ra.o ion of preaching the Gospel
"Ih0rc was queer case 0ut west, roW
nearly forgotten, in which young mm
who taught school during tle war. au0
who hurt himself whileout hunting just
a- his twin brother returned home from
tUe south. managed 20 get pension foi
mntaionof thclog lthapQencd tlai
f thc brother who was in the army ha0
been discharged from the hospital short
f r before leaving the service. with q
f slight womdi1tholDs. and as tuis wouu0
Glanced Co Doe I'm the same place. and OF
much the same character a. that which
BOO, brother had suffered, the latter OF
losing ISIS beg pcrsonatel thc soldier and
drew pension for uearya dozen years
The wound m the Deg of the soldier
Quickly healed. and the twins exchanged
| Identities.
"Ihc soldiers ST tho late Wax are uoV
scattered all over the world, - conclu-
cI ie guide every quarter pension
money orders or checks are sontto Mex
f leo. Alaska. Central and South America
Chin1. India and even 90 Greenland and
reatd AID told there are nearly $50.
pensioners who reside iu foreign coW
Z r.... many OBJ them the widows Of soil
di.r. nlo have returned to their native