Omaha daily bee., 1889-05-19
A NEW PENSION DIVISION.
One Proposed to Be Devoted to In
crease Claims.
GETTING READY FOR SUMMER.
Mrs. Harrison Preparing TO Leave the
White House During the Hot
weather-A Petty Fraud
Appeals.
WASHINGTON BUREAU, THE OMAHA BRE,
bl9 EOURTERNrd STREET

tends to establish an entirely new division in
his office. At the present time the claims of
soldiers go to different examiners, according
to the state to which the soldier was as
signed when he entered the service of the
government. 1t has been the custom for all
examiners to hasten what are called original
cases lat the expense of the applicant) for an
increase of pension. The result is that while
the original cases are well up, the claims for
increase are far behind. Commissioner
Tanner proposes to have one division in his
office devoted entirely to increase claims, no
matter what may have been the original res
idence of the applicant. 1t is believed that
this course will have decided effect in
Fastening to final action cases, which in
some instance, have been delayed as long
rs three or four years.
THE SUMMER soJoURN
Mrs Harrison has spent the past week in
busy preparation for leaving the white house
for the heated season. The executive NAH
sion has been thoroughly overhauled, the
woolen carpets and curtains have every
where been replaced by mating, oil cloth
and linen shades. Mr.. j Mckee, the presi-
dents son-in law, will arrive from Indian
apolis next week to assist In removing his
| family to Deer park and in establishing them
| there comfortably for the summer. The
jaunt down the Potomac that was postponed
on account of the death of Mr.. Allan Thorn
| dixie Rice who was personal friend of the
president and of the secretary of state, Will
| probably occur next week. Secretary Blaine
had invited the members OF the diplomatic
corps to meet Sir Julian Pauncefote, the
new British minister and IL was to be, and
| will be, the event of the week in
| which it occurs. AS society sees
| more and more of Sir Julian Pauncefote it
| has more and more occasion to congratulate
ntnttt 10
! its circles In private life Sir Julian is found
| to be an interesting man. He is good
| talker and Is not bad raconteur. He can
| stand upon his dignity with grand air. but
| as a rule he is courteous to affability and
kindliness. He is seen to the best advantage
after dinner, when the strains OF music are
heard in the drawing room. He is tech
| nical musician of high quality for an anna.
| teur. Whether Washington society Will
make the most of the British minister's
| social qualities remains TO be seen, but GER
| tain it is, as he has repeatedly expressed his
| opinion of it, that he looks forward with
much pleasure to his term of residence In u
country where he has already many close
| friend.
UNIQUE CASE.
A very unique case. under the postoffice
department. will come up before the United
States court in this district shortly. Yes
/ terday the postotflce inspectors arrested
Charles ID. Poston, who was formerly del
is charged with using the frank of Senator
Stewart, of Nevada, and Delegate Smith,
of Arizona, for sending out newspapers. He
waived examination and was committed to
bail. This is the first case which ever came
before the courts for criminal proceedings
against a man for using congressional
| frank for defrauding the mails and the out.
come will be watched with great deal OF
interest: Poston's friends can not under
| stand why he descended to this petty species
of fraud.
APPEALS AND DECISIONS.
No man in the last administration received
SO much merited abuse as William A. j.
| Sparks, commissioner of the general land
Office Every settler in the northwest VINO
| had anything to do with Sparks adminstra-
| tion knows how exceedingly difficult it was
| to secure the signature OF that gentleman on
| his papers, which was necessary .prelimi-
| nary to securing patent for the public land
which he had taken up in good faith. A
| great many Of the decisions Of Commissioner
| Sparks are now coming up for review on
| appeal by the homesteaders and pre-emp-
| TONERS, who failed to secure the considera-
| ton to which they think themselves en-
| TITLED. Assistant Secretary Chandler has
general charge of all these appeal
| cases in the interior department, and
| MIR, Chandler shows not only marked legal
| ability but what is SO much more to be de-
| sired, common sense in handling these cases.
| There was an instance of this to-day when
| an appeal from the decision of the commits
| sioner of the general land Office made on the
18th of October 1857, in the case of George
| r. Ward, was decided. Commissioner Sparks
| rejected the final proof of Ward on his pre-
| emption declaratory statement for the south
east quarter of section 30. township 81 n,
| range As w IN the Chadron district of Ne
| braska. Ward proved that he had complied
| with all the requirements of the law. He
| had taken up the land, had resided upon IL
| continuously, had spent several hundred dol
lars upon improvements had broken up the
| required number of acres of land, and had
| earned the money to make these improve
| ments by working at his trade, in the town
| of Chadron. Sparks rejected his final proof
| solely upon the ground that his wife and six
| children did not live on the place. Ward
| proved that his wife rad declined to follow
| him from Iowa simply because she desired
| to educate her children and found the facli-
| ties in her old home in the HaWkeye state
| greater than were offered IN the compare
| lively new settlement in the vicinity of her
| husbands home. Sparks held that because
| Wards wife continued to reside in Iowa that
therefore his entry was fraudulent.
Assistant Secretary Chandler takes
| an entirely different view. He finds
| that the man has complied with all the
| requirements of the law and that he pre-
empted the claim in perfect good faith. He,
| therefore, holds that the final proof should
| be accepted, and that Wards title to his
| quarter section should he perfected.
| There was another Nebraska land case de-
| cded by Assistant Secretary Chandler to-
day, which was the appeal OF lsaih f.. Fol
som, from the decision of the commissioner
| of the general land Office refusing his appli-
cation to amend his timber culture entry of
June 80, 1855, from the southeast half of the
northeast quarter, and the northeast half OF
the southeast quarter OF section D. township
| "A north. range 81 west, of the Valentine
district of Nebraska This was a
case wherein the claim mt. in pointing
out the land which he had selected
got mixed on the map, and unconsciously
filed upon land which he did not desire to
enter. Assistant Secretary Chandler holds
| that inasmuch as the error was natural for a
man who was not familiar with maps the
| decision is modified so far 10 permit new
| entry upon the lands which Folsom intended
TO enter. provided they are subject 10 timber
| culture entry. FERRY D. HEATH
The Bishop Autopsy.
New YoRK, May 1S.A special autopsy on
the body OF Washington Irving Bishop, the
| ,oind ,aadar ,yas made to-day DR. Ferpu.