New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-08-13
GEN. MANDERSON'S PENSION
COMMISSIONER TANNER TELLS WHY THE
AMOUNT WAS INCREASED.
REVIEW OF THE CAsE-MEDICAL AND LEGAL
TESTIMONY CITED TO JUSTIFY THE
RERATING-THE BALD FACTS
MADE PUBLIC.
lBf TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUHEI

'uS"uihp newspapers have been working them
serves into such frenzy over their own mis-
STATEMENTS respecting the pension case of General
Ohafies +. MandersOn, Of Nebraska which they
SEEN inclined TO make great political issue
uhat some OF the Senator's friends think it is about
tlihe that the bald facts were made public. With
'iilS IN view, The Tribune correspondent to-day
cahed on Commissioner Tanner and asked him
Tor statement of the matter.
well, In the first place. said the Commits
Aoner desire to state that l alone was respon-
siDie for the action taken at the start. Senator
Mlnderson had no knowledge of it until the pro-
cess was completed. and there came into his pos
session. by due form Of law the increased GER
ulcate and draft for the arrears. On the I'd
OF June sat in my quarters in the Ebbitt House
conVersing with friend of many years We
were speaking about soldiers and wounds, when
TINS friend asked me if knew that Senator Man
derson had very bad wound. 1 replied that
l knew he had been wounded, but was not IA
mllar with all the particulars My friend
replied that he knew that the Senator Thought
that he had never received the amount of pension
TO which he was justly entitled. l asked him If
he knew the Senator's service, and upon his say
ing that he did, told him that wished the next
time he dropped into the Office he would call my
attention to the matter, that would get hold OF
the papers. l also remarked that there appeared
TO be an idea abroad that sympathy would control
action in these matters; that if a soldier was
needy and suffering we were not inclined to look
much beyond that fact in considering the pension
claim. But | said that if in the case OF man
Of eminent position and easy circumstances Ike
Senator AlanderSon, we found that injustice had
been done and proceeded to right the wrong, IL
would be the best kind of evidence that sympathy
was not running away with the Office and that
we were actuated only by the desire TO do justice.
notice, by the way that the soldler-ha1ng
press has been indulging in cheap remarks ABOUT
the fact that Senator Alanderson was wounded III
the back. lie was wounded in the back; but
when struck he was a hundred yards ahead OF
his regiment leading a charge. The command
wavered and Colonel Manderson turned with his
back to the enemy urging his regiment to rush
forward. He was in that position when struck,
and | think it will be generally conceded that
any colonel who when shot was hundred yards
ahead of his regiment, even though shot IN thc
back, was not displaying much cowardicc at that
moment But to resume. The day after the
conversation, my friend came into the Pension
Office and reminded me OF our talk, and | called
for the papers Among them L found this docu-
ment:
Headquarters 10Th o. V V. Infantry,
Huntsville, Ala, March .. 1855
Colonel Charles f. Manderson, 18th Regiment Ohio vol
uncor Infantry having applied for certificate Oh whch
to ground an application for acceptance Of his resignation
hereby certify that have carefully examined this ofcor
al him Incapable Of performing tho duties OF his POSI-
ion In consequence OF gunsot wound received AT Love
Joys Station on the 21 day Of september 1SG The oa
entered on te right side OF tho spnou5 process Of e
al. .bra fui o.
orocee, OF bis vertebra and dyerene downward passing
under the transverse process OF the ninth d'ial Neeor@
ana lodging In the muscles Tho most cheiul eAai''"
tcn at the time of injury failed to d'tcmhe tne exact
locality Of the ball the receipt Of the injury the
wound has closed by ccatr/aton three tm's eaeh une
except the last, breaking out ON the recurrence ot deep
seated Inflammation, and tho condition OF the "ouni d'
ne-,nt T. such as to prevent this officer from per.ornns
duty in the saddle fufthcr declare 1t as my oci uat
he win not be abe to ride on horseback without iager U
o,i,in, Inflammation while the ball remains uneA,facted
urNJANIN NJ FAILOR. Surgeon 10th o. Wv. l.
@ you, n,arl, vou.n continued the Commissioner
- this is from the surgeon in the field the surgeon
who had treated General Mandcrson for hls
wounds | happen to know that soon altcf
the wound first healed, General ManderSon took
n the saddle again. and attempted to do duty
The exertion of riding opened the wound ana
prostraled him again Before ne got up C'e
second time the surgeon told him that II ne got
him off his feet again and he again peiSlstod
IN undertaking 10 do duty, he was very cer'"ln
that he would be prostrated again, ana "oulu
never be able 90 walk step further Iheu
NI,rdcrson's resignation was accepted, and on
tlis certificate of the surgeon that he was tothlY
disabled from performing duty. On that ceFuh-
cata of full disability h. Was clearly en'l'led
ro the pcnsion of his rank. Had he been
urivatc soldier it would have been IS a month
for full disability. Being colonel the ra1e
for full disability IS $50.
~On September Is. S65, Lorenzo NJ WINNIE
pension examining surgeon at Canton, ONO, sdNe
an official description OF the case ltO i Us 81
how il tallies with the description oil the "o"HN
given by the surgeon IN the held'
There Is cicarix directly o,cr the eighth dofsai Fet
tebra as Of gunshot wound ana great senSltN'h'' V
nressure In its vicinity and especially along th' 0o
spaces associated Win inc csh'" '" -
rbra fdrsl There r. slight defoimity of the spnou'
process OF the eighth and the transverse process -, Va
ninth dor al yertchra and there probably if'''uo "
the external extremity Of the larer on receipt o' ~ "
iury Upon an attempt TO endure long st'h"ns' p'V
tiacted walking, lifting weight ana even Io- c
fl, the horizontal posture there Is panfW ,'"''''"
,A.o,-b tbe reat side aud right lower extremity WIN
II .ot .pa noiic manifestations. On the recurrence "
rson in the spinal cord d. has been the case during
a,farl., of rcfioIic fever since The co'uir OF uO N
80 svr,fofn- increase to threatened paay'is' ~ %
hl.torv Of the case shows, mlssl; GioO'Dy '
,u entered the back the point Of the cicnlfA ana %
mn, been found There indic'uon7 that IL IS Duse"
~ to mn Gle, on the right OF he spinal column ana o"'
,tstinq downward the s-I-c Of weight ann pam il"
- d, t,at direction IL my Judgment that any per
o.. ~ manual labor. except such as may be- per
, with lttle physical eXeron, would be hAlarlou' 70
- ,se yoluutary nervous distribution below the
'Ho , "' d LORENZO VI. WHITING,
oi EiH'' Examining surgeon.
1T is as near the other as could be- CONSTITUENTS
,no i s''rScon in tn neld, the other the surgeon
n home But while the surgeon ia thc heII,
having seen the General twice 20 gt2 tn SIC4
on" ,r TVb,t'nG rotcs him AZ ouc-half disability.
n1rro,bqbiy influenced somewhat BY his opnlSon;'
-. stated in another clause o. his ce.ilhc!tc t"'
The disability is of doubtful durdplnW. oioioI
Has Senator Mandc!sOn undergone an oihc'i
medical examination since SO p the correspoiu-
ent asked. ,.-- H. NrodicaI
Yes In 1873 1919 and ISL tne nv ~ Ne,,a.'a' cn.e